Hello all , Tom from NW Ohio My previous dog Marley 10 years of joy ,well first year was a little rough lol had to be put down last Sept. Last month I had been looking to bring a puppy into the household. Luckily found a litter that was getting a little old to sell so price had dropped. Pups were 12 weeks old, two beautiful black females. Needless to say I made every mistake in picking my pups . 2 females from same litter age of 12 weeks We have been slowly been trying to separate them . The household has 2 older dogs and a cat. Pups are learning a little slower then expected. To cut to the chase Angel one of the puppy’s has become Defiant she does not want to go into her crate. Books say to increase the treat or to act more excited to encourage her to listen. Any advice would be greatly welcome have tried to separate pops is much is possible however they love the play together in the backyard and I don’t have the heart to break him. The puppies do seem to except me as their leader is Wells my wife is helping LOL me to rub their bellies check their toes,love on them was wondering any suggestions that would be helpful . Why are the puppy litter was 75% English 25% American I seem to have one of each two different dogs completely. Looking forward to suggestions games toys experience training. Looking forward to sharing my experiences with the puppies and then forward to any response thank you .Tom
Hi @Tom Webb Welcome. I'm not sure where to start. I think we need more information. How old are the puppies now? What have you done so far about socialisation? And why don't you want to train them separately? What book has been the source of your advice about dog training?
Thanks for answering. The pups will be 5 months next week. Actually we’re reading two books one from the Labrador site and The Labrador Handbook by Pippa Mattinson. Actually the books are training us . All things considered the pups are doing well. Training is being reinforced daily and we’re slowly separating the crates to separate the dogs. Next move will be to move the crate into a different room. One puppy has the English look to her she lacks confidence, the other American has all the confidence. Both pups are healthy and we love em . Just wondering how much we should separate them . So far it’s only for training . We have had them going on 3 weeks also 2 older dogs other dogs in house and a cat .
Hi @Tom Webb Separate them to the extent that each treats you as the primary source of fun and leadership. Training separately will help. When exercising think of games where the dogs interact with you. One retrieves while the other say waits her turn. I don't think they have to sleep in separate rooms unless that suits you. You can put a cover over each crate if you wish. Although it is very inconvenient, I would suggest that you walk them separately. You will need to be able to concentrate on one at a time. Is it possible that your partner assumes responsibility for one of them, you being the leader for the other? Although such a step isn't critical it would certainly help.
It's very difficult to raise puppies together and not see them suffer from this. Be warned... Here are some links on littermate syndrome, a common development: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/is...ems-Adopting-Two-Puppies-At-Once_16190-1.html http://blog.betternaturedogtraining.com/2013/07/18/littermate-syndrome/
