[Toypoodlemama]

The novice in me put a deposit down on 2 toy poodles but now I’m reading online what a horrible idea it is to get 2 puppies at once. Boy and girl, same breeder different litters. Anyone have a positive or negative experience with toy poodle puppies that they want to share? I’m hoping these little smart dogs are an anomaly to this rule.

 

[twyla]

Honestly I wouldn't do it myself, my girls are 6 months apart and very attached to one another.
There are members here that have successfully raised two puppies at the same time, it takes commitment to make sure both puppies are trained and well socialized.

 

[Toypoodlemama]

Thank

Honestly I wouldn't do it myself, my girls are 6 months apart and very attached to one another.
There are members here that have successfully raised two puppies at the same time, it takes commitment to make sure both puppies are trained and well socialized.

thank you for your comment. Appreciate it! That’s my concern too that they’ll be attached to each other rather than me.

 

[twyla]

You will get different advice on a lot things, but making time to train both is key. Housebreaking one toy at a time is my limit.

 

[Dechi]

I would not do it. I would wait at least 12-18 months in between. You will be so much happier if you do, in my opinion.

There are many reasons for this, that you’ve read about. But also for the fact that any small breed puppy can be hard to housebreak, meaning it will take a lot longer than a bigger dog. Having two puppies at the same time will make it so much harder, and might even compromise training success.

Also depending on how much your puppy weighs, you might need to watch for hypoglycemia. You need to be able to give your small puppy your undivided attention. Having two at once is really not ideal.

I would also be wary of a breeder who sells two toy poodle puppies at once. It might be a red flag.

 

[Jbean]

My parents had a pair of littermates. They were dearly loved, but my mom still says she wouldn't do that again. Housebreaking wasn't an issue, but my mom always felt that the female wasn't as well bonded as her other dogs. Certainly two puppies together have four times as much energy as one puppy.

On the other hand, I currently have a single dog for the first time in 30+ years and I feel like I'm not giving him an adequate social life, but I hate dog parks (really, just some of the people who use them!)

 

[lily cd re]

I will never ever do two puppies at the same time ever again. If I say I am going to do so then test me for dementia!

 

[Toypoodlemama]

I will never ever do two puppies at the same time ever again. If I say I am going to do so then test me for dementia!

Lol!!!

You will get different advice on a lot things, but making time to train both is key. Housebreaking one toy at a time is my limit.

thanks! Yes agree on the training. I’d crate them in separate rooms. And I would make my hubby take one out while I take the other one.

 

[twyla]

Getting a single toy poodle is hard on you. Unlike big varieties, as Dechi said they take a long time to house break, being woken up once a night until mine were almost a year.
Understand this is a big commitment

 

[For Want of Poodle]

We got two littermates when I was twelve. Even though my parents were retired and at home at the time... they never bonded as closely to us, and they were 'Trouble with a capital T" to quote my mother. They were outdoor dogs mostly, so that was without the issues of trying to housetrain two puppies at once! WAY more work to train than just one puppy though. Never again! Also - when one of the pair died, the remaining dog was so lost that it was heartbreaking. She wouldn't even eat dinner alone, and after a day or two, we brought her inside because she still refused to eat.
My girl's 1 year now and still in training. i can't imagine considering getting a second dog with another dog in the house under the age of 2 or 3.

 

[Rose n Poos]

Hi and Welcome!

This comes up periodically. I hadn't heard of Littermate syndrome til after I brought home my two littermate mini boy pups. I'd had previous experience with 2 littermate sisters but they were nearly 2 years old when we brought them home.

I have no experience with the training and behavioral differences between toys and minis so I defer to the toy owners there, but I can say two things about my experience. It will be far more work with two than you can imagine. It's as if you have a flock . And, it can be done successfully - if you have the time to devote. DH and I are retired, so we had the time. It's one heckuva ride, and even with the inevitable rough patches, it was well worth it for my family.

See this thread Help! We brought home littermates!

It's from a member who brought home spoos, but pooparents of all sizes chimed in. You can use the search function also to find other threads on this. Just search for Littermate syndrome.

Good luck! Whatever you decide, we'll be here for you .

 

[PeggyTheParti]

Can you move your deposit to a future litter? Get your first little one through adolescence and he or she can help you raise your next pup!

 

[Skylar]

My neighbor brought home cockapoo twins a few years ago. OMG double trouble is right. Also one is fiercely protective of the other and has gotten into fights if another dog comes to sniff it’s sibling.

I have a friend who kept the two puppies her dog whelped. She’s been training dogs for dog sports for decades including conformation and agility. She’s taking each one to different puppy classes in different training clubs and taking them out separately to potty. She also takes one or the other when she teaches classes just to keep them apart as much as possible. She trains them separately so they don’t distract each other. It’s an immense amount of work to raise two puppies to be attached to you more than to each other. It’s doable but you need to seriously expend a lot of energy and thought into training and rearing them separately as well as together. With one puppy it’s a lot easier.

 

[Mfmst]

I really like the idea, if possible, of keeping your deposit for a future litter. We’re a one dog household, but sometimes that one (poodle) seemed like he needed every member of a village and a nearby city to raise him. My best friend had two adorable toys, a male and female, acquired two years apart. We’re here for you whatever you decide.

 

[Click-N-Treat]

I had two puppies at the same time four years ago. I'd rather stick my deposit in a paper shredder than do that again. I'm with Catherine. If I get two puppies again I clearly need emergency mental health care.

 

[Eclipse]

The novice in me put a deposit down on 2 toy poodles but now I’m reading online what a horrible idea it is to get 2 puppies at once. Boy and girl, same breeder different litters. Anyone have a positive or negative experience with toy poodle puppies that they want to share? I’m hoping these little smart dogs are an anomaly to this rule.

I would also question the practices of the breeder a bit. Most responsible breeders will NOT sell 2 puppies to someone at the same time, even if they are not from the same litter.

They will still be raised together and if not done properly, can bond more closely with each other than you. This means lots of extra work with each separately - going to different training classes with each one, socializing, walking, etc. in addition to what you do together, to reinforce the human bond. While I do lots of things with my puppies and older dog(s) together, I also always do a lot of extra alone work with my puppies when I bring them home apart from my older dog(s) so the puppy learns to stand on its own 2 feet and think situations through on their own instead of needing the security of the older dog all the time. And while I want my dogs to absolutely get along, I don't want them so attached that there is separation anxiety if I do something with one dog and not the other. But I don't have to repeat all the experiences again with the older one(s) at the same time, so it's not twice the work at once....

 

[kontiki]

I was going to say you could not pay me a million dollars to get two puppies at once, but I decided perhaps I would take $500,000 and do it.