Should I Adopt Two Puppies At the Same Time?

There are pros and cons to getting two puppies from the same litter, or even from different litters but at about the same time. We purchased both our goldendoodle mamas about 2 months apart, from different litters, but from the same breeder, and they basically grew up together. I like how Anutta Poodles sums up “the Good, Bad, and Ugly” on the subject, plus I’ve added a few of my own thoughts.

The Good ... that we loved about having two puppies at the same time!

1. They have a built-in play mate.

2. They probably won’t ever cry at night when you bring them home.

3. Crate training is so easy because they have company.

4. Socialization is easy because it is highly likely one will be more outgoing and will encourage the less outgoing to socialize and be more adventurous. We are all more confident surrounded by friends. Dogs are no exception to this rule.

5. They tend to chew on each other and not your stuff!

6. It is much easier to expend all that puppy energy if there is two of them and they have each other to play with.

The Bad ... or challenges of having two puppies at once.

1. There is a risk of one or both developing separation anxiety. They eat, live, play together almost 24-7. 2. They may ignore their owners when in a distracting or stressful situation and turn to their litter mate for guidance. 3. They may not bond as strongly to their owners. They have each other! 4. They may pass away near the same time. 5. You will have twice the vet expenses at the exact same time. All the shots, worming, blood work, spay / neutering will come up at the same time.

The Ugly ... or reality of having two puppies (i.e. infants) at the same time.

1. Two puppies are more than twice the work. One puppy will get into trouble, but two is compounded. If you leave them alone together, they think up things to do and have someone to help them do it. One might have time to rip a small hold in a new toy, carpet, or dog bed and make a small mess before you find out what they are doing. Two will have time to totally gut the new toy, carpet, or dog bed and maybe eat part of it before you notice!

2. House training two at once is a full-time job and twice the mess if you have a failure. Which puppy did it? Are you sure they both emptied their bladder when you sent them outside? There is a pile of runny poop outside when you went to clean up the yard. I wonder which dog has the sick tummy?

All that to say ... we LOVED having two puppies at the same time!

It really is double the fun, double the joy! If you decide to get two puppies at one time, Anutta Poodles also has some excellent training tips and expectations you should have:

Make time to train and play with each dog separately. Not only do they learn better with the one on one attention, it also teaches them to listen to you, not the other dog. Playing with them by themselves is equally important. This is vital to establishing a relationship with your dog. On the same note, take time to walk and socialize your dogs separately. One will be the leader of the two dogs. Walking them separately will show you who is the confident one and which might need some extra socialization and training. Teach the dogs to rely on your ability to handle the situation and to trust your judgement. If you have a dog that requires grooming, send them to the groomers on different days, if possible. Take one on a car ride and leave the other at home. The one you leave at home needs a high value treat toy to keep them busy and not upset that you are going somewhere fun and they are stuck home. The dog staying home must learn to be alone, not an easy feat for some dogs. Start this training the DAY you get your puppies.