Doodles Newbie, are we nuts?

[Mom of 3babies]

Hi everyone, we are new to Doodle Kisses, my husband and I are getting ready an d preparing ourselves to pick up our little guy Teddy, it will be our sec on dog , he's a MultiGen labradoodle, he will be our very first Doodle, our dog now, is a 3 year old Beagle, Named Biscuit, who still thinks he's a puppy.  Our lives now is pretty crazy,we also have 3 kiddos ages 8,6.and 4 they absolutely love animals, and can't wait to pick up Teddy on 12/20, they. The crazy part you ask ?, our Breeder is desperately looking for a guardian family for another puppy ( female, different litter from Teddy's, she has asked us to consider it, and we are. I am a bit scared by the idea of having 2 small puppies, And I am really afraid of the amount of work that will need to be done for the pups.  

Now I should say The mom of the female is the best dog ever, we have met her a few times, she adores my children, just a big giant lap dog , very sweet and calm, breeder thinks daughter might very well have the same temperament. 

But is it crazy to get two puppy at the same time ?

Thank you 

Tammy

[F, Calla & Luca]

sounds like you will have your hands full with one puppy. But only you can decide.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

If you ask Ashley of Ashley, Sadie, and Coal, she would say yes- it is crazy. I don't mean to speak for her, but I am 99% certain she would say don't do it. Their family brought home littermates and she has written extensive blogs about their trials and tribulations. Although she has done a wonderful job, she says she would never do it again and would never recommend that anyone else do it. Be sure to do some searches on "littermate syndrome" before you make a decision. Obviously, you are the best judge of what you and your family can handle, but she is a wonderful resource for you, having been through that exact situation.

Here are links to her page and her blogs:

http://www.doodlekisses.com/profile/AshleyReid

http://www.doodlekisses.com/profiles/blog/list?user=0lid181a2yk35

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I considered getting two puppies at once. When we went to pick out Yogi originally, there was another female there I really wanted also. Of course I logged on here as soon as I got home and asked for opinions. I was warned not to, and I'm so glad I did not. I know you said yours would not be litter mates, but I suspect you would have the same troubles.

You would probably have trouble with them bonding to each other and not to you. I think it would also be difficult to get each one individually well trained. We did get a second doodle, but Maci came to us 10 months later. By then our first doodle was well trained, very bonded to us, and had developed his own distinct personality.

I also would point out that you have several small children and just adding the training and dealing with the antics of one puppy should be more than enough stress to add at once. I know it's tempting, they are so precious and sweet as puppies, but if you're asking for my opinion, I'd devote myself to raising the puppy you chose and concentrating your efforts to helping him grow up into the best he can be. Then add another later if the breeder needs help at another time.

Good luck, but if you do your research, I think you will see most people do not recommend it.

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I, too, considered (briefly and totally unrealistically, however) getting Ragley and her sister, my 2nd favorite, when I went up to the breeder's to make my "pick". Doodle puppies are just so totally and irresistibly adorable. Like Leslie said, though, I do think you will be glad in the end- when the true gravity of how much work just one puppy is hits- that you get to focus on just one.

It also is a little concerning to me that your breeder would encourage you to bring home two puppies at the same time. Surely she is aware of the consequences of that?

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

I agree with this Stephanie, it does make me question the breeder because she is encouraging her to do this.
Ask any trainer and they would tell you no. In fact our trainer kind of warned me some when we chose to get ours only 10 months in age apart. I did it it because I was very confident and knew Yogi well at that point. But there is no way to know how the two new ones will be temperament wise or how they will be together. I read that some dogs just don't get along.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

The short answer to your question is "YES".  I would encourage you to join the "Puppy Madness" group and spend some time reading the post from Mothers of Toddlers and new puppies.  The majority are ready to pull their hair out at some point.  There are many factors to your situation that we do not know and every single family is different.  There is a huge difference between a Beagle and a Doodle.  The main one being grooming.  Grooming one doodle is a full time job, grooming two is two full time jobs.  Even if you can afford to take them to the groomers (my bill when I took my two to the groomers was $150 and I live in a fairly cheap area) you still have the brushing that is required to keep them from matting.  My DH brushes our girls every morning which keeps it manageable and he probably spends about 10-15 mins with each dog.  If you don't do it every day you are going to spend even more time because chances are there are going to be mats.  Grooming aside, I can tell you that we got two puppies at one time ... and we don't have any children in the house and there were days I wondered what the heck I had done.  These are not small dogs (like your Beagle).  They can get very big. They are high energy dogs (for the most part) and they are going to knock down the little ones.  Additionally, for the first 5-6 months their teeth are going to be razor sharp and the little ones are not going to like it one bit.  So, please go to puppy madness and read some of the stories.

 

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I totally agree with this!  I really think you'll have your hands full for awhile acclimating one new puppy to your household. 

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

• Problems Associated With Adopting Two Puppies at the Same Time

• One Puppy at a Time Please
• Two Puppies at the Same Time
• Adopting Littermates… (Don’t)
• Twice the joy or double trouble?

So much good info out there about why Not to do this even in the most stable of households.  

Not only is it not recommended, throwing toddlers into this mess is explosive.   It is not fair to you and not fair to these dogs.   Take your time and enjoy  deal with ONE at a time 

Opps, sorry those links are HUGE and bold. Not intended to be shouting... I was just copying and pasting  :) 

[Mom of 3babies]

oh no worries, did not take as shouting at all, Thank you for the links very helpful!. 

[Mom of 3babies]

Thank you Everyone for all the great advice, I've been doing lots of reading and reaserch. We have decided not to take both puppies, Teddy will be it for us for now, I think we will enjoy him so much more. 

Thank you again, I look forward to being on here quite a bit.  

Tammy 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I also think you will be happy that you did this.  I miss the puppy phase so much.  AnnaBelle was just so adorable and fun as a puppy.  I'd love to do it all over again, but I already have two and that is my limit.  Doing one at a time will be awesome.

[Emily, Bentley, & Maserati]

I'm late in the discussion but I think you made the best choice only taking Teddy. Good luck on your new adventure with Teddy in the upcoming weeks!