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Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to…. split up the litter mates or to keep them together….
Well, anyone who has gone to buy a puppy has frequently asked this question. You see the little brothers and sisters having great fun together; or there’s only two pups left and you don’t want to leave the last one alone; or the breeder offers you a deal; or you want a puppy for each of your children…..
It certainly tugs on our emotions.
However, nowadays, it’s been proven time and time again, that if puppies don’t get to experience life on their own, then we are only storing up problems for the future. They may become overly dependent on each other and be unable to face the world on their own; they may use each other for emotional support and gang up on another unsuspecting puppy; one may constantly bully the other; they may learn that fighting over toys and food wins and then carry on that behaviour outside their own home; or they may simply decide that playing with each other is soooo much fun that really, they don’t need to care two hoots about you! Then, as they are growing they will pick up and copy each other’s bad habits far more readily than picking up the good habits. And, adolescence then hits with all the additional stresses associated with that. We then end up with dogs who are fearful or aggressive, in some form.
Thinking practically - for most of us, it’s really a simple choice.
Bringing up a puppy is tremendously hard work. If you’ve had a puppy before, you’ve probably forgotten how much of your time they occupied - we all do! There’s not only the cleaning up through the house training period after one or other has had a wee accident, check up trips to the vet, stopping them jumping up, or pulling on the lead, and simply keeping them occupied when they wake up every half hour and need your attentions. What is also really necessary is that they are each treated as individuals in terms of socialisation, training, vet trips, playing and feeding. And, all of this is much more than twice the work and doesn’t even begin to take our nerves into account!
These issues are all relevant whether we are dealing with puppies from the same litter, or not. And also, many of these problems and more, can occur if you bring another puppy into the home when you are not completely happy with the behaviour of your existing dog (be honest!).
Recently, choosing to get two puppies has become very popular - probably because we feel that they will benefit from having a playmate or simply keep each other from being lonely. If you have found yourself in this situation then please start immediately to deal with them independently: take them out on walks separately; feed them separately; train them each individually, including taking them to separate classes; play with them on their own; and control the amount of play time they have with each other. And, if you are just about to get a puppy or are thinking on it, then please take these thoughts into consideration.