Tips for raising 2 puppies?

[PuppoTroub]

I know it is frowned upon to get 2 from the same litter but it's not normal circumstances and I'm looking for HELP and tips on how to best go about it not judgments on my choice to do so.

Technically only one of them will be mine but they will both be staying with me for the first 4 to 6 months, with the other pups owner taking her out for one on one walks when ready and seperate socialisation.

But the morning, night and other routines will be in the same house.

I know it's an unusual set up, but we do have very valid reasons which I don't want to get into, as they are private.

But I really would appreciate any help or tips in this area as it's goi g to be a busy time.

Thankyou

You need to keep them separate as much as possible. Honestly I wouldn’t do it. What if your pup becomes distressed when the other pup eventually leaves?

Well we are doing it so if anyone has any helpful comments please do share.

I'm not being ratty it's just frustrating when I've already said that I don't need any judgement, just any practical tips.

Surely that's more helpful?

You need to completely separate them. Training, walks, feeding, toileting etc all separate.

Littermate syndrome is very real and is awful for the owners and the dogs themselves.

Why does the person you’re looking after pup for need a dog now? Why can’t they wait until their situation is able to allow a dog? That is what responsible ownership is about.

My pup won't be distressed. I have an old dog and children so she won't go from having a friend to alone and she will still see the other pup most days.

Yes the puppy will be walked separately. Sleep separately. Feeding separately is easy and will also have individual training (with owner and a professional)

I agree with mustard. Responsible owners wait until they are in a position to care for a pup. I turned down a much wanted puppy because the timing was wrong.

When littermates were bought to gundog training once the trainer advised on separating them as much as possible so that they focused purely on the owner and not each other.

If littermates are separated after a period of time (because they will hyper-bond with each other) they can have massive, massive separation anxiety and aggression because of the amount of stress they’re under. If you’ve got children there’s a massive risk here of them being severely injured by a stressed and anxious animal.

I would get a behaviourist in from the very beginning to make sure this doesn’t end in disaster.

When I was a kid we always had 2 sets of dogs in pairs from the same litter and never had any issues with either set.

I understand these things can happen but they aren't set in stone.

Especially if you put plans I to place to seperate them as much as possible, as we are doing.

It really is unique circumstances.

As all of the above. There is a reason why people don't get two puppies at the same time.

Professional help in the shape of 1-to-1 training.

This is a big task and, unless you get super lucky, not one that the average owner can often pull off well.

These two need to be apart far more than they are together and apart for almost all the the critical learning times (night time, toileting, feeding, training, socialising, grooming, vets etc).

If they are both males then be prepared for much more fighting than you would get if they were not littermates.

If they are both female then the fighting quantity might be less but the seriousness of any fighting might be much more.

OK. Well thanks for the advice.

:)

I'll enjoy the puppies 👍

I already have trainers set up on alternate days once they reach 9 weeks.

Tbf when I was a child dog ownership was very different to what it is now. My DM would have raised an eyebrow at the information and training that is now expected.

I certainly don't train my dog how my parents used to.

However, you are right in that it may not be a problem if you are aware of the potential issues and put in double the work to train separately and get in behaviourists quickly if things start to go the wrong way.

Thanks Bitey.

I think sometimes people just jump to the worst possible scenario.

Which obviously is possible if people are clueless and don't know what to look for or how to avoid such situations but hopefully with the help of the trainer we can avoid that.

Also they are pugs so I'm not worried about aggression in the same way you might with a rottie, their parents have the dopiest, most family orientated temperaments.

And I've owned pugs all my life.

It's a pug - oh it gets better with every post... have fun promoting the breeding of dogs who spend the majority of their lives unable to breathe

I don’t mean weekly training separately. I mean toilet training, lead training, daily training.
Unless you have a house layout where you can separate them and two adults who can each take responsibility for a pup then I wouldn’t.
I would also query how reputable the breeder is letting two pups go like this. Sounds very dodgy.

They are crossed with a non brachycephalic small breed so I doubt they will have any issues. They have a prounouched snout.

OK. I'm not going to read anymore.

There's no point.

Whatever I say I'm going to get shot down so I'll find help elsewhere.

Thanks for your time anyway.

Cockwomble. Your name suits you. We'll done on that.

What a kind of irresponsible owner gets a puppy that they can't actually care for. Jesus.

See ya in 6 months when you have all the problems we've just warned you about...

@PuppoTroub the advice is, tell the other person that its a ridiculous idea and they need to wait until they can actually care for their puppy.

As you said, it’s not ideal.

Ideally the other owner would either wait to get a pup when they can afford to, or would leave the pup with the breeder but I’m guessing they aren’t happy with this.

All you can do, is keep them as separate as possible.

Maybe look into a trainer to help