Bringing up two litter mates - pros and cons?

[Flatbread]

We are thinking of keeping two puppies from our girl. One male and one female. Anyone done this? What are the pros and cons?

I am not really worried about the bonding bit. We have known the puppies since they were born and they all have a strong bond with us.

I am worried about any potential problems with pack hierarchy. The two pups we are thinking about keeping are laid-back and gentle. But mum loves being our special girl, how will she react to our attention being divided among three, in the future? She already wants to come on our lap when we are cuddling the puppies and wants to eat the same food we give them...right now she cares and looks after them, but will all that change when they grow up, to a more competitive relationship?

Also issues of going to restaurants and holiday rentals with three dogs. We usually take our dog into pubs and restaurants and hotels/b&bs, pretty much everywhere with us in France. Do you think it would be inappropriate to go into public places with three dogs? Would we be considered the 'crazy dog people'? Would love to hear your experiences. Thanks.

I don't believe he said that. I believe you are hearing what you want to hear. No trainer would say such a thing. If he did he wants firing.

Keep two pups if you wish but keep hold of the numbers of the local rescues, so you have them to hand when one needs rehoming.

Sorry, but I'm another one who thinks keeping 2 litter mates is a bad idea. You really do need to train them separately, bond with them separately.

I'm sure all is well at the moment, but being litter mates/ mum and offspring is no guarantee of them getting along in the future. Some of the messiest stitch up jobs I have had to do are a result of in-fighting amongst "families" of dogs. the worst was a mother and son, who needed 104 stitches between them and eventually resulted in son being rehomed, after the umpteenth battle

We had a brother and sister from a local dog rescue at 6 weeks as they were so full. We also have an elderly dog (now 13). Siblings are now 3 - They are all fine...

Oh Ok Having read your next post I feel happier that he was not giving out incorrect advice. No behaviourist (especially from a rescue organisation) would approve of having two dogs from one litter but reading what you have said in the second post is seems that you know that to.

Not sure he would talk about boundaries either but you will have your work cut out and must understand that this is not necessarily the best things for the puppies. You will see no problem with them now or even in the first year but unless you train them separately, walk them separately, play with the separately you will have issues. To what extent just depends on how lucky you are with the dogs.

They are in fact, lovely well rounded happy dogs. The girl adores my DC more and the brother is more mine and DHs. The old feller is my DHs and always will be - we had him before DCs.

My point is we had no need for behaviourists or anything like that - we all just got along...you are perhaps overcomplicating things?

A rescue or a pound PortBlack?

Rescue.

How odd. Rescues are normally fairly reputable. Which one so I can avoid them like the plauge?

I'm glad things worked out with your dogs, but really it is probably part luck and part experience and a lot of hard bloody work on your part, Flatbread cannot even manage to keep her dog safe during one season, she is not experienced or vigilent enough to raise two litter mates, without issue.

I work in a large rescue organisation so may be coming from a different angle. I see dogs rehomed for ridiculous reasons you would not believe but I can't stop people buying laminate flooring or leaving food on the side although I do try hard.

However two puppies from the same litter is an extremely common reason for rehoming. I mean people contact us weekly to take one of the dogs off their hands - usually about 7 months or 18 months of age. Then the poor dog has to separated from his sibling that he has bonded with and shoved in rescue. There is nothing wrong with the dogs behaviour (however if behaviour problems do occur I pity the dog as rescues are bursting) but why take a risk if you love dogs? Who are you homing this dog for, you or them?

Dooing, you are being rude and ill mannered. You don't know anything about me, so who do you think you are? Also, who are you to talk about firing people?

What I have noticed is that a number of people do not know how to raise or control dogs without stuffing them with sweets. Maybe if these people actually knew how to actually manage dogs, especially around other dogs and people, they wouldn't be tiptoeing around their pets so much.

Ooh, don't take away Joe dog's toy, he will get upset and stop trusting you. Keep feeding fat Joe dog with treats so he doesn't resource guard anymore. If that is the style of bringing up dogs, no wonder one cannot manage a single dog, let alone two or three without major drama.

I am not going to respond to this thread anymore, I am really put off by the obnoxiousness of some people. Frankly, you cannot believe that anyone would say something contrary to your beliefs. Surprise for you - there are good, reputable dog trainers out there who believe that dogs live in hierarchies and behaviouralists who think it is fine to keep two litter mates if they are neutered. You can diss them and me all you like.

They found the mother wandering the streets pregnant - she had the two and after alot of persuading they let us have them both. It has worked out well for us - yes it was hard work but i suppose it depends on what you mean by that.

Didn't clock the op's dog had got pregnant accidentally sorry. Was just a little surprised at no one liking the idea of litter mates.

Snoopy, why on earth would dogs be rehomed because of laminate flooring? Laminate is better than carpet surely? It's much easier to clean up accidents off of a hard floor.

Not that I don't believe you. I do. Our foster dog was once sent back to us because she was unsettled on her first night Some people are eejits.

