I seek guidance ASAP! Please help!

[enklined]

I just bought a female Rott pup on Saturday. She is doing great, and has already learned "Come" and "No" pretty well, and is currently crate training.

I've had the feeling since I got her that maybe I should have bought one of her brothers too.

Do Rotts do well with other dogs, specifically one of their own brothers/sisters? I would hate to buy another puppy from her litter and have them grow up to dislike each other.

Is it wise to have 2 Rotts? Do they need a friend during the day when my girlfriend and I are at work? Or are they OK by themselves?

This is a big decision for me. I would like to get other one, because I have a feeling it's a good idea so they can keep each other company, but at the same time money is a factor. Mina cost $475 ("Pure Breed" no papers, both parents on site and looked really good). I might be able to get a deal on the second if I choose to do that route. Even then, it'll double my cost of food and health care (for the first year at least - shots, heartworm/flea meds, spay/neuter).

Also note that there are only males left of the litter...

Thanks!

[OnyxGold1]

I think you are going to rapidly get a ton of responses advising you against getting two puppies at once, particularly from the same litter....the main reason being is that they will tend to bond to each other and not necessarily to you. Plus also for the reasons you mention double the cost of everything, in addition to you needing to know that you have the time/energy to train, play, socialize them separately.

Plus given what you have mentioned about the one that your purchased being 'purebred no papers' tells me all I need to know about the ethics of your breeder (or rather should I say the lack of ethics). I would wager that neither of the parents were health tested, titled and likely should never have been bred in the first place.....even though they may have 'looked good'. I'm no expert but I certainly can't tell whether a dog is dysplastic or not based upon what it looks like in most cases (unless it is a severe case of dyplasia). There are pups that are bred by COE breeders from fully health tested parents which develop dysplasia.....how do you know that your girl who comes from unknown history may not come down with dysplasia or a heart problem......and what if you compound that by having two littermates with the same problem. You can quickly look at tripling your vet bills when dealing with that type of scenario.

Personally given that you have already purchased the one girl..... I would train her, love her, spay her at an appropriate age, enjoy her to pieces, find a venue that you can both enjoy, research the breed and then in the future, research what is and what is not a good breeder and contact a COE breeder in the future when looking for your next pup.

Heather Peters

[AngelBunny]

I wish you'd found RDN before you found the breeder of your puppy.

Because if you had, you'd know what real, COE, bona fide, responsible breeders do vs. what BYBs and puppy producers do.

Please spend time reading thru the postings in Breeding, then Puppy Development.

The former will educate you about breeders, the latter, about what to expect with your puppy.

[targonrotts]

heather wrote it beautifully!
great advice!

do enroll in a puppy socialization class and later go on to group obedience class to keep her socialized and trained and not develop dog aggression.

spend as much time as you can with pup.
life is easier with one pup at a time.

[moondog]

Originally Posted by OnyxGold1

Personally given that you have already purchased the one girl..... I would train her, love her, spay her at an appropriate age, enjoy her to pieces, find a venue that you can both enjoy....

Amen to that! I am an unapologetic One Dog At A Time owner.... I simply do not have the time with my full time employment to raise and train two dogs, especially both at the same time, because it MUST be done SEPARATELY. Very few people can really follow through to do this right. Twice as much time, twice as much money. I am having an absolute BLAST with my one dog - the things we do together are fun for both of us and the work we do together is fruitful. I am able to count my blessings each and every day, rather than watch some of them go down the drain because I don't have the time to catch them in the net before they disappear.

Stick with one puppy - they are a LOT of work....and the time you put into one will be far better than cutting that time in half because you still have another puppy in the wings, waiting to train.

[Weily4Life]

Along with what the others have said, Rottweilers are prone to cruciate ligament tears or complete cruciate ligament ruptures. Surgical repairs are not cheap. We got our Greta from a rescue when she was 14 months old, no papers, mom and Dad on site, in other BYB. But she was destined for the pound with the likelihood of PTS. We could not bear the thought so brought her home. She is now 5 years old and has had 3 knee surgerys, since she was 2 yo.

[enklined]

Thank you all for your responses, they are greatly appreciated.

