Partner and I took on 2 pups from the same litter. Week 2…

[taz77777]

@beaconlight94 You wanted tips so here’s a few — enjoy the double zoomies and wrestling matches! I bought 50 foot Biothane long leads so mine can follow a hunting dog around an acreage, wears them out quick! They have been swimming in the neighbor’s pool, they are regulars at the farm store, we stroll around the neighborhood cemetery almost every morning. It was hard waiting for that last set of shots to kick in but then the world became ours for the enjoying.

What took me the longest to figure out was that a schedule is your friend. Not a super strict one because they need to be adaptable, but naps when tired are absolutely necessary. At four months they figured that out so they napped separately within sight distance and I took them out the minute they woke up — still do actually. The first few weeks I tried to keep them way too busy and they were crazy pee and poop machines. We all figured out the schedule and a switch flipped so life became much easier.

 

[recvrngsnr]

@beaconlight94 I can only speak to what I've experienced so far as I'm a new puppy owner. We ended up rescuing three dogs from different letters but they're all the same age. They do have play time together and they do stay in the same room. We haven't noticed any really big behavioral issues beyond just puppy issues. They do get a bit jealous of each other when one is out of the cage and the others aren't but they get over it. And they do get a bit jealous when one person pays attention to one of them but not the rest of them. But they get over it.

I can only say inforced naps are key so far.

 

[jonowebb]

@beaconlight94 People mention litter mate syndrome and perhaps it’s a thing but typically it’s just that 2 pups are a lot to handle for people.
But it can be done.
We had just 3 months apart between 2 of our dogs and so we essentially had 2 pups of nearly the same age. The one thing that worked in our favor is that pup 1 was potty trained incredibly quick and so when pup 2 came we could focus on her potty training but everything else we had to teach them together.
We hired a reputable trainer and met up with her once a week and went from there.

 

[stabil71]

@beaconlight94 We’re in the same situation, today is day one of week two. It’s a lot of work and it can definitely be super frustrating. To add to it one was really sick last week and spent two nights at the vets just to make sure she even survived. Her sister is super playful but also bothering her a lot, so we make sure to keep them separated as much as possible and most of their walks are alone.
We’ve already been in talks with a dog trainer and will do sessions so we can do what we can to ensure they don’t get LMS. Additionally, I co-own them with my parents so while that will be their primary residence, I will keep them occasionally and we plan for me to have one at a time for a few days a week so they get time apart.

Good luck! I Hope it works out okay for the both of us!

 

[harleyr]

@beaconlight94 I've seen mention of contacting the breeder. Are you saying they intentionally bred that mix off dogs?

Edit:typo

 

[beaconlight94]

@harleyr I wouldn’t say they’re professional breeders. I think the mom is chihuahua/shitzu, and the dad was dachshund/Australian Shepard. We thought it was a weird mix as well.

 

[harleyr]

@beaconlight94 Do you have a photo? My brain can't figure out what they would look like lol

 

[notoftheworld]

@beaconlight94 You’re in the puppy blues period that usually happens from 9-12 (or 14) months, and I’m sure it’s harder with your partner out of town.

I also have littermates. My girls are almost 10 months old. We’ve had (and still have) our tough times, but it gets so much better!

You’re off to a great start by crating them separately. I take my dogs on individual walks and they have separate playtime with me; I believe this has made a huge difference as well as allowing me to know their personalities. Plus, zoomies with two dogs is quite the experience!

Only you and your partner can know if this is right for you, but if you look through this sub you’ll find a lot of posts from users wondering if they’ve made a huge mistake, etc. The only difference here is that you’ve got two.

One more thing: I’m calling in puppy tax—photo please!