{"id":2395,"date":"2024-07-25T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T15:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thelabradorsite.com\/?p=2395"},"modified":"2025-06-20T21:27:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T20:27:15","slug":"one-labrador-puppy-or-two","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelabradorsite.com\/one-labrador-puppy-or-two\/","title":{"rendered":"One Labrador Puppy Or Two?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It is  not unusual for people to visit a litter of Labrador puppies<\/a> to choose their pet, and come home with not one puppy but two!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two puppies usually settle in together very happily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, leaving home with your brother or sister is a great deal more fun than leaving home all by yourself!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You may be spared several nights of crying<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It may seem that bringing two Labrador pups home together is a great idea, and that the two dogs will be good company for each other while you are at work or otherwise occupied.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"labrador
Choosing just one puppy from a litter of gorgeous baby Labs is incredibly hard. And the temptation to take two is great!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Not Such A Good Idea?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I am going to explain in this article why I believe buying two pups from the same litter is often a very bad idea, and why you should be suspicious of any breeder that asks  or encourages you to do this.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bonding with your puppy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two puppies, especially littermates form a terrific bond.  Unfortunately this bond is usually at the expense of a bond with the owner.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your littermate pups may be so besotted with each other that they will have little time for you.
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Why Does This Matter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It matters because building a bond between you and your dog is very important if you are to be successful in training your dog<\/a>.  To have a great relationship with your dog, you need to be the centre of their universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have two puppies at once, this is hard to achieve without constantly separating the dogs.  This can be a bit of a logistical nightmare unless your dogs are kennelled separately. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is such a common problem, we’ve even given it a name: Littermate Syndrome<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"One<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Littermate Syndrome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term littermate syndrome describes a group of typical behaviors that tend to arise in a pair of puppies from the same litter that are raised together. It is not a condition that has been extensively scientifically studied, but rather one that has been born from observation in these scenarios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Littermate syndrome describes two dogs who are overly fixated on each other. They show little interest in their human family or other dogs. They will often be very nervous and insular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If allowed to bond to this degree, dogs can become very distressed at being separated even for short periods of time. This can make living with them very challenging in terms of training, exercising and when dealing with enforced separation for example veterinary visits.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Raising Two Puppies From Different Litters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You might hope to avoid littermate syndrome by raising two puppies from different litters. Unfortunately, this is not a guaranteed solution to this problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two puppies of similar ages can become just as co-dependant as two from the same litter. Nor does it avoid the other more practical pitfalls of buying two puppies at once. Such as the problems that arise when trying to train two puppies at once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training Two Puppies At Once<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

All puppies need training.  Even family pets.  They need to be taught not to nip, not to jump up<\/a>, to walk nicely on the leash<\/a>, to sit and stay<\/a> and to come when they are called<\/a>. This can be challenging with just one dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You cannot train a dog in the early stages whilst his brother is leaping all over him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dogs have to be trained singly,  away from other dogs,  until the training reaches a point where they can be trained together.  This happens much later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So instead of ten or fifteen minutes a day spent dog training,  you will be committing yourself to twice that,  plus any time it takes you to get to and from where you train\/exercise the dog,  with each of them, separately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You need to think about whether this is something you want to commit to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puppies are hard work<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Puppies are a lot of work, and two puppies can be more than twice the work of one.  Your pleasure in the early weeks <\/a>of having a puppy may be greatly reduced by having to divide your time between the two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is usually far better to wait until your puppy is over a year old before introducing another dog into the household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That way they will each have your full attention when they are small,  and each will form a good bond with you, that is more powerful than the bond they have with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But They Will Be Company For Each Other!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It is true that puppies are company for each other. And in the first few days that you bring your puppies home you will have a much easier time of it, than if you had only brought home one puppy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your puppies won’t cry at night, and they probably won’t mind if you leave them alone<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sounds pretty appealing doesn’t it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what you are doing when you bring home two puppies with this in mind, is swapping a few days of effort for months of logistical problems with juggling two untrained, exuberant and rapidly growing dogs that may have little interest in listening to you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My Breeder Recommends It<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

No reputable and experienced dog breeder<\/a> will ever sell two littermates to one family, unless the buyer is an experienced dog trainer who is going to house the dogs separately. If the breeder you have chosen is recommending you buy two puppies at once, I am afraid that she is probably doing so for one of two reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n