2 puppies or 1?

It's a really, really really bad idea to get two puppies, especially from the same litter.

It's more than twice the work to make sure two puppies don't have something harmful in their mouth, aren't peeing and pooing where they aren't supposed to, are learning how to sit and lie down and stuff, etc.

And they wind up bonding more with one another than with you, which makes for no end of the troubles!!!

I can't imagine a reputable breeder even being okay with this, but don't know. Breeders? Would you let someone take two from the same litter?

I do not recommend purchasing litter mates.  I think it is better to bring in one dog at a time.  Your efforts at training and developing a bond are not split and if you do a good job with the first dog, bringing the second one is is even easier.  There are very few folk that I believe do well with two young puppies at a time. 

Great points.  I have never, when I was breeding or now that I foster, let littermates go to the same home. I did let two foster "siblings" go together, but they were 6 or 7 months apart in age, in no way related, male and female AND they were going to an outstanding idog home.  Lori is one of the very few folks I'd even consider that with.
 
Now I HAVE kept two pups from the same litter....Theo and Tyler are full brothers...but, then, I'm insane...............[]

Wow.

Good thing I asked! So how far apart should they be? I would imagine that after raising a puppy, I'd be exhausted for a year afterward. So would it be best to get a puppy when the first is 2 years old?

Thanks!

I purchased Ruby from a breeder in February and then in May Samwise came to live with us.  They are about three months apart.  I have to say, Ruby's "mouthing" was intense and frustrating and painful.  Samwise's is non-existent.  They play well together, he mouths her instead of us and she lets him know what she will and won't put up with.  In this sense, it worked out well for us.  However, it truly is twice the work (someone on this board a while back said that two puppies are easier than one.  Nope, not true.)  It's hard to keep up with training, there's twice as much poo to pick up in the yard, twice as expensive to feed them, take them to the vet, etc.   BUT, at the end of the day, it's worth it.  They're great pals with each other, great with our family, and sweet dogs.  I don't think I'd change a thing. Christi

It can be done. I know people have done it. LOTS more work, but fun too.

I assume you have small dogs.  It can be easier with small dogs with respect to the ability to physically handle some issues.  I still do not feel you get the best opportunity with the dogs if they are puppies at the same time. I have also seen some litter mates so terribly bonded that you could not even work them in obedience classes at either end of a building.  They were nervous wrecks literally screaming when out of sight of each other.  I cant see the positive in that situation.

As I've mentioned in another thread like this, I've only met one person who did this and she had littermate American Cockers. As mrv mentioned, these two would get upset about being separated for obedience training, and when they got to be a year old or so, the male started resource guarding his owner really badly, aggressing toward the female dog so badly that the owner ended up rehoming him.

I normally go two years between pups.  Longer if possible.  This is partly because it takes about that long to get a working dog up and running at a minimal level and you want your full attention to be on the trainee if you can.  Better trainers can do multiple dogs at the same time but I don't think I'm there yet.

We'll have three pups in our home in one year, however.  But it's a little bit of a special arrangement.  Rocky will be trained by his trainer when the time comes, then I'll have a dog of my own that I will probably send to an excellent out of state trainer for the basics, and then late this year or early next Patrick will be getting his own pup, which will be trained by him with the help of the breeder.

We've spaced it, though, so that Rocky will be pretty much a big boy by the time my baby pup gets here (October), and likewise Ted/Kep (not sure of name yet, lol) will be settled in nicely by the time Patrick's baby has arrived.  In other words, about four months apart.  It's going to be a LOT of work, though, and remember I'm home all day most days.

I also wanted 2 dogs when we looked at the HS, but ended up bringing home only Peanut at the time.  Boy was I glad!  Potty training, then obedience training was enough work with ONE dog.  16 months later, Draico fell into our home. 
The work was there again, but it seemed much easier.  Peanut already knew the commands, so Draico followed her lead. 

Ahhhh. That makes sense too... so the new pup can learn from the first one.

I just worry about any jealousy that could arise. But I read up on that issue and it seems that with the proper behaviour (on the human's part), it can be overcome pretty quickly.

All of the littermate pairs I've ever seen were definitely overbonded. I'm sure there are exceptions, but as a general rule, they bond more to each other than humans and become co-dependent. I've seen some cases so bad that you literally couldn't have one dog across the room from the other without them having major anxiety (barking, howling Bassett Hounds).
 
I've had my new puppy for a little over a week and ONE puppy is enough work! lol []

We thought about getting two Eskie puppies at once, but we sure are glad that we didn't.  One puppy keeps you busy enough!!  Dakota has had obedience classes and several agility classes, so hopefully little sis will follow his lead.  Plus, I guess it's like parenting in that you learn from the "first-born" what you should have done and will do with the next one. 
 
There is another reason that we didn't want to get two littermates.  I know this may sound morbid and it probably wouldn't happen if you did get two littermates, but we were afraid that two littermates might go to the Rainbow Bridge at about the same time because of the same genes and/or loss of a sibling that's been around since conception.  I know no one could actually know if two littermates would pass away around the same time, but it wasn't worth the risk to us.  It's hard enough losing one pet.   

I wouldn't recommend getting two at once either, however I would like to mention that this is a particularly bad idea IMO with northern breeds like my huskies.  I don't know what I was thinking when I did it.  My girls fed off each others fears and bad habits.  They never got that independant nature that my big dog got.  One became super submissive, while the other became overly dominant.  We found Keira a new home where she would be an only dog.  She is totally spoiled and that is fine for her.  It almost killed me to give her away, and I hated myself for doing that to her, but in my heart I knew it was the best thing for her.  Onyx (the dominant of the two) is coming around.  She now plays nicely with any other dogs she meets and will approach children and any adults that dont look directly at her.  She still has her brother but is fine when she gets her walks without him.  Its taken alot of work to undo the damage that I did when I brought home two husky puppies from the same litter.  I'm glad I'm finally seeing results.