It is a very poor decision to get two puppies from the same litter in almost all cases. Sometimes, people with extensive prior K9 knowledge may be able to handle the added stresses of getting two dogs from the same litter, but it is still generally not recommended.
Professional trainers like myself recommend against bringing home two puppies around the same age, let alone two from the same litter. While this sounds like a good plan in theory, in practice it often causes quite a bit of heartache and potentially some serious aggression trouble.
Bond With Each Puppy
Each dog gets a chance to learn and adapt to his new home and bond with his owners without sibling competition. You'll find it easier to train one puppy at a time. Dogs are social and usually enjoy playing and being together, but what they want most of all is time with their people.
Especially among same-sex siblings, fighting can become severe, even dangerous, as they reach maturity. Siblings often play hard, and fight harder. Because many sibling pups are only socialized with each other, they may develop aggression or fear towards other dogs.
Taking on two puppies from the same litter often results in what is known as littermate syndrome. The puppies will be bonded to each other and this will make them less likely to bond to you. The dogs may not listen to you and will be much harder to train.
Allocate the Time and Resources for Another Pup
You also have to keep in mind that you'll need to invest extra for essential gear — collars, leashes and crates, to name a just a few items — as well as unexpected vet visits, potential boarding and possible pet sitters and dog walkers.
Sibling pups often bond more firmly and pay more attention to each other than to the human family members. House-training (and every other kind of training) often requires twice (or more) of the time that it takes to train one pup.
The short answer is no, littermate syndrome does not go away on its own. But the behavioral issues that arise from two sibling puppies being raised together can be addressed. It may take a significant amount of effort on your part to help your dogs achieve proper socialization skills and good behavior.
Two puppies might play together, but are also likely to bond so strongly that they can't tolerate being apart and won't bond with their humans. Puppies have to learn to be alone to avoid developing separation anxiety, but this is difficult with the constant presence of another puppy.
Training two puppies at the same time is nearly impossible for one person to do, and training them at once (even if not simultaneously) usually isn't recommended because of the risk of them developing littermate syndrome. If you're still interested in raising two puppies, here's some advice.
Many factors influence behavior, and not all siblings raised together will exhibit this problem, which is called “littermate syndrome.” In other words, it's a risk, not a foregone conclusion. That said, many dog behaviorists, trainers, breeders, and shelters actually discourage adopting siblings.
Dogs are social animals and usually happier around other dogs, but a second dog will never be a substitute for inattentive, absent or too busy owners.
Most training professionals strongly recommend against adopting two pups at the same time. The biggest challenge of adopting two new puppies is their tendency to bond very closely with each other, often to the exclusion of a meaningful relationship with their humans. They can become inseparable.
Two female dogs could act exactly like their male counterparts. As young pups, these two new female puppies may be friendly and pal around as you'd expect. But when they get a little older, they could vie for dominance.
Before settling on a breed, think about the gender of the dog. For the happiest dogs and the safest household, opposite sex dogs almost always do best together. Many same-sex combinations of dogs will fight, sometimes to the death. Those who work out a dominance order may not fare much better.
The recommended age for separating puppies from their litter is 6 to 8 weeks, according to Dr. David W. Reinhard, a consulting veterinarian for Nationwide pet insurance.
b) Kittens who grow up together can remain friends or… not.
A lot of times kittens bond very tightly during the early weeks of life. Some sibling pairs carry this bond into adulthood, while others, sadly, don't. It is nearly impossible to predict whether a littermate pair will remain friends once grown up.
Many breeders recommend that your first dog be at least one-to-two-years old before you add a second to the family. If you have an old dog, he may not be physically able to play with or tolerate a pup.
Benefits of Having More Than One Dog or Cat
Your pets will have the opportunity to socialize and play together, which means they won't get bored if you're working, sleeping or out of the house for a few hours. They'll never have to be alone except when they want to be.
It can take up to one month for an old dog and new dog to really settle in and accept each other's position in the pack. If you want a second dog, you need to be ready to commit to this process and not panic.
All canines need individual focus, attention, play, and training daily, in addition to regular grooming. Having multiple dogs means an increase in the daily time spent playing and working with your dogs to make sure each is getting enough attention.
Whether you rescue an older dog or a puppy, a lot of dogs tend to follow the 3-3-3 rule when getting acclimated: 3 days of feeling overwhelmed and nervous. 3 weeks of settling in. 3 months of building trust and bonding with you.