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Succinct and true. Puppies are a lot of work. Don't make it harder on yourself by doubling (at least) the amount at once. Think of it as the canine version of welcoming twins into your family. I don't know if it would reduce the dog/human bond, but it sure would make for more cleanup, training, and hassles. Plus each puppy has its own personality and they're so fun! Getting two at once would reduce your appreciation of each pup's uniqueness.
they are an 8 to 12 year dog, some go to 14 but not much older.
My parents' first Cavalier lived to be almost 17. But he was unusual in that regard.
The breed has a high incidence of mitral valve incompetence and syringomyelia; if you can avoid those two issues, you can have a long-lived Cavalier. That's why it's so important to get a pup from a good breeder who actively screens his/her lines for these issues. Even then, there are no 100% guarantees you'll avoid the problems. (it's the heart disease which is usually responsible for the short lifespan of most Cavaliers.)
The heart problem can also be passed onto Cav. mix puppies. It happened to a relative - puppy was vetted and cleared to go by the breeder's vet - a week or 2 later the problem was picked up by the new owner's vet at a routine puppy visit - puppy saw a cardiologist several times and was on meds for a while - meds didn't help and puppy had the surgery and is doing very well - but it was totally unexpected. W/o the surgery, the puppy w/h prob. lived just a couple of years (even w/ meds). Funny thing is, the puppy was always very active, not listless at all. Breeder w/h taken the puppy back but new owner was bonded/attached so the breeder did the right thing and refunded the purchase price and that went to the cardiologist visits and surgery (which was $$$ and didn't begin to cover the vetting, surgery etc), puppy is healthy and is doing great.
The heart problem can also be passed onto Cav. mix puppies.
This is something I've discovered a lot of people don't understand. Many people automatically assume that a mixed breed dog is going to be healthier than a purebred. But most "mixed breeds" aren't really very mixed (they're just F1 crossbreds, not true Heinz 57 combos of multiple breeds), and many, MANY genetic disorders (such as hip dysplasia and PRA) are common in a wide number of pure breeds. So genetic disorders can be a significant problem with mixed breed dogs, just as they are with purebreds.
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