Should I get my puppy's sister?

[ReeboksMomForever]

My breeder calls often to find out how Tex is doing. I was talking with her last night and before we hung up I asked how his siblings were doing. She said that one owner who bought one of his sisters has had to take his elderly mother who has heart problems into his home and the puppy is too much for her. My breeder is going to take it back and try to find a home for her. She did not ask if I wanted to take her (and I did not say anything about it) but I thought that maybe it would be good for Tex to have a playmate (she would, of course, be spayed). Could I get some advice - esp. from someone who has had experience with having two puppies at the same time before I get her (and make a mistake?). I am definitely teetering on the fence!

[damp]

Sorry I have no experience with two littermates nor two pups... and never will I have.

Do a search here about two pups and you will get all the answers!!!

[AngelBunny]

A top-notch breeder would not ask, suggest, or hint that the owner of one of his or her puppies take in a sib of the same litter.

You would be well advised to read the postings here in PD--the folly of two puppies at the same time has been discussed in depth and at length.

Maybe reading thru Breeding would also be informative. The hall marks of good breeders have often been discussed.

[Sharon Marples]

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/pol...pies-once.html

Defninitely NOT recommended unless you are very experienced with the breed.

There are success stories, but for everyone one of them, there are a dozen stories to tell about huge problems with two puppies at once. It can defiinitely take the fun out of having them when there is twice the work and you need to keep them separate for a good deal of the time.

[ReeboksMomForever]

Thank you very much to everyone and thanks for the link Sharon (guess I should've done a search)! You all confirmed what I was thinking. I told my DH yesterday that I didn't think it was a good idea - surprisingly he is the one who is more for it than me. I told him it would not be 2x the work - it'd be 10x the work and since he's gone 4, here 4 I'd be doing at least 90% of the work by myself. Plus, puppy classes start next week and I couldn't take two .

As I mentioned earlier, the breeder did not bring up me taking the puppy so I will just drop the whole thing right here and now!

Sometimes you just can't go with your emotions! Thanks again!

[shmoopysmom]

I am currently in the process of getting a pup from a recommended breeder, and am actually considering taking two of her pups, a male and female. I went to this website to see what comments people had. Of course,the prevailing answer seems to be "Are you out of your mind????" Yet the poll taken, showed 74% of the respondents said they thought it was an okay idea by people experienced with this breed.(We have had rotts for the last 18years, but only one at a time). My husband and I have no childrent at home, and are both willing to devote the time and energy it takes to raise, socialize, take to obedience classes, and exercise two rottie "babies".

So, with that being said, can I have some advice regarding individual crating from the time you bring them home, or keeping them in the same crate until a certain age? thanks!

[brunie's mom]

Originally Posted by shmoopysmom

I am currently in the process of getting a pup from a recommended breeder, and am actually considering taking two of her pups, a male and female. I went to this website to see what comments people had. Of course,the prevailing answer seems to be "Are you out of your mind????" Yet the poll taken, showed 74% of the respondents said they thought it was an okay idea by people experienced with this breed.(We have had rotts for the last 18years, but only one at a time). My husband and I have no childrent at home, and are both willing to devote the time and energy it takes to raise, socialize, take to obedience classes, and exercise two rottie "babies".

So, with that being said, can I have some advice regarding individual crating from the time you bring them home, or keeping them in the same crate until a certain age? thanks!

I can think of very few COE breeders that would sell two pups together. It's usually BYB's that sell off two at a time.

I've had dogs for over 30 years, and work from home,etc., and I would never think about adopting two pups at the same time.

I think it is not fair to the pup. Rottweiler pup's need so much training and attention the first couple of years...and I really don't think they get a fair shake. You must also crate them seperatly, feed seperately...and go to classes seperately...so that they form their own personalities.

Can it be done? I guess so. But in all honesty... you can raise a well trained, balanced pup much easier and better if done alone.

Gina

[shmoopysmom]

Brunies mom,
thanks for the comments, I am still very much on the fence about getting two, and thought that if I got two, it would be keeping one from being lonely, since we both work full time, (although I can come home several times a day). I also thought having two together would get us through the puppy stage for both at the same time, and not have to go through it again once the first pup is 18 months or so, and we bring another pup into the house. Does a 2nd pup learn from an 18 month old pup, or does the first pup just resent the fact that you've brought another pup into the house? I'm wondering how all you people with multiple rotties have done this!
Thanks!

