What the organization found was startling. Puppies born to these organizations are tested before being placed and are tracked throughout their growth and development. Willing homes were given not one, but two puppies to raise, thereby doubling the number of puppies the guide dog organization could work with. In order to maximize the use of their volunteer puppy raisers, one Guide Dog Organization decided to try an experiment. Luckily for us trainers, this topic has been researched extensively by someone who knows all about creating behaviorally sound puppies: Guide Dog Organizations. Puppies’ brains continue developing until they hit sexual maturity (and even a bit beyond that), and there’s some convincing research out there that bringing two puppies home at the same time prevents one, or both, of the puppies from reaching his or her full potential. In addition to the problems one might expect with bringing home siblings such as double food and vet costs and double the potty training work, new puppy owners need to focus on how the puppies will develop. While this sounds like a good plan in theory, in practice it often causes quite a bit of heartache and potentially some serious aggression trouble. Professional trainers like myself recommend against bringing home two puppies around the same age, let alone two from the same litter. ![]() ![]() So, what’s the problem with bringing home two puppies at once? ![]() Two puppies can entertain each other and keep each other company. Dogs are social animals, and a dog who will be alone all day can easily turn to destructive behavior or become anxious. Getting two dogs at the same time seems like a great idea.
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