The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Dogs => Topic started by: Anke on March 12, 2018, 02:34:24 pm
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We recently had to have our 10yo Foxterrier pts and are now looking for a new pup. I have always only had one dog at a time, but we are quite keen to have two this time. What is the usually preferred way - getting two pups together from the same breeder or have one, and then get another later? If second option - what would be the ideal gap in age between two dogs, and would people recommend to get the same sex (I don't want to breed dogs, so any I get will be "done" as soon as possible, which might determine the age gap...)
We haven't decided on breed yet, other than it will be a dog from a larger gene pool than WFT (our girl slowly deteriorated over 2.5 years with myelopathy, a degenerative disease of breeds with a small gene pool) and health checked parents.
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I have read that getting 2 puppies at the same time is not a good idea because they are more difficult to train. One pup becomes dependent on you as the pack leader and is eager to please you and becomes responsive to your commands.
2 at the same time have their own little private pack. They respond more to each other than to you, they are less dependent on you as they have each other, and consequently listen less to you than a solo dog would, and are more difficult to train.
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Agree with landroverroy's comments. They will already have formed a pecking order to some degree within the litter. It is very hard to treat them as equals as inevitably you will favour one to the other. They will also give each other confidence to do things you will not want such as chase, wander etc. Very often they fight later on.
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When rehoming greyhounds the advice is to always get a 2nd dog of the opposite sex to the resident one.
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Two puppies together will likely be a nightmare. You can train them (individually of course) but they will bond very strongly and make their own fun ignoring you!
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IF you do want two pups i'd suggest a year apart, the first will be well into adolescence by the time the second comes along. We had 3 at a year apart each. They bonded and played well with the next one up the chain but not too closely to be a pain for us
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Get one, then get a second when the first is about 9/10m old and has basic training on the way and is bonded to you :)
2 puppies can be done it but is a LOT of work and means making time to do everything twice with only one puppy at a time, and you have to be careful they don't bond more to each other as you can end up with a dog who can't cope alone and that can be a nightmare
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personally I wouldn't take on a second until the first is at least 75% trained. I've seen folk have 2 pups from the same litter and end up having 2 uncontrollable dogs far too often. it can be done but as said they need lots of time and a very experienced trainer
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OK, that sounds probably sensible. We'll get one first and then see how it goes. Trying to get one from a local breeder, maybe even go for a Labrador this time... it is very quiet in our house at the moment and I find myself thinking all the time - oh I will have to take the dog out and then remember she isn't there anymore...
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:hug:
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Sorry to hear about your wee dog, Anke.
We got Bryn then Gwenna - full siblings but two years apart in age. It's worked really well - they adore each other and play together but Bryn is reasonably well behaved and she copies him.
Totally different natures though. He's quite reserved, laid back - she's a menace :innocent:
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Sorry to hear about your wee dog, Anke.
We got Bryn then Gwenna - full siblings but two years apart in age. It's worked really well - they adore each other and play together but Bryn is reasonably well behaved and she copies him.
Totally different natures though. He's quite reserved, laid back - she's a menace :innocent:
Did you have the boy done before the girl arrived? I always had female dogs so far, so I have no idea how early on entire male dogs start to pester any girls...., and as far as I know male dogs need to grow up a bit before castration as well?
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Did you have the boy done before the girl arrived? I always had female dogs so far, so I have no idea how early on entire male dogs start to pester any girls...., and as far as I know male dogs need to grow up a bit before castration as well?
Bryn was castrated at about six / seven months, so yes, long before Gwenna arrived. Having the dog before the bitch was not planned - we wanted a CWC, and the breeder only had dog pups, so we got Bryn. We've totally fallen for the breed, hence the bitch puppy and a plan to take a litter from her whe she's old enough and if she's suitable for breeding.
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I kept five Whippet puppies from a litter of six and have never had a bit of trouble (they are 10 years old now) :dog:
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I kept five Whippet puppies from a litter of six and have never had a bit of trouble (they are 10 years old now) :dog:
I have a friend who kept a full litter of flat coats - 7 I think- but it wouldn't be for everyone.
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So sorry for the loss of your dog - its never easy. As said in previous posts 2 pups are a nightmare, and 2 siblings will focus on each other rather than you. I try to space my new dogs out about 3 years apart so that you don't end up with lots of old dogs who you lose in quick succession. This worked for a while but now I have a 12 yr old, a 9 yr old an 8 yr old a 7 yr old a 3yr old and a 2 yr old!!! So much for my plan!
Have fun choosing your new puppy. You could of course have a puppy and also rehome an older dog. Get the older dog first and settle in, then the puppy - who will then be well socialised.
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I have had a wee yorkie type terrier girl from the Edinburgh Cat&Dog home before, but again she died relatively young of something we could not have foreseen... We have been looking at the local rescue centres (incl Edinburgh), but almost all dogs are pitbull/staffies or similar dogs, and these are not my kind of dog at all...
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If you decide on a breed my advice is to look up the breed club/s for that breed to find a breeder NOT the KC. Generally the breed clubs require a higher level of health testing and have a code of ethics so you are more likely (but never guarenteed) to have a bigger picture on the health of your pup :)
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Sorry about the loss of your dog it’s always heartbreaking. We have had dogs from puppies over the last 16 years but the best combination as a pair has been our current 2 labradors both castrated boys and 18 months age diffence. The eldest was fully trained and bonded to us by the time we got his brother but young enough to love playing with this cheeky puppy. We then trained the younger. They are both such good dogs now aged 6 and 4. They lie over each other or snuggled together whenever they’re resting but look to us as top dog. I don’t know if it has anything to do with them being boys as prior to that we had bitches and although they got on they weren’t quite so loving towards each other and one was always more dominant. I’d always have boys now.
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I have 3 dogs. Jake is 15, Rascal 6 and Isla 4. They are the best of pals. We bought Isla who is collie cross lab to keep Rascal collie company as Jake was getting on and not up to playing all the time . It has worked out very well. My daughter in law bought to puppies from the same litter a few years ago, total nightmare, they hate each other and have to be kept apart a lot of the time.
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I can't believe anyone breeding would keep a whole litter! Total madness, why did they breed in the first place - perhaps it was an accident? They can't possibly have given all the pups the attention they needed.
I have only ever bred to have a pup for myself or a close friend, and only ever kept one - far too difficult to train to together, as said above, they bond with each other.
To be honest my two oldies have done that - I had Allez at 9 weeks, and Belle the week after but she was already 2 years old. That said they have been easier to train to the gun because she was already trained to BoPs.