Ok

[NewfFan]

Thanks

[patrick]

Littermates may have a tendency to bond more with each other and not their human owner.  Generally it is not recommended HOWEVER can be done.  Especially if the owner is able and willing to give each pup a lot of individual attention.  With you being home 24/7 you are in a situation where you could pull this off.

Your main problems are what to do with the dogs when you return home since you already know there is a problem  AND do you really want to go through a double puppyhood?  One pup is plenty of mess and trouble  Two is double that and not for the faint of heart.  Pups are cute but can be very destructive as a team and with you being in an apartment you don't have the invaluable fenced yard where they can burn off some energy. 

[Ursa]

You've come to the right place with this question!

First of all, I have to second everything that Patrick said.  Two seem to find a lot more trouble to get into.  What one doesn't think of the other one always wiil!

From my perspective, however, the biggest issue is the amount of time and work it takes to have more than one puppy.  Will you want to take your puppy to training classes?  If so, how will you handle two?  Two different classes would work but it also requires a bigger time commitment.  You'll need to spend time training and socializing them separately as well.  They don't listen as well in a group! You've heard me say this before but it takes me a minimum of 30 mins per dog per night to train (and that's an easy night).  It might be easier for you because you're home more and can spread your training out into smaller chunks of time.

There's also a significant added expense with a second dog.  Two crates, two sets of bowls, two sets of puppy shots, twice as much food, etc. 

Lastly, do you have some support nearby - friends, family etc - for those days when you need an extra dog wrangler?  Believe me, those days will come!

Obviously, there are good points too - otherwise I wouldn't have the triplets!  They do keep each other company and there's always a playmate around and there's all that puppy love! 

[AltDeutsche]

Twice as much to cuddle with....
Twice as much to pick up!

This is the second time I have had 2 puppies at the same time. I love it! DH takes care of his and I take care of mine. We train together too. It is just incorporated into our family routine.

They talk about 2 passing at the same. It doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes it is years apart so the medical bills of an elderly dog don't hit you all at once. Other times it is all at once. It is a chance we take to love them both.

[Saint and Mal mom]

I don't have littermate pups, but here's another thought for you. I have two that are exactly 2 months apart in age. Still double the chewing, double the digging, double the housetraining, but not all at the same time.

Sounds like you are a great candidate to have 2 pups right now! THe main things to consider are, are you financially able to support 2? It's a lot more money, a lot more vet care, and a LOT harder to find someone over vacations to take care of 2 big dogs instead of just 1. And training is a lot tougher, like was mentioned. Could you consider waiting a few months til Gilligan is grown, get some good puppy training classes under his belt, and then consider adding a puppy playmate for him?

[ZooCrew]

LOL>..........I had a feeling you would be going this direction..... ...lol. 

I  have 2 pups of the same age.  i said I would never do this again, but I think if I had 2 giant breeds it would have been much easier as giant breeds aren't nearly as hyper as terriers are. 

I went thru the same problems you are considering.  When we got them, they were already 6 mo old.  We got them about 2 days before we moved from Ca to Mn. (well I moved to Mn, hubby came to IL).  I was forced to live with my parents until hubby could find a job/house.  What was supposed to be about 4 months turned into 1.5 yrs.  My parents were not amused to say the least......... ....lol.

Nigel and Posey completely forgot they were housebroken we had to start from scratch.  And with my parents large house, and b/c not everyone was on board with my "rules" it took over a year to completely house train them again.  They also ruined an antique chair of my parents by chewing on the wooden base, depsite there being about 100 toys in the same room.  Nigel also started marking in the home there which really put me in the doghouse.  I don't think we would have had nearly the same problems if we only had 1 pup.

Okay, so bad things:
1) training.  It is harder to train 2 at the same time.  It can be done.  I did all my training together, not seperately.  yes, it can be harder to get their focus, but when one picks it up, the other is shortly to follow.  Potty training was the hardest, b/c neither had to go at the same time, but I still had to take them out together, just to be sure.

2) bills.  Yup, x2.  And with 2 giant breeds, the cost will be significant.

3) you are in an apt. right now.  I was lucky my parents lived on an acerage.  Nothing was fenced in, so they couldn't go off leash for almost a year (until they had okay recall) but we had long lines for them and it was a large house with alot of room to run around (for small dogs).  Will they be able to burn off puppy energy there?  Is there a dog park nearby? (I know there is one in SF, so you can always drive down there until you move  )

4) bonding.  in the beginning, yes the dogs will be very bonded to each other.  I noticed that right off.  But with training sessions and time spent with each, they will bond easily to you and your man.  Nigel is more bonded to me, Posey to my husband (but that follows the general rules of males bond more with females and vice versa).

5) the end.  It is my great concern that they will both go at the same time.  Heck, Keiko and Gunther will grow old together despite their age differences and it scares me they could go close to each other (I hadn't figured that in when I got Gunther but realized it soon afterwards).  But it is a risk one takes when getting siblings or dogs close in age........or in my case, one dog that's older and one that ages quickly and a second set that's the same age  .

6) If Gilly ends up being a dwarf, my main concern would be that he may get picked on by his sister.  If she is alot bigger than him, dogs don't usually know the difference and may play quite rough with him.  If he's a spitfire, he won't stand for it, but you just never know.  Of course, in my case its the smaller dog thats more of a pest.  Posey is only about 2/3 the size of Nigel and constantly picks on him and he has to look to me or Gunther for protection.... .....lol.

