Has anyone done it (2 puppies)?

[HyPrice]

Well, I'm posting on the BPO boards because I am a Big Paw lover at heart, but a dog lover by nature, and as a college student am only allowed dogs under 20 pounds in my apartment. I plan to buy a Newf once I graduate (1.5 years). Anyway, I have a Mini Aussie now who is 6 months old. She's great, pretty housebroke, can be let off lead anyway and sticks to my side/listens to me, knows her commands, etc.
I am thinking of getting a 3 month old Mini Dachshund from a friend who breeds. I'd love little "Shadie" (the aussie) to have a friend, and lets face it, two dogs are always better than one!
Has anyone ever had two puppies at the same time? Am I crazy? I figure also that if I have two small dogs then I will be able to have my Newf as well (would be too scared to do multiple big dogs at once, being new to the big paws). Also, I do know hound breeds are very different from hearding breeds, anyone on here have a hound? A Mini Dachs specifically?
Thanks all!

Love it here!

[Leah...]

Hey, welcome to the board! I can COMPLETELY understand you. I'm living at home with a border collie/newf mix and an aussie. He's a rescue, either a short aussie or a tall mini. Lol I used to have an obedience dog that I borrowed that was half dachshund and half beagle. It was a MAJOR culture shock coming from working border collies all the time in flyball, and at home. He was great, and not very stubborn, but very unmotivated. Haha If you aren't gonna compete at all with the pup then it really isn't that much of a change. But being a hound, it takes a LOT more training to walk them off lead and keep them focused.. those noses lead them away fast! Good luck! We're major picture hogs here, and I know there are aussie lovers, so please.. PICTURES!

Leah

[Leah...]

Oh, and to answer your question..No. I've never raised two puppies simultaneously . I do know about having two older dogs around the same age though. We got Bailey as a puppy in 99, and got Sammie when he was 8 months old in 2000. So they were both young at the same time. And as they aged, it got kinda expensive dealing with their increasingly frequent vet visits. Bailey had to be put down before his 9th birthday, so I can't say I've got experience with REALLY old dogs the same age.

Good luck!
Leah

[ZooCrew]

Hi!  yes, I've done 2 puppies at once.  Actually, I had 3 dogs 1.5 yrs and younger.  Gunther was 1.5 yrs old when we got Nigel and Posey at 6 mo old (although they had stayed with us a month when they were 12 wks old)

I think that if your mini aussie is as well trained as you say, you can definitely do another puppy and it wouldn't be much of a problem.  Gunther was pretty much trained by then, but Nigel and Posey had almost no training other than being potty trained (which they completely forgot when we moved a few days later).  I don't think i will ever do 2 dogs the same age again, at the same time, with both of them being puppies.  Of course I had other things going against me as well.......... ..our housing situation was up in the air so i had to stay with my folks for a year and a half while hubby looked for a house in another state.

As for dachshunds.... ........is it a long haired, short haired or wirehaired?  Being a mini, even if its a short haired, it's attitude should be better than the standard siz.  the long hairs are the sweetest, with the wirehairs being more terrier like.

and even though they are technically hounds, they aren't hounds in the general sense of the word, b/c they are earth dogs.  So many like to dig.  Since you don't have a yard that shouldn't be a problem....... ..lol.  They can be very protective of their humans so socialization is key unless you want an ankle biter.  Training can be a challenge, as they aren't as eager to please as the aussies are.

The major thing you want to think about though before getting one of these breeds is the health issues that go along with them.  Mainly, serious back problems.  They are very commen.  Dachsies cannot jump up, or down, from furniture.  They must be trained to use ramps or steps.  No running up and down steps.  No jumping up or down period.  If I had to take a guess, I'd say that serious back problems, the kind that require surgery, occurs in about 60% of all dachsies.  i don't know of any that have never had any back problems at all.  This is the one reason although I like the breed, it is too much of a liability for me to own one, and too risky.

Also, depending on the color, there can be other problems as well.  Double dapples and piebalds i believe can get inherant skin problems.

but they are a spunky and fun and will definitely keep your life interesting. 

[sc.trojans]

The primary issue with having two puppies at the same time, is if both are very young, the risk of overbonding is high - and they will bond more strongly with each other than with you.  Steps can be taken to prevent this but must be consistently mitigated.

