In a few weeks time I am getting a couple of puppies, they will be 8 weeks and I want to make sure I am as prepared as possible.

Any tips? do and donts?

Thanks

Emma

Sorry, but the only "don't" that leaps to mind on reading your post is "Don't get two puppies"!

Seriously - even a very experienced owner would hesitate to get two puppies at once. One is a handful, especially for a novice; two could be hellish. They will bond with each other rather than you unless you make sure that they spend at LEAST as much time individually with you as they do with each other. Keeping the required eye on two puppies during the housetraining phase will be a challenge; some people struggle with one.

Most people in the know would put off getting another puppy until their first dog was at LEAST 18 months old and had basic training well established.

I'm assuming your puppies are litter mates and I'm surprised that any decent breeder would let two such puppies go to the same home, much less an inexperienced home.

Do get The Perfect Puppy by Gwen Bailey.

Don't get two puppies. Its just a disaster waiting to happen.

What breed are you getting?

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All of the above. Two puppies are much more than twice the work of one

I agree, don't get two!
and read this: Before You Get Your Puppy | Dog Star Daily

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Apart from not getting two puppies,

DON'T

punish your puppy if it toilets inside the house, it's your job to watch the puppy and look out for signals that it needs to toilet and it's your job to get it outside in the garden or on a puppy pad/newspaper (if you live in a flat) before it toilets in the house

use harsh training methods, such as alpha rolling, hitting, shock collars etc

go to the puppy at night when it cries unless it is asking to go to the toilet

talk or interact with the puppy at night when you take it to the toilet


DO

praise your puppy well when it does toilet in the right place

start training early, such as getting the puppy used to a collar and lead, simple heelwork, sit, down, recall, stay etc.

use positive training methods, such as praise, clickers, treating, toys

let it sleep in its own bed or crate, you are creating a rod for your own back if you let it sleep in your bed


Finally, make sure you have chosen a good breeder. The fact that this breeder has let two puppies go to a first time dog owner says to me this is not a good breeder. Look for a breeder that KC registers their puppies and has health tested parents. You should be able to see the mother, don't worry if you don't see the father because good breeders will usually breed their bitch to an outside stud. Breeders that have both parents are usually avoided but good breeders may have a good stud and a good bitch, so don't rule them out completely on this fact.

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all the above!!!

2 puppies is a no no - someone i know has 2 and they were a nightmare"!! they have settle down a lot now but still... its not a good idea!

what breed you getting?

Who on earth would sell 2 puppies together? I agree,not a good idea at all

My friend got 2 pups from a back yard breeder, she says it's one of her biggest regrets.

She went with the intention of picking one, couldn't decided between a little boy or a little girl that had caught her eye so the woman suggested she took both!! Madness.

Can I just say to the OP - we really aren't trying to pour cold water on things, honestly. I imagine you're all excited about your new arrivals and I'd hate to think we're spoiling it. A huge well done for coming on here and asking for advice! So many people jump into getting a puppy without researching things first and you're doing the right thing and showing the right attitude by doing your homework

But honestly, two pups at once really isn't the best thing, for even an experienced owner. I'd strongly suggest you have a re-think and if you're still set on having two dogs, maybe leave a couple of years between them. I really think you'd be glad you did. Puppies are SUCH hard work (or they can be) that I think if you get just one, you'd be able to enjoy the "baby" stage far more, get your basic training established and then if/when you feel you want another you'll have all that experience to draw on and you'd probably find there will be things you'd do better/differently than with the first


ETA - I'd call myself reasonably experienced but when I got my last puppy after a sizeable gap since I had my last dog, I was staggered at how much hard work they are. More than I remembered!! Admittedly I had the chewer from hell and she took a loooong time to housetrain, but still I think that if I'd had two at once, even fairly "easy" pups, I'd have ended up in the loony bin LOL!!