Hi!

[Foxy65]

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Hi, my name is Jenny. I have joined as I would like to hear from people who have/had sibling puppies. We recently lost our Jack Russell after 17 lovely years. We planned to get another as the house was no longer a home without our friend. We fully intended to buy just 1 puppy but when we got there we couldn’t bear to leave 1 behind. Not realising until now that having 2 pups together and of the same sex was literally double trouble. I have read nothing but negative things and already it’s breaking my heart. Is there anyone out there who have experience of 2 siblings/puppies if the same sex together. The vet said about what could happen but also in her career she’d only seen 2 cases of it being a nightmare. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Tinytom]

I have 2 half brothers ...same sire different dam ...they are 4 months apart ...personally it's been hard work but well worth it ...I think it depends on the breed of dog too ...what are your pups ...

 

[Foxy65]

Thanks for your reply. They are Jack Russells. Very sweet and loving at the moment coming up 12 weeks. They adore each other at the moment. They play fight of course, but love cuddling up to each other for sleep. I researched getting a puppy, mainly because it was so long ago our last Jack was one (17 yrs) but I didn’t research 2 as that wasn’t the plan. I genuinely thought I was doing a good thing.

 

[Tinytom]

Ah jack Russell's...I had 2 boys and as they got older had a few serious fights ...they weren't litter brothers ....
Look forward to pics ...

 

[Hemlock]

You have more of a chance of two male siblings working out than two female, but the fact that they are terriers adds another layer of challenge. Whether it works or not is in the lap of the gods, but you can only do your best. It does mean working with them both separately for training, exercise separately at least some of the time, and when you do have to walk two together, always one on the lead and one off until they are fully trained to be reliable at recall and call-off, which if you are fortunate will be after their second birthday, Feed separately, have at least one more water bowl (not close together) and one more bed than you have dogs, and make sure that if there is anything they could fall out over, such as a favourite toy, it isn't left out for them to engage with. Jacks are more mellow than many terrier breeds but they are still terriers! Learn about dog body language (we can put you in the right direction for books and Youtubes etc.) so you know what they are 'saying' remembering that dogs can flicker through a whole conversation very fast indeed.

Ask us here if you would like more information. You've chosen a hard road, and it may or may not work out, but you do have the chance. Oh - keep away from holes in the ground! They are terriers and will get into THAT sort of trouble given half a chance. Best of luck.

 

[JudyN]

One of the problems can be that they bond with each other more closely than with you - so you need to prioritise time for playing with them, training them, snuggling with them and walking them separately (and then repeating it all with them together...).

 

[Foxy65]

You have more of a chance of two male siblings working out than two female, but the fact that they are terriers adds another layer of challenge. Whether it works or not is in the lap of the gods, but you can only do your best. It does mean working with them both separately for training, exercise separately at least some of the time, and when you do have to walk two together, always one on the lead and one off until they are fully trained to be reliable at recall and call-off, which if you are fortunate will be after their second birthday, Feed separately, have at least one more water bowl (not close together) and one more bed than you have dogs, and make sure that if there is anything they could fall out over, such as a favourite toy, it isn't left out for them to engage with. Jacks are more mellow than many terrier breeds but they are still terriers! Learn about dog body language (we can put you in the right direction for books and Youtubes etc.) so you know what they are 'saying' remembering that dogs can flicker through a whole conversation very fast indeed.

Ask us here if you would like more information. You've chosen a hard road, and it may or may not work out, but you do have the chance. Oh - keep away from holes in the ground! They are terriers and will get into THAT sort of trouble given half a chance. Best of luck.

 

[Foxy65]

Thank you so much for your good advice, it’s really appreciated.

 

[JoanneF]

The good thing is, you have found out early enough and you are aware of the potential problems.

It isn't just twice the work I'm afraid - because dogs don't generalise well ('sit' in this place may not register as 'sit' in a different place) your training will be three times the work because everything needs to be learned separately, and together as a pair. So yes, it's hard work but it is do-able.

On a practical level, you will also need to be prepared for them aging at the same time and possibly larger vet bills simultaneously. But they are Jacks, who generally are pretty hardy.

That said, if you think it might be too much, there's no shame in admitting that and moving on one, while he is still an easy to re-home pup. Normally we would suggest going back to the breeder but a decent breeder should not have sold you two without making you very aware of the pitfalls.

 

[Foxy65]

Thank you for your help. We will see how we get on, if all else fails we can move one of them on. We have 2 different family members that would take one of them sensibly so at least all won’t be lost. I really did my best to make sure we were doing the right thing but let our hearts rule our head when faced with 2. Could kick myself. Being a Jack Russell owner for the past 17 years you would have thought we had known but we didn’t. Thanks again.

 

[Tinytom]

One thing I will ask Please Dont get them neutered too early ...I have learnt so much in the past year ..having my rescue lurchers and terriers castrated far too early sometimes resulting in irreversible behaviours.....they look delightful

 

[Foxy65]

Hi, yes I have read about that so thank you for reinforcing it. I’m really glad I registered for this forum.

 

[JoanneF]

Could kick myself.

Don't. Really, don't kick yourself. You have made yourself aware of the potential problems, you have asked for advice, and you have a contingency plan. That's a whole lot more than a lot of people do.

 

[Foxy65]

Thank you, that’s really kind. I’m going to do my best that both dogs are happy and loved.