I stand corrected if that's is one of the main reasons for rehoming - but then i wonder why i am surprised at why folk choose to get rid of dogs in general ... there seems no limit to excuses.

It was a respectable rehoming place believe me - but i have contacts there.

good advice here if you insist on going ahead with keeping them both, as I have no doubt that you will

mpre info here

Ok, I am over my burst of anger. I really do find some posters very irritating, and usually I am a calm person.

snoopy, I was keeping the puppy for me, not her, which is why I asked the behaviourist if there would be issues with the little girl and mum in the coming years. And fights between siblings. He definitely mentioned boundaries and making sure they shared toys etc. He never said anything about taking them out for walks separately (why?) but that we would need to be even and regular in our attention to all.

I specifically asked to speak with the behaviouralist as I was not sure whether to keep both. And I would have followed his advice to give her up, if he had recommended that. I had all her paperwork with me, for a potential new owner.

The boy we planned to keep anyway, so Jooly, to your point, if mum and son dog fight, it has not much to do with keeping two litter mates, but having two dogs that do not get along.

Doin laminate floors mean that dogs are noisey apparently and it means that you may get marks on it.........[shocked]

Flatbread why are you angry? You posted on a forum asking something you did not know a lot about and people have given their opinions there is no need for anger just because there is a differing view. You disagree with me and I am not angry.

You need to walk them separately to make sure that they bond with you the owner not each other. If you take two young puppies out together they will concentrate on each other and only listen to you as an afterthought.

I have emailed a contact at the Dogs Trust to hear their official view on this as I know they did not recommend having two puppies from the same litter however that is not really the point. You have your mind set on it and will go ahead regardless but please please please do more research as some of your comments do show a slight ignorance of training dogs and there is nothing wrong with no knowing just a lot of problems can be solved by learning.

Snoopy, I have no issue with differences in opinion, but I do have an issue with people who personally offensive comments. Someone saying that I will have to rehome one of my dogs is offensive. Noone would like it if I said oh, you will need to give up one of your children for adoption because I do not agree with your parenting perspective.

Thank you Port, for your experience. It is good to hear that.

Oh god, yes the noise. Although that is why god invented ipods and volume control, no?

I have to admit, though,the constant 'tap, tap, tap, tap' of a pacing dog on laminate drives you to distraction at times. If it ever bothered me that much I'd lay carpet before I rehomed the mutts. As it the pros of hard flooring far outweigh the cons.

I think you are being a little bit sensitive Flatbread it is a very very very very common occurrence with people who have two puppies from the same litter so is a fair comment to make and not one directed specifically at you as a person.

Snoopy, why on earth are you contacting dogs trust regarding my puppies? You offered your opinion, as expected on the forum. But this just borders on 'snooping' in other people's business. Fitting name.

You've done the right thing for the puppies that you've rehomed, Flat. They will go to good homes. Well done.

I am surprised you have kept two. You will need to sometimes walk them separately just so that you can train them on their own - it's almost impossible training two dogs together. And remember they will both be teenagers at the same time.

I would also suggest that you sometimes separate them briefly, just so that they are used to it. For example, one day one of them might need an operation and the other could be lost without them. I started to do this with our dogs who are both adult rescues, acquired at different times but now inseparable, and about a month later I was so glad I had because the husky had to have an operation. He didn't like being apart from our other dog, but it helped that he had had some practise at it.

Good luck with them.

As for laminate, so many people have told me that this is a good flooring if you have dogs! I don't see it at all. Besides, the husky can't walk on the kitchen lino without skidding everywhere, I don't see how he could cope with laminate!

I think it depends on what quality laminate you get Red. My parents have that cheap, shiny, plastic laminate in their kitchen. Ours is finished with real wood and is matte, not shiny at all.

Their dogs skid all over, my floors are not slippy at all, unless they are dripping wet. Nothing to do with the fact that I never mop them, honest

Flatbread, I'm not saying that your mum and son WILL fight- of course it is to do with two dogs that don't get along. I was only trying to point out that being related doesn't guarantee a good relationship, that's all.

It's interesting- I used to have 2 dogs, with a four year age gap. They always seemed to get on ok and I genuinely thought they were good company for each other. Dog 2 always had a few issues (pooing and weeing in their sleeping area) but since we lost oldboy a few months ago, she has (surprisingly!) seemed a lot more settled and content, where I would have thought it would have been the opposite. I now feel like they may have been in a kind of doggy arranged marriage all those (12) years, and I feel a bit guilty, as they may both have been happier as only dogs, but I wanted two dogs. Now I am NOT saying that dogs are necessarily happier alone- far from it, many dogs in the same household seem to get on fabulously well, and really miss each other when they are not together, but it's not a foregone conclusion, I guess.

Please believe me when I say that whether you have 1, 2 or 6 dogs doesn't affect me in any way, and of course you will do whatever you decide is right for you, but you did ask people's opinions. 2 dogs are definitely a lot harder work than one (and far more expensive), and there can be issues and problems, that's all.