Best Friends Dog Training

I have recently been asked a couple of times about the advisability of adopting 2 dogs, especially getting 2 pups from the same litter. It is an interesting question, as there are no clear answers and many things to consider.

First of course is financial. Two dogs are at least twice as expensive. Food, vet bills, boarding or daycare, training- these all add up fast. Can you really afford 2 adult dogs? Next is housing. Two dogs take up a great deal more room than one, especially when they are roughhousing in your living room! If you rent, it is exponentially harder to find a rental with more than one pet. Another point is lifestyle. It’s one thing to visit friends or relatives with one dog tagging along, quite another with two (or more!). If you are active socially, two dogs may be too much! Twice as much mud tracked in. Twice as much dog hair to vacuum up. Two voracious maws cruising the appetizers on the coffee table.

There is a myth about adopting littermates I need to discuss. The biggest positive people mention is that the dogs will be friends for each other, keep each other company and be playmates so they won’t need as much exercise. To me, this sort of adds up to people thinking that two dogs will be less work. The truth is- maybe, and not. The truth is raising littermates to be well adjusted members of your family is far more work than raising a single dog. All dogs need to be socialized, taught manners and given obedience training. With one puppy, you do it all once. With two puppies you must do it all three times. That is, individually with each pup, and again with them as a team. They will never be reliable unless they truly know a behaviour separately before being asked to do it with the other dog there. You must be sure to start right away when you bring them home, as they are already a little ‘pack’, and you need to establish your relevance as a leader or they will shut you out. All too often I see littermates living together who look only to each other, paying little or no attention to the human members of the family. This means that the dogs are basically out of control, running their own lives, and generally are not easy to live with. It also often leads to a very large and ugly problem which generally develops when the dogs mature, at about 2 years of age. This problem is usually referred to as ‘sibling rivalry’. Without training and leadership from the human members of the family, dogs that are raised from pups together often come into conflict with each other. This can quickly escalate until they are actively trying to kill each other. Once it has reached the stage of fighting, resolving the problem is a very difficult proposition and re-homing one of the dogs is often the only solution.

In summary, getting a dog is a big decision, and taking on two at once requires even more thought. It’s a ton of work, and a long term commitment either way. Raising littermates can be a very rewarding experience. However, as a life long dog owner and professional trainer, my advice is start with one. If, when the first dog is trained you still want a second dog, your first dog can help train the new pup, and you have the recent experience of working with the first pup to guide you with your new friend. If you already have your duo, please make sure you are training and providing the leadership your pups need!