Many dog lovers are not satisfied with sharing their lives with only one dog and so have multi-dog households. Having more than one dog has many benefits for people and for dogs, but the situation usually works best when the dogs are all acquired at various intervals. This way the owner has a chance to focus on the needs of the new arrival and the dogs’ ages are staggered. However, it is not uncommon for people to choose to get two puppies at the same time. In many cases the motivation is good e.g. there may be two pups at a shelter and the person would like to give both of them a home or they may feel that it is less traumatic for two siblings to be homed together, rather than be separated from everything they have previously known. However, there are also some motivations for choosing two puppies at the same time which are less well-intentioned. Some of these are as follows:
1. So the dogs can keep each other company: This usually means one of two things: Either the owner knows that they will be away from home most of the time or the owner does not plan to make the dogs part of the family and expects them to be “outside dogs”.
2. So the pups can keep each other occupied: This usually means that the owner does not have the time or inclination to play with, walk, train or socialize the dogs.
3. To keep them from harassing the children in the family: The owner is aware that raising children and puppies together is not an easy task and is looking for a way to avoid the issue.
4. To get things “over with” in one go: For this person the hard work associated with raising a dog outweighs the great joy of having a puppy in the home.
Even if the owner’s motivation is pure, there are potential problems with acquiring two puppies at the same time which prospective owners must be aware of:
1. The pups tend to bond more closely with each other than with the owner. Naturally, two puppies are likely to spend most of their time playing with one another. Anyone who has observed socially competent pups meeting will see that it takes only a few seconds for introductions to be over and play to start. Besides eating, playing is probably the most enjoyable activity for puppies. While pups should have as many opportunities to play with other dogs as possible, it is not necessarily a good idea for them to live with their perfect playmate. If they constantly have the opportunity to play with each other, they will have little interest in their owners.
2. The pups may grow up to be rivals. Age is an important factor when it comes to determining a hierarchy amongst dogs in a home. Usually, the younger dog would have some respect for the older dog and would defer to the older dog in order to keep the peace. When two dogs of the same age share a household conflict may arise when the dogs reach maturity, because neither dog will allow the other to take the lead. This is often made worse when the dogs are siblings of the same sex. It is only when one dog is clearly more assertive and the other more submissive that such a situation is likely to succeed.
3. Double trouble! While two may be company, two puppies can also be partners in crime! Pups are often a lot “braver” and more adventurous when they have “back-up”. If one curious puppy chases something or begins to dig a hole, it is very unlikely that the second puppy will not join in! It is often hard enough learning how to train and socialize one dog, let alone two who are very good at distracting each other and egging each other on!
4. The pups become over-dependant on each other. Some puppies who have bonded very closely cannot bear to be apart for even a few moments. For example, if one pup is sick, both have to take a trip to the vet, because the one left at home will scream the house down until the other returns. Puppy class becomes a trial, because no matter where the pups are placed in the class, they cannot think about anything else but each other. In some cases, when after many years one dog dies, the other becomes “depressed” and may even refuse to eat. This sort of dependency can be a source of stress for the dogs and can make life quite difficult for the owners.
5. One pup’s “personality” may be inhibited by the other’s. In the case of siblings, it sometimes happens that one pup may be so assertive that the other pup is always conscious of its presence and never feels confident or relaxed in certain situations. Such a puppy may seem quiet, withdrawn and reserved. In some facilities which raise puppies for police service, the most assertive pup is removed from the rest of the litter for a period of time on a daily basis in order to allow the other pups to gain confidence and develop to their full individual potential without the threat of the “bully” hanging over them.
If you have already acquired two puppies it does not have to be a disaster! There are things you can do before they mature to try and avoid the potential problems listed above:
1. Train them individually: Unless you are an experienced dog trainer it takes quite a bit of concentration to train a dog or puppy. Trying to reward correct behaviour is very difficult when you have to carefully observe the behaviour of two dogs at the same time! I have personally only known one owner who managed to successfully concentrate on and train two puppies at once and not many people have her natural skills!
2. Play with them individually on a regular basis: It is vital that your puppies see you as someone who is fun to be around. If they don’t they will have no desire to be with you and little reason to comply with your requests. The other puppy will always be more attractive!
3. Walk and socialize them individually on a regular basis: This gives each puppy the opportunity to deal with the outside world without relying on or being influenced by the other pup. (You may be surprised how differently they may behave when they are apart.) Try to alternate walks so that one day you all go out together and the other you go out individually.
4. Observe and respect the hierarchy that they form naturally: The pups will most likely work out quite quickly who has the upper hand in their relationship.(If they are from the same litter, this will have happened already.) Respect this and do not interfere with it! However, if you are worried that one puppy is being mercilessly bullied, please contact a reputable behaviourist for advice.