OSoSwift Posted June 9, 2015 Share Posted June 9, 2015 Sheridan, you owned Grumpy, this will be a walk in the park :) But yes I do agree with the socilaisation v parvo risk. There are safer ways of getting them out and about, especially needed with terriers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 I hadn't thought of Grumpy experience! Though with Grumpy and Mini, at least they let me eat ... Both of them are asleep at my feet right now, having got up at 7.00 with toilet breaks every two hours. I'm very tired! I've changed the topic title so I can keep this thread going if anyone is interested in raising two puppies at once. And if anyone can tell me how to post photos via my phone, that'd be good. They're all too big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_PL_ Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 You can email them to me if you like and I'll put them up. :) Otherwise, upload to photobucket and it will generate links for you to post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jumabaar Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I have raised siblings together twice! Not easy but they are independent and pretty amazing. The biggest thing was teaching them that its ok to be left at home solo. I was also fussy about resources so there was never an opportunity to guard things from each other. I also did some solo toilet stops because they would play with each other rather than go straight to the toilet late at night- which was simply not cool during winter :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 (edited) These aren't siblings so, they've only just started to get to know each other. Some more tips would be great, Jumabaar! They are in separate crates at night and I took them out separately to do their wees. Last night was a reasonable success, more with Roo than with Bunny. I set up a pen with Bunnings panels and placed them in and just repeated wees over and over. Much more success during the night than today where Bunny, possibly because of the new puppy, decided to go potty several times in the crate that's within the playpen. Roo has, too, but she has slept in there during the day a few times. Perhaps she doesn't recognise it as a bed? She hasn't gone in her nighttime crate. I've also found her rough housing a little too much for Roo. Instead of leaving them in the playpen together, I decided to crate them separately when I had to do a couple of things. They both just went to sleep rather than play. Should I ditch the playpen and get two crates for the lounge? Edited June 10, 2015 by Sheridan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 So, two days in and a reassessment. Last night there was a big spat. It stopped immediately when I stepped in but it seems Roo will be challenging Bunny as top dog. He's getting quite feisty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Watch them very carefully and determine which one you want and would feel to be the stronger personality. As much as it is hard sometimes, you must be seen to be the boss of everyone, and one of the dogs must be seen to be higher than the other, particularly where strong personalities are involved. Trying to treat these dogs as equals is doomed to fail. Let one be stronger than the other, but maintain boss status yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I would be more worried about making sure the Kerry knows the social ladder rules,your brave taking on two terriers especially with a Kerry Blue . Any other breeds i would say yep let them work it out but with a Kerry i would be keeping a good eye on its interactions with your dog an any dog ,lets face it there not the best at sharing with other dogs & yes i have owned two & they where never left with our other dogs when unattended Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pjrt Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I would be more worried about making sure the Kerry knows the social ladder rules,your brave taking on two terriers especially with a Kerry Blue . Any other breeds i would say yep let them work it out but with a Kerry i would be keeping a good eye on its interactions with your dog an any dog ,lets face it there not the best at sharing with other dogs & yes i have owned two & they where never left with our other dogs when unattended Yeah I agree the Kerry is a force of its own. I worked at a Kerry kennel and it was pretty much instant dismissal if you let any of the Kerry's even look at each other. None were ever allowed to keep company with another dog. I know some can be softer than others, but most are tenacious to extremes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 Don't I know it. She definitely needs to have some good ground rules. She's very noisy when playing and doesn't currently have an off switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) I've been looking at different websites for leash training because I really want to be able to get Bunny and Roo out and about and socialising asap. Bunny is okay with a collar on so far but sees the leash as a chew toy. Roo, being younger and less mature, is at the scratch it off stage. I can't currently leave collars on to get them used to them without locking one away as they chew on the other's collar. Some tips on this would be good as it's a safety issue at the moment. Most websites and videos on leash training, and particularly on leash chewers, assume that the puppy can already sit, stay, and watch the owner on command. This one, however, makes some good suggestions. Be keen on people's opinions on lead training. