# Two Pups at Once?



## Ruin (Nov 9, 2011)

Hi Again VF,

The Mrs. and I are still looking to get our first V in mid to late January and are awaiting word from a prospective litter. Today we had a talk and thought, hey, why not two? A brother and a sister, a his and hers if you will.

Do any of you have experience with two pups at once? Same age, same litter or not? Just curious of what you all think of having them together. I have more questions once I get some replies! 

Ruin


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## redbirddog (Apr 23, 2010)

Ruin,

What I would ask is. If the Mrs. told you, "honey, the doctor tells us we are going to have twins." How would that go? I have friends that have pulled this off. Ours are 10 months apart but different as night and day.
Choosing what you want to do with your Vizsla(s) will have a lot to do with the choices you make.

RBD


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Hi there!

When we got cats, they recommended we get two so that they can play together. They said it decreases negative destructive behaviors like scratching the couch, biting wires, etc. because they can scratch/bite each other as they were really made to do. It also gives them company while we are at work and even now with the introduction of a new dog, they are not going through it alone, but have each other.

That was one of my favorite decisions I made with the cats and a question I asked before we got Oso as well. 

The breeder I initially asked was not the breeder we purchased from. She gave me sooo much information and loved the breed. Her name is Karen Lake, this was her response.. She has a very strong point of view.

_However, I wanted to send a reply to your question about getting two Vizsla puppies. Firstly, Vizslas mature later than other breeds which means puppy-hood often goes through age three (IF they ever grow up). I do not recommend, or endorse getting another puppy until the first is a minimum of 24 mos. old, even then age 3-5 is probably better. One Vizsla puppy will be very demanding of your time and energy as it is. I require our owners to attend puppy/basic obedience classes and for the puppy to have the one on one time it needs to be properly socialized and trained. A Vizsla puppy need to be raised following the Rules of Hundreds, which means they must meet 100 people in the first 100 days they are home (people of all sizes, shapes, ages, wearing hats, etc). This needs to start the second the puppy comes home. Vizslas require A LOT of socialization, much more than other breeds. Completing these tasks are not possible with two puppies. Puppy owners need to dedicate the time and energy to raise our puppies to these high standards, not expect two puppies to entertain each other/raise each other. I believe getting two is a lazy way to raise puppies, i.e. letting them entertain each other/raise each other. This book is an excellent source of information on raising and training a puppy the right way, and I highly recommend it: My Smart Puppy: Fun, Effective, and Easy Puppy Training (Wilson/Kilcommons)

Second, when puppies are raised together they become more "dog oriented". This means they look at the other dog as their "buddy" and not the human that owns it. Dogs that are raised to together NEVER develop the kind of human bond that they would have had if they had been raised in a "one dog" family and for that reason, these dogs are more difficult to train. Because they don't have the strong human bond, they don't have the desire to please (they often become stubborn). All dogs have a very strong pack instinct, the more dogs in a pack the stronger the instinct becomes. Raising 2 dogs together means an elevated pack drive, raising 3 dogs means an even higher pack drive. Adopting puppies that are 1 or 2 years apart will reduce competition and tensions that come when dogs are beginning to socially mature and test their dominance boundaries with each other. Most dog behaviorists will also recommend mixing sexes of dogs in a home. And to reiterate, no reputable breeder would sell two puppies to the same home. _


**She did not have a litter available when we were looking and had a long wait list, that is why we didn't purchase from her, just FYI


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## Ozkar (Jul 4, 2011)

L2L, I'm not in agreeance with Karen. I have raised numerous dogs, with other pups the same age and never had bonding issues. I also cannot see how socialising one, is any harder than socialising two. It can after all be done at the same time! I have three dogs under 18 months old and have no dog to dog bonding issues. If anything, I think it gives them a more secure start in life, having a partner to support them when you are not home.


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## Mischa (Feb 17, 2010)

I'm sure if someone has experience raising pups it would work out fine, but if this is your first dog, or first 'super-extreme-high energy' dog, I would recommend getting one first, and a second once you've got the first really well trained where you're happy to know that it will teach the young pup.

You will be shocked at how much attention these dogs require. One puppy will have you pulling out enough hair, don't worry! 

If you do decide to get 2, I think it is very important to socialize as L2L 's quote mentioned. 
If you leave them to each other to tire, and don't focus on getting them out and meeting every person, dog and situation you can, they could develop fears which can often lead to protecting themselves and/or you by acting like jerks instead of nice friendly dogs.
That being said, the opposite is also true. As long as you can focus on getting them to experience the world, they will be best friends and get to experience all the fun and scary stuff together.

I would love to get a second, now that our girl is coming along nicely, but thinking back on that puppy stage changes my mind every time. 
Who knows, we'll have a dog helper this time around, so maybe it would be easier. 

Good luck with your decision.


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## luv2laugh (Oct 6, 2011)

Hi Ozkar,

I meant to modify my initial post saying I'm sure the part about bonding varies by dog. 

We stopped thinking of getting two after receiving her reply. She has been in the field awhile and I thought her opinion was worthy of being put out there. We def didnt want to be "lazy" or jeopardize our little guy's relationship with us. 

