[AnnieAnnieAnnie]

Hello all, I have been reading messages on here ever since we decided to home a basset hound and it seems like you are all super dooper in the know.
We recently lost our springer spaniel at only 7 month old due to liver problems and after a lot of research and deliberation we decided a basset hound was for us !

We have found a lovely breeder through the UK kennel club who has been wonderful in giving advice and we are due to pick up our little fella in another 4 weeks time. We've been busy basset proofing our home and generally filling our brains with all things bassety - it's rather addictive and we haven't even got him home yet !

The question is we were wondering are having 2 boys as opposed to 1 a good idea ? We always saw ourselves as a 2 doggie family in the future and wonder if it would be more settling for them as puppies having the 2 together ?
Obviously we have weighed up the cons - more vet bills, food costs, more of a smelly house!, mess ect. And I will be at home with the pup full time so separation anxiety shouldn't be too bad (except at night!). Am I just getting too excitable and thinking totally bonkers thoughts of having 2 ? Or should we wait a few months and them get another once one has settled in ?

My minds a fuzzy basset overloaded mess so opinions ,especially from those who have had two pups or young ones at the same time would be most welcome !!!
thank you all !

Annie

 

[Gracie's Mama]

We had considered getting two. We decided to just get one. I had read that if you get two then there's a chance that they will bond to each other and not to your family. So we decided that we would just get one and then later when she's trained and fully in love with us then we will think about getting another.

 

[Kirska]

Usually a male/female combo is better than male/male or female/female, if that is an option for you. If you are worried about them breeding you can have the female spayed to save the trouble of her going into heat or having an accidental litter.

 

[Esther]

3?

i'm an only pup but getting a brother sometime in the next year.
the huminz had two and it was great b/c they staggered it age-wise
the first got used to things and then when the second came, the first showed him the ropes.

2 buppies at once sounds like a handful

 

[CatherineM]

I've always found one puppy to be more than enough to keep me busy.

 

[Mikey T]

Am I just getting too excitable and thinking totally bonkers thoughts of having 2 ? Or should we wait a few months and them get another once one has settled in ?

I am not a big fan of trying to raise two puppies at the same time and even less of a fan if they are from the same litter. They tend to bond more with the other dog than the humans . I also like to have a mixture of ages . If you want two dogs say for attempting to avoid seperation anxiety and the like I would go with 1 housetrained adult rescue that is settles in before the puppy.

Usually a male/female combo is better than male/male or female/female, if that is an option for you

IMHO this is blown way out of porportion especial if the dogs are spayed/nuetered. most same sex spats are hormonal in nature and involve intact dogs. That said male/males spats between nuetered basset is as rare as male /female spats maybe slightly less. In nuetered pairing from my admittedly biased observation female /female pairs are the most likely to spar. but as most conformation breeder will confirm they don't call them Bitches for nothing.

 

[charvie]

...but as most conformation breeder will confirm they don't call them Bitches for nothing.

rofl Mikey T! From what I can remember, you always have such a way with words!

 

[MollyMcFrecklesMom]

I almost did the 2 puppies at once thing, but waited. Molly was an only puppy until she was around 8 months, then we got Winston (he was 8 weeks). While I still have 2 puppies at once, the fact that Molly is older and calmer (and better in the way of potty habits) has helped tremendously. She is less work and keeps Winston occupied - helping him get his puppy energy out. I think 2 bassets are better than 1, but not 2 little puppies at the same time. That's a LOT of work. My advice is to wait a little while, get the hang of 1, then add the second. But definitely get a second one at some point!

Can't wait to see pics of your new little one

 

[Soundtrack]

Speaking as someone who HAS raised more than one puppy at a time (actually, I've just raised FOUR littermates), I really recommend just one. I can do it, because I'm set up for multiple dogs and I can let a lot of stuff slide (and the adults do some of the training for me), but it really is better to be able to devote your full attention to a single puppy - even I would prefer to raise just one at a time.

 

[mhvonalmen8908]

I also would go with one at a time. We got Doppler at 4 months old and didn't add Virga until he was a year old. He's still very much a puppy himself so he can keep up with Virga when it comes to playing. But having two puppies the same age at the same time would be such a pain to me. Doppler was housebroken by the time we got Virga so we just had her messes to clean up.

 

[duder]

We got randolph when mortimer was about 8 months old. At the time, Morty was quite a little hellion, but for some reason Randolph really mellowed him out. It's probably easier not having two puppies at the same time, but I swear Mortimer usually has this look on his face like he is still hoping that Randolph is just visiting and we will take him away soon. Even though we've almost had him a year now.

 

[Esther]

just wait till billy ray shows up

 

[MollyMcFrecklesMom]

I swear Mortimer usually has this look on his face like he is still hoping that Randolph is just visiting and we will take him away soon. Even though we've almost had him a year now.

LOL Molly has that same look with regard to Winston. As if she's saying, "it's been fun, but now he's stealing my chew bones. He's gotta go"