Reputable breeders will not sell two littermates to the same family. Why?
-Housetraining. It’s difficult to keep your eye on one dog, let alone two.
-Puppies need one-on-one training with owner; therefore training takes twice as long.
-It is difficult to get them to bond with humans because they have each other, leading to training problems, which lead to behavior problems.
-One pup blossoms, the other shuts down, becomes a shadow of the other, or a “hermit.”
-It is difficult to socialize them because they are only interested in each other.
-They frequently team up and become an “army of two,” ganging up on other dogs.
-When one dog is triggered to bark, the other will join in.
-One dog may begin to guard the other.
-Over-bonding with each other can lead to difficulties down the road if one ever has to be left alone or separated from the other, even for short periods of time.
-On the flip side, aggression can erupt between the dogs when they reach social maturity, sometimes before, necessitating rehoming of one dog.
This is not limited to siblings. These things are also seen in two unrelated pups of the same age. Wait until your first pup is trained and is at least 6 months to 1 year of age before bringing another into your home.
But it’s too late….I’ve already done it!
Take steps now to attempt to alleviate some of the above issues:
-Separate pups from each other for a few hours each day. Use separate crates in separate rooms. Other times leave them together in a long-term confinement area.
-Sleep pups in separate crates at night, out of sight from each other.
-Train them in separate classes and take them to separate socials so neither dog becomes a hermit.
-Train them separately at home, take them on separate walks. Bond with each of them separately.
-Take them out in the world independently of each other and also together. Don’t allow them to gang up on the other dogs.
-Teach them to be alone, so that if one gets sick and has to be hospitalized, or worse, the other will not fall apart.