two pups at once

I think it's a bad idea. I think that each pup should have it's own time to bond with you and mature before introducing another pup. However, i think that people have been successful doing so...i'm sure others will respond.

I am so sorry for your loss.....As to the pups I think it's a wonderfull idea.. and only wish I was allowed to bring home 2 at once.. if it's what you want go for it!!!! I think they will help entertain each other and if one of them gets the potty training faster the other one will learn from money see monkey do....  I think it will be easier on you... and I am sure you wont have a hard time spending a little one on one with them sometimes as far as the bonding goes!!! Goodluck and make sure to post pics if you get new babies[]

 The concern with some small dogs is they are hard to potty train, and of course, they need time to bond. I would worry about them not bonding to  you but to each other. As for the 'monkey say, monkey do' as small dogs are generally more difficult to potty train - beware! I would wait a year to get another. 

Well as the owner of a very small american cocker.. 18 pounds full grown... She had accidents in my house for the 1st weekend and not a singal slip up since then... she is now almost 10 months old... so I think it's every dog is diffrent!! She went to my moms house on that sunday of our 1st weekend and saw my moms dog also a small breed potty outside and it's been smooth sailing ever since... we had her less than 2 weeks and she was crying at the back door to go out!

I think if you are worried about being able to play with the dog enough that he needs a playmate you need to rethink getting a dog. The biggest mistake I made with my second dog is letting her play with my older dog as much as she wanted she really doesn't have much interest in people unless they are going to scratch her she doesn't want to play with people or interact with people if she can interact with dogs. If you have another person in the house and each can be primary caretaker for one dog you would be okay if not get one bond with it potty train it love it and then in 6 months get a new dog but limit it's play time at first from the other  so it can bond to you ie play with the other dog, play with the newer dog  then let them play together for a short time. you really want to be more important than the other dog cause what happens if one of them gets sick then the second dog is very depressed cause it's only friend is missing

((( quote )))I think if you are worried about being able to play with the dog enough that he needs a playmate you need to rethink getting a dog. )))  excuse me kritter714 that is not the reason I would like to have two at once . and if you had read the first sentence that I had wrote about Lucky living to 14 1/2yrs if it was not for hip problems. (not being able to get up )and for a dalmatian  living to 14 1/2   he had quality play time for your info ..    
 
 

I pretty much agree with the others who suggested one at a time, just because of the amount of work and that the pups might bond stronger with each other instead of with you. To throw in a couple of suggestions, you could also try looking for a bonded pair of dogs in rescues (the kind that are being adopted out together) or fostering a couple of pups. Are you planning on getting two from the same litter? Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I thought responsible breeders rarely let two go to one home.  
 
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.   

I am a trainer who has worked with dogs that have lived together since birth.  In my opinion, unless you are 110% dedicated to separating them for walks, training, and attention EVERY DAY, its a bad idea.  They turn into spoiled brats and the owners come to me because their dogs are crazy.  They bond with each other too much.  It can be done, but they also need to learn to survive without each other.  My protocal for these dogs is one 30 minute walk alone for each, every day.  Several short training sessions alone each day, and several short attentions sessions alone each day.  It is much more work than one dog because you are not only teaching commands, but also the ability to be alone.

Oh, I love Dalmatians and I am sorry for your loss.  You are obviously a good care provider to your dog.
 
I have always brought in two pups at the same time.  In the past it has mostly been 2 different breeds.  My most recent crew has Blizzard and Drizzle, two female Great Dane littermates in it.  I had no problems with them bonding to me.  They were not separated that much but I did do individual training classes.  One of the Danes went further with agility classes.  The Great Dane breed has very laid back personality so breed type should be considered.  

I have no doubt that your dal had very good quality time but you want to get two dogs to be "playmates"  they should be your playmate first not each other esp a toybreed like a maltese cause that is their job to be companion.  I help at a dog training center and the biggest problem puppies we have are the ones where people take 2 littermates they don't double they triple problems I shudder every time I think of the woman with 2 golden puppies both of which she ended up placing by nine months old  so now these dogs who had never been independant lost there entire "family" including each other I feel sorry for the dog's.
    I have problems myself with how much attention and training I have to do with my 2 dogs now and I am on a list to get a puppy in a few months and worry constantly if I am short changing the dog or I am capable of  dividing my time enough to satisfy all of them.  Luckily one of my dogs (Rockey) is pretty low energy and I don't think she will much care as long as she gets her dinner but she may suprise me.

Very sorry for your loss...I dont see any problem with getting Two pups...I have done it with out any problems..Yes it takes some work but it was not hard..Good luck to you

I got two pups at once (well, a little over a month apart). I know there are alot of people against it, but I think it depends on how much time you have on your hands, really. Mine are eight months old now, and we've had no problems so far. It's still early, but I'm not expecting any big issues. I seperate them for training, sometimes for walks, and occasionally for an outing too, but they spend alot of time together and have not seemed to have any trouble bonding with me and DH.

There were some things that took some getting used to at first, like walking two dogs, keeping an eye on both indoors when we were housetraining, and of course double the costs. Just be sure you take the time to obedience train them, I think that will make all the difference. I use nilif in my house to help control the chaos. They really are lots of fun, and imo they do seem less bored and have less destructive energy than single dogs I've had in the past, though that could be just coincidence.
 
And sorry about your dal.

I belong to the group that thinks two at once is one too many. Even if they would be easy to house-train, the training and keeping them separate to make sure they bond to you rather than each other is in my eyes just overwhelming. And it's extremely important to make sure they don't bond to each other.
A bit of an old story but a friend of mine once had two littermates. Never had any separate training so they bonded to each other, they were inseparable. One of the dogs died (can't remember the reason) and the other dog completely shut off. He wouldn't go on walks, wouldn't eat, would only lay on the coach doing nothing. He ended up starving himself to death because his mate was gone. So if you want two puppies at once, please think long and hard if you really have the time that it takes to do everything separately.

Don't get two at once.  It's a bad bad bad bad bad bad bad idea.
 
I don't even know any reputable breeders who will sell two pups to a person at the same time, because of the work involved and the problems that it can create.
 
I worked at a grooming shop for awhile, and many dogs came in that were littermates and were raised together.  They were a major pain in the backside to groom, because if you took them 10 fricken feet away from each other for one to be bathed while the other was in a kennel or being clipped, they screamed, and whined, and barked the ENTIRE TIME!  They never shut up, because "OMFG!  You took my brudder from me!"
 
It's beyond obnoxious, it's hard to deal with, and I always dreaded those pairs coming in because I knew I was in for an hour and a half of screaming (at the least...that's if their humans picked them up on time).
 
The vast majority of people cannot and do not properly rotate the dogs so they bond to the owner rather than each other, and then you have two dogs that go "Eff you!  I've got Fifi for a friend!  You're not important!"