Ask The Dog Guide: 2 Pups, Different Breeds?

January 21st, 2008 by Dan

Question: Dear Dog Guide,
My whippet Sasha recently passed away and I am seriously looking for a new Dog. I have fallen in love with both the Doberman pinscher AND the Saluki. I will most likely end up getting two pups from a breeder and was curious to know, Could I own a Saluki and a Doberman without problem? I could give both breeds what they need individually however could I raise them and keep them together? your advise would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.

Answer: I’m sorry to hear about the loss of Sasha. While a new pup will never replace her, they often do help fill that void we have when our friends pass away. Both of the breeds you mentioned are beautiful and wonderful dogs and we don’t see any issues that would come up with the difference in their breeds. However, we never encourage individuals to acquire two puppies at the same time for a variety of reasons.

Establishing a bond with your new puppy is the most important thing to do when he or she comes to your home, but if there is another puppy around, lets face it - you can’t compete! Your puppy is going to find it easier to make friends with the other puppy then the large two legged thing that speaks a completely different language!

Puppies have a “monkey see, monkey do” attitude that will make training much more difficult if you have a twosome to work with. You would have to work with each pup separately because the dogs would be too busy paying attention to each other and not to you or what you were trying to teach.

With such young puppies forming such a close bond there is a large chance if they are separated one or both could suffer from separation anxiety. Whining, barking, inappropriate urination and even depression are all manifestations of this issue.

Again, we love both of these breeds here at The Dog Guide! I strongly suggest bringing one breed into your household at a time. Take a year enjoying his or her individual puppy hood. That way the two of you can bond and work on obedience training (these breeds have very distinct personalities and will probably respond differently to training methods). Once your pup is about a year old, it is probably a good time to consider adding a second to the mix! Your first dog is still more than puppy enough to enjoy the company of a new, younger friend and you will have the ability to properly bond with your new baby.

Good luck!