We are going to be getting new puppies in a few weeks and are very excited. However, I was just curious what others knew with puppies or info you could share. We are getting two females from the same litter. They were born close in size, but as time goes on one of them is way smaller than the rest of the litter. They are only 3 weeks old right now and I realize the small one could still grow to be the same size as the others, but curious what others experience is with the same situation (or similar)? Thanks. One just measured 14oz and the other 6.5oz.
Its possible to catch up as an adult. But is the pup thriving? Is she able to feed as much as she should? Being supplemented? What was the birth weight?
I must be honest, and say that I would be worried about taking on a puppy which was so much smaller than her litter mates. She may catch up, but it is more likely that she will always be smaller. If you decide to go ahead, I would ask for a vet check before parting with any money. I would also be inclined to take out health insurance, at least on the smaller puppy.
I hate to be Debbie Downer here, and it may already be too late to change your plan, but it is pretty well established that: A. Getting litter mates (sisters and brothers) is a very bad idea. B. Getting same sex dogs is generally a bad idea and while I'm bringing you down, I'll throw in: C: Getting 2 pups at the same time = very bad idea. Most people don't have the time to devote to properly raising and training ONE puppy let alone 2 at the same time. I would consider this the worst idea of all. You ideal plan would be to get a female from one litter, and a male from another. There is no guarantee you will have problems, but you are setting yourself up for some real potential headaches. now I'm sure there will be a dozen people chime in about how they had to females, brothers, sisters, whatever with NO PROBLEMS whatsoever and they all get along like little angels. Well, maybe, but it's not the norm. Just FYI.
I will chime in 1. I don't see the problem with getting litter mates. I don't think there is some inherent issue if pups come from the same litter. @6JRT's I think kept 4 litter mates. 2. IME that has been true, but it certainly varies with the breed(s) and individual dogs. 3. I agree to a degree. A lot of people don't have time for 1, some have time for one but certainly not too. However, I wouldn't automatically assume that some doesn't have the ability without knowing more. I've never been able to consistently have females get along, whether they are from the same litter, half siblings or mom / daughter or completely unrelated.
As I stated, there are no absolutes and can always be exceptions, but why risk misery, unhappiness, poor training and bad behavior when you just don't have to? "Litter mate syndrome" is well documented and there are numerous heart-breaking stories all over the place from people who vowed "if they ever had it to do over again..." Why tempt fate? Why take a chance on same sex when they make 2? (Or in the case of humans, apparently 3 or 4 now) And I don't believe even a professional dog trainer would get two puppies at the same time. The only way you would be able to do it is to keep one crated while you worked with the other. What's the point? What's the advantage to getting both at the same time? Zero in my view, with a million reasons to avoid it.
I agree with not having two littermates, to many people think it’s a great idea in that they will have each other to play with ect:, not realising one has to take the time in treating/training them separately as individuals, people with a busy schedule makes separating littermates challenging and It’s just easier to take them together when they do things with them, hence the problems start. It's a huge commitment and doesn't work for everyone. As for keeping dogs of the same ‘sex’ I’ve always had 2/3 entire males live happily together.
I must admit that I have not had any trouble with siblings getting on, - in fact I often ran on two from a litter to six months - but I didn't have breeds that would be considered fiesty. Though Shih Tzu's also fall into this gentler breed category, it can be hard to train two puppies as individuals, as they tend to act as a mini-pack and pay more attention to each other. Housetraining will be twice the trouble too. In this particular case, I would be more concerned about the difference in their sizes. Litter mates do spend a lot of time ragging each other, and this could prove to be quite stressful for the smaller puppy.
I do it because it's my preference at times, though it's typically opposite sexes. Seriously? It's a personal choice. It's a calculated risk. I've done it multiple times. Yes I've heard about people with mates who have a bad time, I've also heard about people with ONE puppy and bad times. They would never have a dog again, some people put for sale or give away a puppy because they are miserable unhappy the dog is chewing, peeing everywhere, barks when crated, nips the kids, ect Some people being unable to handle something doesn't mean it is always going to go terribly, if it did using that logic means people shouldn't gets puppies period. I never told them to get the same sex. I've had bitches that "hated" each other. There are people with highly titled trained dogs with litter mates and trainers with mates. Anyway you didn't list reasons to avoid it. Having to keep one crated to individually train (which might not actually be necessary) isn't even a big deal.
