Hi, Great forum. I have being in love with Labs for years and infact raised a pup called dexter from his 7th week. He was with me for 3 months when a sad day I put him in his crate on my balcony and went inside for a wash and when i returned he was gone, some one just carried him with the crate itself !! I have being searching for another good lineage pup for weeks from then (in my part of the world its difficult to find one), my question is the below: I am planning to get 2 of these gorgeous bundles of joy as a pair (male +female) from different litters. How will they cope up together ? Will i need to take any special precautions, preparations etc? Kindly do advice. Cheers
Hi and welcome to the forum. I'm so sorry to hear that your first puppy was stolen That is dreadful and must have been a very traumatic experience for you. It's good that you're now able to start looking for a puppy again. What are your reasons for wanting two pups? What about getting just one pup for now and then when that one is a few years old getting a second puppy? I just suggest this because it is really hard to raise two puppies together (even if they are not from the same litter). One at a time is usually quite enough of a challenge for most people!
Hi Oberon, Agreed. I totally understand that raising two pups will be difficult. Its just pure love towards raising labs may be I am a bit over enthusiastic. I am not looking at a breeding point of ..NO atleast not on ma side.. the second reason is that my in law also wanted a lab but he cannot find a good breeder so just in case it becomes too much for me to take care of these 2 i can get the bitch to him. He is nearby so that i can also watch him over..
Very sorry to hear about your puppy being stolen. That must have been dreadful for you. If you get a male and female you will face problems when the female comes into season. I'd also suggest seeing how you get on with one first.
Hi Katelynjb and welcome to the forum from me and my two bundles, Willow and Shadow. My two are litter mates and, as much as I love them with all my heart, I would also advise against having two at the same time, whether or not from the same litter. It is so much harder than just having one! You have to take them out separately and have them spend a lot of the day apart, so they don't become too reliant on one another. That's two lots of separation issues to deal with, two lots of walks. Training is far more difficult with two than with one, as you have to be training them to take turns at the same time you're trying to train other behaviours. Teaching them to walk nicely on lead together (because there will be times that you have to take them out at the same time) is pretty soul destroying. Two years in, and I have two lovely dogs - not without their issues, but lovely nonetheless, but it's been a huge commitment to get here. I can't emphasise enough just how hard and time-consuming it can be. And, that's with two pretty easy dogs. If they had been as hyper as some of the puppies we hear about on these forums, I think I'd have really struggled. From my experience, I would advise that people wanting two puppies should get one, and then another the following year. This will allow you to spend the time bonding with the one, getting the basic behaviours trained and getting through the teenage phase before the next enters the family. Yes, you think two puppies is manageable, but think about two teenagers. Again, my two were easy (I hope in part because the sheer amount of time I put in to training), but had they been more typical teenage Labs, I wouldn't have been able to cope. I know it's a super exciting time, and I don't want to put a damper on it for you, but that would be my advice from my experience.
Hi there, I am so sorry to hear about your puppy being stolen. How dreadful Regarding two puppies at once, you have had some great advice above. I just want to add that you might be interested in this article which takes a look at the pros and cons of getting two at once.
Thanks everyone, i have received great help here.. I had previously thought that getting two of them would greatly help themselves in playing, learning etc. Wish me good luck so that I can get the best of these lovely buds..
It's actually the opposite. Because they play together so much (and that can be very rough, because they trust each other so much), they can find it difficult to learn to play nicely with other dogs. When they're out together, Shadow can become over-protective (or possessive) of Willow, too, which means that he gets very upset by other dogs getting close to her. I've also had to do a lot of work on not letting them form a hunting pack, after an episode last year where they caught and seriously injured a young hare. It was pretty exhausting to walk them together for a long time, and even now, I have to keep an eye out for wildlife they might chase. This is a lot easier with just one dog, so most of the time, I still walk them separately or have one on the lead while the other is off. As for learning, they can learn all sorts of mischief from each other! It doesn't seem to transpose to learning the good stuff, sadly. The whole training process is far slower with two dogs than with one. I'm a beginner at training dogs, but I like to think I have a fairly good grasp on the theory and how to put it into practice, and I know for sure that my two would be far farther along if I hadn't had to train them simultaneously. The thing I thought would be best - that they'd be company for each other when I had to be out - didn't really come to fruition, either. They are distinct individuals, and Shadow experienced anxiety when he was left, far more than Willow, and whether or not she was there. But you also have to work on them being able to settle individually, too, for when you're taking one out on a walk without the other, if you have to take one to the vet, and, eventually, thinking of end of life. They need to be able to exist without the other one.
Thanks a lot for your inputs. much appreciated.. Have no doubt that I shud go with one now .. With my Dexter previously I had difficulty finding time for him.. Although i work from home (Freelance Web Designer) there were days i lost loads of work hours and the vice versa.. This conversation has helped me make up my mind now.. I am planning to call my in law and ask him to get the bitch (he wants a bitch) and take the male myself.. had not seen the litters yet, breeder asked me to visit a week later since they re just 25 days (Chocolate) and I would bet not taking them until atleast they are 42 days ..Cheers
I think a good decision! I also work from home (programmer/partner in a small business, so not too dissimilar to you!) and, whilst it means I can be flexible, it's amazing how much time puppies take up when they're little! Mine settle really well while I'm working now, which is great, but those first few weeks, I got nothing done - and that was before I had Shadow (they're litter mates, but we got Willow at 8 weeks and Shadow at 14 weeks). Once he came along.... well, wow. Just wow Where in the world are you? It's a very exciting time choosing a new puppy!
Great news Katelyn, exciting times. Such fun preparing for a new pupster - enjoy! My next pup comes in October and I simply can't wait! (Not my own pup, a guide dog pup, but I'll have him/her for 14 months)
Just so you know - your puppy needs to be quite a bit older than 42 days (6 weeks old) when you bring him home. He needs to be 56 days, which is 8 weeks old. That is true of all the puppies in the litter. This article explains why: http://www.thelabradorsite.com/too-young-to-leave-mum/
I agree with Rachael - puppies should be at least 8 weeks before leaving the mother. I know that in India it is common for very young puppies to be taken from their mothers, sometimes dangerously young. Please insist with the breeder that your puppy stays with the mother until he is 8 weeks of age, regardless of how early he is weaned. The article Rachael posted explains why, and you can show this to the breeder if necessary.