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?A=1538 Edited June 11, 2015 by Sheridan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyssel Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I would imagine at that age it should be pretty drama free, I'd be thinking more about raising them to not be codependent! :) This. Train them separately, feed them separately, crate them separately. Bella and Dallas are very codependent and they always need each other and cry when the other's not around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 here, putting collars ON is a signal for food in the early days . first weeks on leash is a nice strong fine link chain leash - once or twice it may get mouthed ..but no habit can be formed , as it is unpleasant :) I also walk pup where it wants to go - to food bowl /outside / inside for the first few walks ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agility Dogs Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 What everyone else has said - the big one for me though is the brawling as they start to get a little older. That's when it really started for us with the two puppies way back when. Also - double on the co-dependence thing. They need to know you can (and will) take them out/train them/whatever seperately and that it's NOT OK to throw tantrums. They were my biggest learnings with two young dogs together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christina Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 I don't think it matters if they are co dependent. All my dogs hate being on their own or seperate from the others apart from the stud boy who mixes well with them all outside but pees on their beds & around the living areas inside so he has the computer room as his space & doesn't mark his territory in there & is happy with that. Its cold at night & I can't see any harm in sleeping them together. They will have to sort out who is boss, one of them has to be, so as long as you split them up if it gets too rough or can make them stop with vocal commands expect some scrapping, its natural. You will have to seperate for lead training but I would feed a few feet apart & watch & order each back to their own dish. I feed 5 adults without seperation & they know to only eat their own. Often had 2 pups similar in age & find they copy & learn from each other. I never seperated them at all, only from the adults when small & introduced under supervision. 2 pups won't kill each other & will quickly make friends. They will miss their litter mates being so young & be glad of each others company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 here, putting collars ON is a signal for food in the early days . first weeks on leash is a nice strong fine link chain leash - once or twice it may get mouthed ..but no habit can be formed , as it is unpleasant :) I also walk pup where it wants to go - to food bowl /outside / inside for the first few walks ... Do you attach the chain to the collar or use it as a collar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 just like a normal leash .. (we have 2 very old chain leads, with leather handle loops - one from our lab around 50 yrs ago ..and one from my terrier , around 40 yrs ago . They have seen many puppies thru the first tricky days/weeks :) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaCharlie Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Apart from the advice that everybody else has given you, the biggest one I can give you is do not make comparisons between them. They are their own individuals and need to be treated as such. They will learn things at different rates, need help with different aspects of life, and they will enjoy different things. The biggest mistake we made with littermates was to make comparisons (although at least yours are different breeds and sexes, which will help). Just because one can make it through the night without needing to toilet doesn't mean the other will (and on that note just because one can hold on all night doesn't mean they can if you are up toileting the other LOL). Just because one has learnt to use the dog door doesn't mean the other doesn't need assistance. One might learn to sit and wait for dinner while the other one has no comprehension yet of what you are asking. It became more obvious with us once we started training them for agility. One learnt tricks by doing (and hoping they got it right) while the other learnt by painstakingly thinking it through until she knew exactly what behaviour she wanted to offer. One sister hit the ring at 18 months and the other wasn't ready until a few months past her 2nd birthday (and even then was thrown in as a "lets see what she can do"). We had originally had grand plans of debuting them together, which didn't even come close to happening LOL. Although at least by then we had stopped expecting them to learn things at the same rate and be ready for things at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheridan Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) I have noticed that Bunny is, simply because of her age, is better at signalling than Roo is. I've worked out her signal for going outside is to run and jump around madly and woe betide if I miss it. As far as I can tell Roo has no signal yet. He has hysterics after he's done a wee or poo inside. Still keen on getting an opinion on my query above about swapping out the playpen for crates in the lounge. Even though I've fed Bunny in the lounge room crate, she and Roo have both wee-ed and poo-ed in there and in the playpen. She hasn't done either in her bed crate. He has because I was out longer than I expected today but otherwise hasn't. On lead training, I did a little letting Roo drag a lead around while I bribed him with mince. He then ate his dinner with it on. I took it off soon after because Bunny decided to pull him around on it. Also had a little success with getting Bunny to sit, again with the mince incentive. Edited June 11, 2015 by Sheridan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuralPug Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 If it were me, (and thank dog it is not LOL) I wouldn't let them share the playpen except when YOU choose to deem it play time. One sleeping in a pen, the other in a crate will work. Or two separate sleeping crates and a pen, whatever. When you are working/training/spending time with one, make sure the other has a yummy chew in the pen, or is galloping in a run or yard. Being a coward myself, I would just never leave them unattended together. When I put them together to play and wear exch other out, I would remove the collars and the rest of the time leave them on. Always give a treat when putting the collar on for the first week or so. Extra socialisation can be donw taking them out and about (mostly one at a time) in the car and any places that you deem safe. Car trips and then being carried past lots of different places and things happening exposes them to a lot of stimuli without worrying about vaccination status. Oh, and even though they are not littermates, being raised from babyhood in sight of each other, makes them siblings from the POV of training etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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