Given your dog is 6 months and settled with you however, you should just ensure that she is well trained.  Obedience training with two puppies at one time is not an enviable task and it is harder to accomplish - again they feed off of each other, and are less focused on you.  This wont be an issue if your girl is already listening to you. 

A dog with some training can provide good leadership to the younger one. This is a great benefit.  Training should be separate however and you should walk them separately and do socialization separately to a good extent to ensure they can be without each other and function without overbonding.

This is a greatest risk when bringing home 8-10 week old puppies however.

The advice regarding the breed you are considering is good advice - yikes.  I can't imagine willingly taking on those disc issues in that breed - I have just seen so many nightmares and can honestly say I have only seen one dachsund in the past 5 years in physically great shape without orthopedic issues.  So friend or not, be sure this friend knows what she is breeding - and has selected those breeding dogs very very carefully for breed structure and soundness - not just two dogs she got

[HyPrice]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I appreciate that everyone on here is so realistic, on other boards people would tell me just to go for it! After reading more about the breed and listening to a few of you on here tell me about their health problems, I'm not sure I'm in for a dog of that type. Also, although my friend has bred for a long time and I know her dogs well, I'm not sure what their "quality" is.


Are there any breeds out there that tend to be medium sized adult dogs, easy to potty train, and maybe not extreme energy? I'd just love to have one more dog, and would even love to find something older that just needs a home, but I'm not quite sure what to look for. I found a small Goldren Retrieve mix at the local shelter, and they thought her to be 2-3 years old, but she was very, very hyper (could be due to the fact that she was stuck in a kennel).

Anyway, THANKS everyone!

[krikyt]

Hi, I've had all three of mine since they were babies. This might be along the same lines as the comment about making sure the don't bond more with each other than with you, and also is probably common sense to most people and I somehow missed it, but with mine, they would always have so much fun playing with each other, and I would love to just sit and watch, and when one got tired, he or she would come lay with me, but I never got in there and played with them.  Now, at 15 months, they have no idea how to (or just don't want to) play with humans. They are friendly with people, sometimes overly friendly considering their size, they just don't play with anyone but each other and another mutt that I have.  So, my suggestion is to take time to play with each of them separately. 

[AltDeutsche]

I have done it with 2 puppies at once, 9 month age difference. and I am doing it now with 3 puppies, boy are 5 months and the girl is 6 months.

You have to know how your dog reacts with the other since it is already a part of your family.

Other than that you can surely raise them both together if you want.

[jjcj]

Yes I have 2 standard poodle pups  one is almost 8 months and tiny at 30 lbs and one is almost 5 months and over 35 lbs now.  Both have been good laid back dogs though and it helps they have eachother to wear each other out LOL.
I do have a huge sunroom for them to play in that I put my computer in so I can watch Casey.  He has been a nightmare to train but I think is almost getting it now if I watch for him to go to the door.  He won't bark but will run back and forth at it.  I can't leave him uncrated though or he will piddle while no one is watching.
It is a lot of work but so much more fun.  If you don't see your hours of school increasing anytime soon, or other life chages I say go for it.

[faye]

I have 2 pyr pups.  they are sisters and I have had them since they were 6 wks old. 
sometimes it is easier cause they have each other but they are double trouble also.  If one gets into something the other will help them.  and I have to feed them separately but yup I would do it again.
they are now 8 mths old and still bad at times but I enjoy them. 
and I also have 2 other dogs - a 4 yr old newf and an 11 yr old sheltie.  and 3 cats!
yup I am crazy and lovin it!!

[ZooCrew]

Are there any breeds out there that tend to be medium sized adult dogs, easy to potty train, and maybe not extreme energy? I'd just love to have one more dog, and would even love to find something older that just needs a home, but I'm not quite sure what to look for.

I think you had the right idea looking into a shelter dog.  If you are considering a purebred, I'm sure there is a rescue for one in your area.  Mixed breeds are a great way to go, most of them are medium sized, although energy levels will vary.

Perhaps a dog over the age of 3 would work best as they should already be potty trained and won't be as hyper as a younger dog would be.  Med sized purebreds that I can think of that aren't too hyper are the english bulldog, setters (english/irish/gordon/red and white), spaniels (english/cocker/springer), whippet, chow, shar pei, basset hound,  both corgi types. It also depends on what you consider a "med sized dog".

If you don't want hyper, I would stay away from terriers, most herding breeds, labs and lab mixes.  I do think your best bet is a med sized younger to middle aged mixed breed.  Good luck on your search.