Now that we have Oso, I am seeking out play opportunities with other puppies every chance that I can get. It is a great way for him to burn energy, learn bite inhibition and retain his dog socialization skills. As for socializing and training, I could see how it would have to be done differently. When Oso was a little puppy, I carried him around everywhere in my purse or holding him. I don't know if that was really necessary, but I know it would have been more difficult with two puppies. With the cats, we did regular rule training all together, but had to do clicker training separately, so it took twice as long (actually 3x as long because we have 3 cats)

That being said I'm so glad the cats have each other and if we got Oso with a brother or sister, he would have that extra support. I do think a relationship could be lesser with humans, but I don't know if that would be such a horrible thing if he had a good bond with another canine. 

All Osos little behavioral problems we've had to work on would be more difficult and possibly impossible to do with another puppy (loose leash training, him yelping at other dogs to play.) I think it depends a lot on ehat you are expecting from a dog and the kind of support you have to make it happen.


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## pippa31 (Aug 2, 2011)

Just to add my two cents here, for whatever it is worth.... 

We are also thinking of adding another Vizsla. Pippa is 6 months old and we would love another. I happened upon another Vizsla owner on a trail walk the other day and mentioned getting another (she's always had 2). She cautioned about waiting until Pippa was 4 or 5, but here's why: she got her first Vizsla, fell in love with the breed and then added another one year later. When the older Vizsla had to be put down at age 14, she was DEVASTATED. And she said it made it all the worse knowing that her 13 year old Vizsla (who was displaying similar symptoms) was not far beyond. She said losing both in the span of 2 years was heartbreaking. Definitely made me think about waiting another couple of years....

Keep us posted! Let us know if you get two and how it goes!


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## kellygh (Oct 25, 2010)

I know 3 reputable breeders within 400 miles, and all 3 of them would not sell 2 puppies at once to the same owner (especially a 1st timer). No judgement, but just an FYI. I'm not sure I would hold a breeder in the highest esteem who would sell more than one pup to a 1st time V owner :-\


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## redrover (Mar 17, 2011)

I can't find the information anymore, but I'm fairly certain that I read that my breeder won't sell 2 pups to a person at a time, particularly not to a first-time owner. It has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the person or the dogs, but rather the fact that puppies are a ridiculous amount of work to begin with. Coupled with the fact that Vizslas are high-energy dogs, it just seems like a recipe for disaster. I am the only person in my household, and there were many, many days I wished there was another person around, just for the raising of one puppy.

If you're still interested in two, I'd recommend waiting, at least a few months, before adding a second pup. Get the first one potty trained, as well as get it to have a few commands down. Those first two months or so had me tearing my hair out at times (sometimes that's still a risk). Remember, they're technically puppies until they're 2 years of age. According to my trainer, who used to breed Vizslas, a lot of them don't really get their "brains" until they're about 3. If you'd like to get dogs from the same breeder, maybe get one pup from one litter, then wait until the breeder whelps a second litter later in the year. My breeder usually has one early in the year, then later in the year. That would give you a span of probably 6-8 months between dogs, depending on how many litters they whelp (not including stud litters).


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## kristen (Oct 18, 2011)

I couldn't imagine a second pup right now... one is so much work, and requires constant attention. 
What do you do if you're alone, and one pup is weeing in the livingroom whilst the other one is chewing your shoe in the kitchen?! Perhaps you should watch Marley & Me. And then imagine a crazy V instead, X2! OMG that would kill me.


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## threefsh (Apr 25, 2011)

Our breeder also will not sell 2 puppies to one person as a general rule. I can't imagine getting two at a time... Riley takes all the attention of myself AND my husband to keep her entertained and out of trouble. Multiply that by 2 and I think I'd be bald from pulling my hair out....


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## Ruin (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the input! We're considering everything very seriously and still haven't decided exactly what we're going to do. If anyone has any other info, or some hands on experience too, please let us know.


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## Linescreamer (Sep 28, 2010)

The real question is..... What experience do you have raising a hunting dog? If the answer is none. You should stick with one at a time. You can't mate bother and sister so; I'd stick with 2 girls if you have the experience and can handle it. Girls could be a bit easier to raise. You should understand the enormous amount of time, energy and patience required. They are also expensive so, the money must be readily available.


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## Ruin (Nov 9, 2011)

Thanks again for the responses everyone!

We've decided to split doggie duty so to speak. I just sent in a deposit on a male Vizsla pup that will be of age and ready to come home to me around January 20th! I'm extremely excited to get my buddy home! I'll post pics once I get to pick from the four boys in the litter. It's time to do a lot more reading!

As far as another pup, my lady friend has been eyeing a pocket beagle pup that I'm thinking she's going to bring home also. After a lot of reading, research, and weighing what we want and can provide we think we've found a solid compromise. It's going to be a ride and a half, I'm sure. But I know we're going to love it. It's part of the reason for us getting them! We want to spend that time with them, and get out doing new things with our four legged motivators!

Now I just need to learn to bird hunt....


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## ValleyVizslas (Mar 25, 2021)

Lol I just made an account on my sisters computer (don't tell her)


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