Now for the good:
1) 2 are better than one!......lol.  why have one, when you can have 2?  they will help to keep each other entertained, whether that be good or bad..........l ol.

2) 1 for each.  Now both you and your husband can have your own dog and you don't have to share.    Usually one dog will bond more with one person and the other with a different person.  So it works out pretty well.

3) the future.  Since you will be living on a large property soon, it is a great place to have 2 dogs to run around.  Not that you would need 2 dogs, but why not? 

you will have to weigh the good against the bad.  not all the bad points are deal breakers for me, just things to consider.  if you think you can handle it and afford it, I say go for it!  Dogs always like having another dog friend around, and in my case, several dog friends....... ..lol. 

[FXgirl]

When one decides to chase after that squirrel at the park it can most likely turn into a team effort so you'd better have a reliable recall if they are off leash or a solid heel if they're on leash.  I would suggest classes together as well separate.

I have two males about 9 months apart.  It's been hard work with a few tears shed.  Good luck to ya!   

[TJApple]

Growing up, we never had more than 1 dog at a time.  We currently have 2 Goldies aged 2 and 4.  Sadie is 4 and we had her since she was a puppy.  Sophie we rescued at 7 months.  We were torn as to whether we wanted another dog or not because of the work etc.  When we heard about Sophie, we couldn't say no.  She was living in awful conditions and spent her days tied up with a chain to a tiny porch.  Her diet consisted of baby diapers and bacon grease.  The first 2-3 months were awful.  We spent all our time trying to break her old habits.  Sadie was a little put off at first, but now, they are the best of friends.  I am happy to say that a year later, Sophie has done a complete 180 and I can't imagine life without my 2 girls.  It is a lot of work at times and they spend all their time fighting over the same ball, bone, or toy.  Anyone I talk to swears by having more than 1.  I have heard dogs tend to live longer when they have siblings!  GO FOR IT!!  You won't regret it!!    

[BritnyLe]

Well I am kinda going through the puppy thing right now. I have Roxi who is almost 2 years old and Hades who is just turning 5 months on the 24th.

I personally think that getting two dogs is great but I would wait about 6 months to a year before getting a second puppy just because of what I'm currently working with right now with Hades. Here are the things that I've had to deal with, with one and two at the same time would only double everything.

1. When I first got Hades he ended up getting an infection from a cut on his paw. The vet bill was about 120 dollars alone. Vet bills arent always planned and can become expensive. His first visit for his shots and everything came to about 100 dollars. Thats about 400 dollars for two puppies just to get the first vet visits and shots.

2. If you feed the puppies at the same time they will need to go out at the same time. If you do take them both out together they may want to play instead of go potty and once they are 3-4 months they can pull pretty hard and can become a hassle. If you take one out the other one might pee on the floor inside while waiting (its happened a few times with Hades when Roxi was outside).

3. Because there's two it can mean twice the clean up. Realistically you can't be home with the puppies all the time. I stay at home too and my boyfriend works so I'm kinda like a housewife but we arent married yet. LOL! Anyway, there are gonna be times that you might got out to dinner or to the store and it takes longer than planned. Puppies can only hold their bladder one more hour than their age. So 4 hours for a 3 month old puppy if your lucky. With two puppies at the same age you have a higher chance of coming home to two spoiled kennels and twice the clean up.

4. Training can be more difficult. Are you gonna take them to class together or have a seperate class for each puppy? If seperate, what is the other puppy gonna do during that time? Also even with training puppies can get distracted when they are walking outside. Hades is only 5 months right now and he is hard to hold back when he sees something he wants. Are you going to be able to hold back two newfy puppies if another dog across the street or a squirell gets their attention?

5. Feeding costs. I feed my dogs Innova. It cost about 56 dollars for a 34 pound bag around here and we always get two bags right away because one bag is gone in a week or two. So it's about 112ish dollars every month to a month and a half for food. Thats with Hades alone. So food cost would be double for two growing puppies. You could always get cheap food but that isn't the best for the dogs and they'll need to eat more to get the same nutritional value.

6. Sometimes even as much as you try you can end up giving one more attention than the other. Or they may bond more to each other and then you may feel left out.

I hope I'm not sounding like a "negative nancy" but I've worked with the Humane Society for over 12 years and me and my family had raised many litters of puppies and raised many sibling orphan puppies and I know how much more work two puppies can be.

There are many good sides of having two dogs but waiting awhile between getting them has many benefits. You'll already have a bond to the first puppy when you get the second and that way you can form a bond with the new puppy without losing the bond to the other.

I know right now it's sooooo tempting to get them both because picking one seems really hard. I wanted to take home Hades brother the day I got Hades as well but now I'm glad I didn't. I wouldn't have formed such a close bond with Hades if I would have had to split my attention. I also saw Hades brother yesterday at Petco and he has a loving family where he is spoiled and gets 100% of their attention and love. So just give what I said a thought and I'm sure whichever way you choose it will be whats best for you and the puppies!  

[BritnyLe]

Ooops sorry I posted the one before while you most have been posting yours too. I think you made the right choice! With a wedding and everything it can get overwhelming. I found out a couple weeks after I got Hades that I was pregnant. So I'm about 4 months pregnant with a 5 months puppy. LOL!