Adding a puppy to the family can be quite an adjustment. Along with the fun of a puppy comes extra work. Two puppies will be twice the fun and twice the work. Proper training early on will make your life much easier and the puppies less of a chore and more pleasant to live with. Establishing and maintaining your dominance over littermates is imperative in achieving a happy multidog home. Always be the leader.
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Cages
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Cage or crate-train the puppies. Buy a cage for each of them that is big enough for the puppy to turn around and lay down in comfortably after he is fully grown. The littermates may be kept together in one large cage until they are 4 months old or so if necessary, but they must have their own cages after that.
Reward
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Reward them with dog biscuits when you put them in their cages. Make going into their cages a positive experience. Give them chew toys to keep them occupied and alleviate boredom while they are confined. Exercise caution with chew toys as they get older. Chew toys can cause fights.
Housebreaking
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Take the puppies directly outside from their cages to relieve themselves. Dogs will not soil their cages if they can avoid it. Do not leave the puppies in their cages any longer than necessary. After they have been confined for a few hours they will need to go potty. Capitalize on this natural opportunity to teach them to do their business outside.
Obedience
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Enroll the puppies in obedience class when they are 3 months old. Make obedience class a family outing. Ask the instructor if he will work with you with two puppies if you do not have anyone to help. Take both puppies to class even if you can only work with one of them during class. Bring a crate for the other puppy to stay in during class. Exposure to the sights and sounds will be beneficial. Alternate which puppy you work with during class, then practice what you learn with each puppy separately on your own time.
Training Time
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Spend equal individual training time with each puppy. Put one puppy in his cage and take the other puppy into a different room or outside when training to reduce distractions. You'll make better use of your training time if the other puppy is not competing for attention.
Walking
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Take the puppies for a walk each day. Walking them is an important part of establishing your dominance over them. Walk them separately at first even if this means a shorter walk for each. Walking them separately will make it easier for you to train them to walk properly on a leash. Make them heel (walk at your heel) and do not allow them to pull you around while they sniff at anything that catches their attention. Do not let them walk ahead of you and pull on the leash. After they have learned proper leash manners they may be walked together.
Playing
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Play with them separately and together. Individual play time will help them learn to focus on you. Playing together is an integral part of establishing appropriate pack dynamic. You are always the dominant pack leader. They will naturally establish their own places, although there may be some bickering. This is normal. Have them spayed or neutered as soon as your veterinarian recommends to help keep the bickering from becoming all-out brawls.
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