Double Trouble why you shouldn’t get two puppies)

Double Trouble – (why you shouldn’t get two puppies)

(By Julie Tobiansky – Dog Obedience Trainer - Cape Province Dog Club)

www.capeprovincedogclub.co.za

...Fielding all the incoming calls about training, as I do, I get to chat to all the new and prospective members inquiring about puppy class. More and more of the calls I seem to get lately are from people who want to bring more than one puppy to class. Whenever I hear this my heart falls. Without wanting to sound like the profit of gloom and doom I ask them why they decided on two pups and more often than not, the reason is that they feel guilty that they work and the puppy will be alone all day.

I try not to think of all the dogs we help re-home who are the “other” pup which didn’t work out. Unfortunately many of the 2 puppy families choose the same breed, the same sex and worst of all…..two pups from the same litter. More than I like to mention also add to the mix the fact that the brothers or sisters are Terriers! ”Why not two?” they ask, “Won’t the pups be happier with a playmate and surely they won’t fight if they are family?” The truth of the matter is that your two pups are likely to:

Bond with each other to the exclusion of you
Fight with each other
Never grow to full potential - one pup likely to become bossy and the other hesitant/fearful
Be more destructive and boisterous
Normally one pup (the fearful/hesitant one) does not cope being away from other dog, even on a visit to vet
Mature later

The best scenario would be to get one puppy first. Raise the pup, socialise it, housetrain it, play, train and bond with it. Once the pup is a minimum of 5 to 6 months old, you can start to think about whether you would like to get a second dog and start the process all over again. The only good reason for getting dog number two should be that you want to own two dogs.

If you are sure this is what you want, choose your second puppy carefully to ensure the dogs will be compatible. It would be best to go for the opposite sex, a suitable breed (similar energy levels) with the right temperament. Puppy number two needs exactly what puppy number one had with you: daily socialising (without the help of big brother), house training, play sessions and training sessions. When the time comes for pup number two to go for walks, the walks should be separate at first until the puppy is well bonded with you and can cope without the older dog. All of the above spells major commitment from you, the owner. Where does this leave the puppy owner who is sure they want (or is already committed to) two pups?

To prevent your pups becoming over reliant on each other the pups need to spend a portion of every day away from each other. Play sessions, training and walks should be separate. It also helps if each pup has it’s own handler to work with. Extra care needs to be made with housetraining as it is difficult to watch both pups all the time. Use a puppy pen or keep the pups on the lead while working on house training.

To prevent fighting, a natural hierarchy needs to be allowed to develop between the pups which means that unless blood is shed, you must not intervene in squabbles. Once you see a pattern of one pup seeming more assertive, help the pups by making more of a fuss over the pushy pup in front of the other. Make sure both pups defer to you, the owner by for example sitting for petting or treats to ensure that your pushy pup doesn’t start pushing you around too!

If you are lucky enough to have avoided the trap of two pups, do think carefully before getting a second puppy as two are definitely double the effort expense and commitments as one. If it is too late – hang in there – pups do grow up quickly and with the right input and effort you can help to prevent some of the problems and make sure your pups turn into great dogs.

We always want to make sure our dogs are as happy and healthy as they could be, but we sometimes get stuck thinking we’re doing everything we can do. There are always new ways to spice up your dog’s life and some owners might not even be covering the basics.

There is a lot of mixed opinion as to whether having a game of tug with a dog will make it dominant. Find out the facts

For most people, our relationships with our pets are strong emotional bonds, and behavior problems can be pretty upsetting to deal with. Even more difficult, is when a normally sweet, affectionate pet does something uncharacteristic, like biting someone, growling or snapping.

Below are some articles you may enjoy....

Stopping Negative Behaviour positively - some great ideas how you can turn behaviour around is a positive manner.
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How Many Incidents Equal a Problem? - we so often 'dont see' potential problems develop in our dogs until they become serious
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To Tug or not to tug - many trainers and behaviourists say that having a game of tug with our dog is not a good thing - makes them 'dominant'. Learn how this game should actually be played.
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