RE: Buying an unpapered dog - $$ was the main issue for me. The pups looked great, both parents had extremely good temperment and were both very beautiful. Like it was said, I put my self at greater risk for a puppy that will develop problems, but that is a risk I am willing to take. You're probably right, they probably shouldn't have ever been bred - but who knows...right now Im as happy as can be with my baby Mina, and hopefully she doesnt have any serious health issues. In any event, I'll be investing in Pet Insurance so that her and I are both covered.

Buying a papered dog doesnt necessarily mean you're going to get a perfect dog anyway...right?

I hope not to offend anyone by buying an unpapered dog - and I know my comment about $ being an issue (after all I just bought a house a week ago) will probably rub people the wrong way - i expect such reactions as "then you shouldn't have bought one in the first place if you can't afford it." The fact of the matter is that the puppies were already bred - I'm not breeding them. They need a home, and I need a dog. Done deal :)

Anyway, again, thanks for all your comments. I think I'm going to stick with just the one puppy! My thoughts about getting two were due to a couple people at work who have 2 dogs (not rotts). They "take care of each other and keep eachother busy." My thoughts were that they would keep eachother busy and out of trouble/bordum (spelling?).

Thanks!

- Jesse

[psychosid77]

The only reason I can suggest one puppy at a time is due to the amount of time you need to spend with them. In the beginning, when they are less than 5 months, they may seem like absolute angels for the most part. My little guy seemed like he was learning so quick etc. At 8 months (which is now) the adolesence is starting to kick in a little and it's taking a little more patience sometimes. I would really suggest to go one at a time. I too think from time to time he would like another dog to socialize with, but I rather keep up his training and maybe somewhere down the road get another pup. It's just my two cents. I guess my depiction of the rotti thus far, is that they are very smart but can be stubborn at times. Imagine dealing with two different stubborn scenarios simutaniously (that's a lot of "s" words.....sorry....ha!) Good luck with your new pup. They grow quick by the way, so take lots of pictures now!

[cerulean]

Oh, my.... our Mango is just 16 weeks old and I can't imagine having the time for two pups (and I often work at home, and hubby takes her to work with him the other days). She's a toddler and needs so much time !! We train in several sessions a day. Getting another pup will not keep them from teething on everything, or stealing underwear, or trying to eat slugs on walks. Another pup isn't going to teach her not to jump or to do a good recall or any other manners.

Sometimes when I'm tired, and she needs a walk or playtime or training, or yet another trip out to the potty area..... I find myself "wishing" she had someone else to play with. BUT I KNOW that it's only because I'm tired or feeling lazy. She needs ME to train and to bond with.

One pup at a time !!!!!

[lgslgs]

We currently have two rottie puppies at once. We got them both because while they are healthy now, they each have a severe heart defects that will likely shorten their lives - and our home is able to care for special needs dogs. We also have two adults at home, 24 hours a day, and generally only leave our homestead once or twice a month, and then only for a few hours.


Even with two people available for full time puppy care, two puppies at once takes up most of our time. I would not recommend it to anyone unless there were truly special circumstances, and even then I'd warn a person that to give them proper care and training is all consuming.

You will be best able to fully enjoy and care for your puppy if your raise just one at a time. Instead of having to juggle all of the extra work of two pups running out of sync with potty schedules, teething, nap needs, and such, you will be able have more time to enjoy the relaxed quiet times with your pup and linger over all of those delightful puppy moments that pass all too fast.

And special note to cerulean - "yet another trip out to the potty area" takes on a whole new meaning if there's two of them. If one's pooping, the other is usually too busy looking at clouds or leaves to do their business at the same time. I honestly do believe that two puppies at once will wear out our door latch four times faster than having just one pup.


Enklined - if you want two dogs, wait until your current one is about 4 - 5 years old and then get a pup of the opposite sex. I do believe that the very most enjoyable way to raise rottweilers is to get into a cycle of raising one to maturity, then introducing a junior dog to the household. There is something so special about a well spaced senior dog/junior dog relationship - and if proper training has been done with the first dog it is also the easiest dog raising situation. But the foundation of that sort of two dog household comes from making sure that your first rottie has your undivided attention during his/her formative years (age 1 - 4).

Lynda