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^^ Very true. Plus even if the parents test clear, their siblings could have a genetic problem etc. Still, it's a good idea to get it done as it should lessen the odds of genetic problems. We were so surprised when the puppy had heart issues as he appeared so healthy, lively, friendly etc. Couldn't believe the first vet missed it but thankfully it was picked up soon after. The breeding was accidental and parents have since been s/n (as has the puppy).
ok - so question about housebreaking. We are crate training, where we cant supervise the dog is in the crate. I was curious about night time. I have been getting up once at night 1am to take the puppy out (it is now 9 weeks). I was wondering how long can a puppy that age hold it? I take her out at 8:30 pm, then go to sleep to till 1, then take her out, go back to sleep and wake up at 5:30 and take her out. She has not been whining or have any accidents while in the cage at night but I thought she could not handle "holding it" so I have been taking her out.
Can I stop the 1am time? just don't want to hurt the dog.
On another note, once out of the crate if I don't watch her like a hawk she go to the bathroom anywhwere. Even only 15 minutes after I have taken her outside to go potty. Don't understand!!
OK, so the reason we didn't get the 2nd pup was there was a medical issue. the other pup had kept her head titled which is indicative of an ear infection or something lodged in there. It didn't correct itself for awhile so we decided at the time that we didn't want to deal with an unknown. Now the breeder calls me and says they took it for its last visit with the vet and the vet gave her a clean bill of health and the head tilt is gone. They used an antibiotic and several saline ear flushes over the last couple of weeks and it seemed to cure it.
So my question is, do I get a 2nd? I have heard differing opinions from this board and people I have talked to. I have heard it is painful because you have to train both dogs separately. I have also heard that they learn from each other and they help each other get trained. I am considering getting the 2nd puppy but am willing to go through this pain as I don't want to go through this pain again a year from now. However, I do not want to do this if it is detrimental to both dogs upbringing (training, mood, housebreaking, etc). Comments?
OK, so the reason we didn't get the 2nd pup was there was a medical issue. the other pup had kept her head titled which is indicative of an ear infection or something lodged in there. It didn't correct itself for awhile so we decided at the time that we didn't want to deal with an unknown. Now the breeder calls me and says they took it for its last visit with the vet and the vet gave her a clean bill of health and the head tilt is gone. They used an antibiotic and several saline ear flushes over the last couple of weeks and it seemed to cure it.
So my question is, do I get a 2nd? I have heard differing opinions from this board and people I have talked to. I have heard it is painful because you have to train both dogs separately. I have also heard that they learn from each other and they help each other get trained. I am considering getting the 2nd puppy but am willing to go through this pain as I don't want to go through this pain again a year from now. However, I do not want to do this if it is detrimental to both dogs upbringing (training, mood, housebreaking, etc). Comments?
I suggest you don't get a second puppy, or at least, not that particular one. As others have mentioned, they are prone to a rare inherited disease known as Syringomelia, which is abnormally small occipital bones of the skull. The symptoms can mimic ear infections and they sometimes get a head tilt with head or ear scratching. It can be fatal.
I have also heard that they learn from each other and they help each other get trained.
They learn dog things from each other (mostly about how to play nicely with other dogs), not the behaviors we want to train in. In fact, it's HARDER to train in those behaviors when you have more than one pup! (Partly because you have less time to work with each dog, partly because they distract each other.)
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I am considering getting the 2nd puppy but am willing to go through this pain as I don't want to go through this pain again a year from now. However, I do not want to do this if it is detrimental to both dogs upbringing (training, mood, housebreaking, etc). Comments?
Wait until your current pup is at least one year old, then if you still want a second dog get one then. And given your comments about "going through this pain," I'd suggest looking for either a puppy older than six months or a grown dog when you're ready to add a second dog to your household. An older dog learns faster and is far easier to train than a very young puppy!
Dogs do learn from each other so that is why you want one dog to already be well trained as then the other dog will learn from it as you teach it. Having the older well trained ( and please notice I do say well trained dog as you do not want a puppy learning from a dog that is not well trained as they will learn bad behavior,It allows the puppy to watch and see what that dog is doing.
When I added Deaf dog Phoenix to my pack I realized just how much they learn from others. When I came home from work and played what I called the stuffy bone game which Jazz developed with them and she would watch and do what she saw them doing . When I noticed that I started adding hand signals and she picked up on them and soon she was able to do the command just by seeing the signal. So she would see the signal look to see what they did and do what they did and it did not take her long to follow the hand signals without them being around. Having two well trained dogs for her to learn from made training a deaf dog very easy.
An untrained puppy does not really have much to learn from and they might learn nothing but bad behavior from each other. Even house breaking you might get one that finally gets it only to be set back when the other pees in the house.
I suggest you don't get a second puppy, or at least, not that particular one. As others have mentioned, they are prone to a rare inherited disease known as Syringomelia, which is abnormally small occipital bones of the skull. The symptoms can mimic ear infections and they sometimes get a head tilt with head or ear scratching. It can be fatal.
I read a genetics blog last night that stated up to 50% of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels have SM. It is not rare for this breed due to (unfortunately) inbreeding even by the best breeders (lots online about this, limited breeding stock). Also, SM is often not detectable by MRI or symptoms until the dog is several years old, thus increasing the risk that they are passed along to the puppies. This link explains SM:
In your case, I would not recommend a second pup at the same time.
We however had no problem in the past with siblings (different breed). I think they were a rare pair. We brought home the female & a week later got her brother. Best dogs ever. Had them both for 15 plus years. Never had a problem with what a lot of you have talked about. They both bonded with hubby & myself. My baby girl even waited to pass away. I got home 2 hours later than usual one day. She crawled up on my chest & passed. So heartbreaking. Didn't see that one coming.
I've dealt with the Cavaliers, but am not familiar with the breed in it self.
So we wanting to get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy for our family. we read somewhere recently if there are 2 puppies that they do better together. Is that true? is that specific to this breed? We are open to the idea of 2 puppies but wanted to know if that is the case or not.
Our two oldest Cavaliers are 3 months apart, and they are the best of buds. We have four altogether, and if we found ourselves Cavalier-less tomorrow, I wouldn't hesitate to bring two Cavalier puppies in at the same time... and to my mind, being litter mates would be a bonus. We've not had a single problem with socialization of any of the four... be it with people, other dogs, or even cats.
With an aggressive or hard to train breed I might rethink... but Cavaliers are special.
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