How to train two puppies at once

Owning even one dog is usually quite a hassle for most pet owners, so experts don’t recommend getting two at once. But if you’ve already brought home two puppies, you can double the fun with the right training and socialization techniques.

Ready to learn how to train two dogs at the same time? Let’s find out how.

Training two puppies: what can go wrong?

Adriana Heres, owner of the Loving Paws Kennel Club in Charlotte, North Carolina, adopted two German Shepherd puppies at the same time. In general, she says, raising two puppies at the same time is more difficult. But understanding and imagining in advance what difficulties may arise over time, owners can train and socialize both dogs so that they become wonderful pets.

How to raise two puppies at the same time? Adriana says that along with the practical considerations of adopting two puppies (“How much will treatment and maintenance cost? Do I have enough space?”), there are some particular challenges in raising them:

• Two puppies are more likely to socialize with each other than with their new human family.
• Puppies that have been adopted together will experience anxiety or insecurity if they are separated.
• Dogs are individuals, so each puppy will learn and train at their own pace.

Training strategies

If you have adopted two puppies, these tips will help you deal with their behavior problems and train multiple dogs at the same time. Many of these recommendations assume that puppies will spend time on their own:

• Put the dogs in separate enclosures at night. Enclosure training will be beneficial for their safety, furniture damage control, housekeeping and when traveling. Your new puppies should be in separate enclosures, but close enough that you can hear them at night if they need your help.
• Train them separately. When training two puppies, they should attend classes at different times. Alternatively, if you are training them at home, work with one dog while the other is in another room. You can also put each puppy on a long, comfortable leash outside so they get used to seeing the other one get attention.
• Socialize them and play with them individually. This will help your puppies become independent so that the more timid one won’t have to fight for your attention while playing. Try taking them one at a time when you go out for a short business trip, or take one of them with you to a friend’s house (unless the friend doesn’t mind) to get to know each other.
• Walk them one by one. Give each dog your full attention during your daily walk. Even with separate leashes, if you always walk your puppies together, “a less confident puppy will rely on the presence of a braver puppy in real life,” writes Pat Miller, training editor for Whole Dog magazine. It will also give each puppy the opportunity to “sniff” in their own way and get to know other dogs.

By doing this, you are not trying to separate two potential best friends. Rather, you are simply giving each of them the opportunity to be themselves as they grow into well-behaved adult dogs. When you begin to understand the individual nature of each of them and what each of them likes to do, you can start to include more group activities and try to train them together. Just always try to make sure that everyone gets their share of love and attention, otherwise one dog may become dominant over another or become jealous. Training two puppies will require extra effort to ensure that each pup gets equal attention.

Tail of two dogs

Before adopting a new four-legged friend, think about whether you are ready to bear all this time and money for taking care of him. Think twice before getting two. But in any case, you will succeed if you treat your pets as individuals, properly train them and spend time with them in the company of other people and other dogs. If you follow these tips, you can build a lifelong bond with your dogs and lay the foundation that will help them enter happy, well-established lives as new members of your family. Who knows, maybe you’ll even become the next expert in training two puppies at the same time, and people will start asking you for help!