We have recently lost our much loved lab and are now looking for two puppies (ideally two bitches - one yellow and one black or chocolate).  We are based in Chichester, West Sussex.  Please call asap if any info - thanks 01243 575949

No responsible breeder will sell you 2 puppies of the same age. Far better to wait until one is at least 18 mths before getting a 2nd. Check out this site for info. http://www.thelabradorretrieverclub.co.uk/ and remember only to buy from breeders who do all the necessary health checks.

HI Anwen
Thankx for your reply. You guys are the experts so that is just what I was looking for.  Out of interest what is the reasoning as I would have thought they would have provided good company for one another?

If you have 2 pups they WILL provide stimulation for each other...however the bond they should be building with you will suffer.If you have one ,build your relationship,train it etc then introduce another and do the same again...given a choice of doing training with an owner or playing with a diggy playmate the dog wins every time LOL
Archer

Thanks Archer - I guess we will start with one puppy! Appreciate the advice.

Well I wouldn't recommend getting two bitches as they have been known to fight and hold grudges.
Many on here would not recommend getting two pups of the same age at all and where a novice dog owner is concerned I would agree with them!
This topic appears on here periodically and I am one of the few (although the last time this was raised it turns out that there are now more than a few) who would not rule out getting two pups from the same litter as I was in exactly the same position as you a few years back when my last Labrador died and did exactly that getting two Labrador pups a brother & sister.

It is not something to be undertaken likely and as previous Labrador owners you will know what is involved raising one pup, well multiply that by 6 yes 6 and that's what it's like raising two ! You need to devote a tremendous amount of time and effort and have eyes in the back of your head while they're puppies not to mention the extra expense of two but it can work and I don't regret my decision at all !

Rather than go into all the pros & cons again can I refer you to this thread:

http://www.champdogsforum.co.uk/cgi-bin/board/topic_show.pl?pid=147765#pid147765

You need to make your own mind up at the end of the day & you need to have the time (ie at home all day) and a huge commitment to make it work & if you don't have that then don't even think about it !

But if you do it can work out, it did for me ! :)

Yes, it can work out, but so often it doesn't. I kept 2 from the same litter for a while (not voluntarily & not Labs). Who do you tell off when they chew thru' your TV aerial? Who do you reprimand for eating the cushionfloor? Who ate my best shoes? Seriously, you cannot train 2 together - do you really have the time & patience to train 2 puppies seperately? You cannot train together - they are too busy listening/watching each other to pay any attention to you.  And, of course, at the other end of the age scale - you might lose them close together & if one is left, it may not cope well with being left. ( Don't think about that yet tho') :D

All valid points Anwen that's what I meant by the huge commitment.

To cope with the chewing issue you need eyes in the back of your head !
In my case I was with them all day and when they were pups I watched them all the time they were out of their cages & granted I couldn't vouch every time who chewed what but probably 80% of it.
It was actually harder when house training to see who did what ! :)

As for training I do have the time and patience to train them separately it's all part of the commitment in my eyes.  Yes you have a point it is usually better to train one to one but that's no big deal, they don't have to be together all the time and I regularly separate mine for walks ( it helps alleviate separation anxiety) and during these times when they are separated I give one to one training. But I stand by what I said in the other thread when I mentioned that they do learn off each other as well especially at the puppy stage ie. one sits on command and gets a reward, the other sees this and copies the behaviour.:)  

It is true of course that as they get older you could lose them close together which will be hard (isn't it always) on both us and for the one left but dogs can and will adapt and he or she will still have us there .

All I'm saying is that two sibbling pups shouldn't always be a "no no" & given the right circumstances with an experienced owner prepared and able to give the tremendous time and effort that it takes, it can work out.

Sure it's not for everyone & definitely not first time owners but I've enjoyed it and my two obviously enjoy each others company as well. :) 

"with an experienced owner" - exactly :D

Who do you tell off??  Niether, unless you caught them at it - and then you should be distracting or ignoring rather than throwing a wobbley ;)

I would never recormend 2 pups of a similar age, we did it once, kept two puppis to show with 5 capable handlers (4 who lived with the dogs) and it was still a nightmare to train them and they edge eachother on and cause double trouble!!!  We now always wait untill the youngest is trained and they are at least 18 months before we get the new pup!

Remeber when you buy puppies ALWAYS make sure the parents have had eyes and hips done, and anything else nessercey in the breed!!!

Rox