[spidey]

I don't think even 18 months is enough between dogs - an 18 month old is still a puppy. I like 3-4 YEARS between puppies. I agree that I know of no Code Of Ethics breeders of any breed who would place a puppy in a home with another puppy (from ANY breeder), and they certainly wouldn't place littermates together - this is a very good sign that the breeder you're considering is less than ethical. Dogs don't need other dogs to keep them company, if you feel you don't have adequate time for one puppy, you sure as heck don't have anything like enough time for two puppies! Having two at once will just compound the problems, it won't help the puppies at all.

[shmoopysmom]

I appreciate those of you that replied, but some of your comments are offputting to say the least.

First off, I never said I did not have time for one puppy, much less two. I want two dogs and thought it would be good to get the puppy stage over with all at once, since, as I stated previously, 75% of the people that responded to the survey see no problem with raising two pups at once. I hear you about the fact the a puppy takes a lot of time and energy, we know that, we've had rotts for 18 years, but only one at a time.

I also must comment on the supposed "COE" breeders. A COE breeder was recommended to me (by someone who is a member of a reputable rott club), the breeder informed me that he only sold his puppies through referral. We went to visit, and discovered that the puppies as well as the mom were kept outside in kennels in the dirt, and the puppy although 10 weeks old, had not been socialized to people at all. We also found out that the breeder who wanted to charge us $1500 for the puppy, had advertised it in the paper for $800. So, needless to say, I'm a bit skeptical about a COE title ensuring a reputable breeder. At least the breeder we are getting our pup from is experienced, caring, and a careful breeder, who has all the pedigree and OFA info as well, and comes recommended from someone I trust.

[hokisteph5]

Originally Posted by shmoopysmom

I appreciate those of you that replied, but some of your comments are offputting to say the least.

First off, I never said I did not have time for one puppy, much less two. I want two dogs and thought it would be good to get the puppy stage over with all at once, since, as I stated previously, 75% of the people that responded to the survey see no problem with raising two pups at once. I hear you about the fact the a puppy takes a lot of time and energy, we know that, we've had rotts for 18 years, but only one at a time.

Here's an article that gives more pros and cons to getting two littermates. From personal experience, I wouldn't recommend getting two puppies at once or even two close in age.

[observer]

Just curious --why do you want two dogs? While a lot of people think, goodheartedly, that a puppy, or an adult dog, needs the company of another dog while the owners are at work all day, they really don't. They sleep all day. You would be separately crating two puppies during the day while you are gone, anyway, so there's no "company" there, anyway. Just a lot more work when you get home. And, getting the puppy stage out of the way (housebreaking, etc) over with all at once may have some convenience bonus for you, but isn't necessarily the best solution for the two puppies, short term or long term.

If you both work all day, unless you have absolutely NO other demands on your free time, I would reassess whether you really do have time to both do the proper amount of work with two pups separately. They must bond to YOU, not each other.

And, an 18 month old is STILL a puppy. In fact, you will see a lot of threads here about Rotties between 18-24 months going through a big personality change due to maturity and needing even more time and work to get through that phase and back on track... not a good time, IMO, to bring in a baby puppy.

So, I would just get one, and wait, wait, wait, for the second one.

[spidey]

75% of the people that responded to the survey see no problem with raising two pups at once.

Sure, but what does this really mean? It means that out of a completely unscientific poll of a self-selecting group, 75% see no problem with experienced owners raising two puppies...and? This doesn't mean anything, it tells you nothing whatsoever about the knowledge level of the respondents, it tells you nothing whatsoever about the experience level of the respondents, it tells you, in short, nothing at all useful to you (or anyone else) about raising two puppies at once other than what a few people's opinions are (without qualifications, I might add - I might say that I see no problem with an experienced owner raising two puppies at once, but only under a list of specific conditions, this doesn't mean that you should assume that because I checked that box on the poll that I think it's a good idea or that anyone who's ever owned a dog before should go ahead and raise two puppies at once). Polls of this nature, about this kind of subject, are pretty well useless in terms of giving actually useful information.

I'm sorry that you don't like the answers you're getting, but the fact is that raising two puppies at once is a very difficult thing to do properly and very few highly experienced Rottweiler owners would even consider it. And the fact that you had a bad experience with one COE breeder doesn't mean you should assume that being a COE breeder is meaningless.

[shmoopysmom]

Thankyou for your feedback, I especially appreciate the comments of the observer, and will follow the advice given by those with experience with multiple rotts, and get only one pup, and go from there, meaning we will wait at least 2 years before bringing another dog into the home.
I wasn't implying that COE titles are meaningless, just pointing out the fact that there are bad COE breeders as well.