how to train 2 dogs...

[SheltieChe]

so they say, do not get 2 puppies at once as they will be more attached to each other and not to you... fine did not do it, got one, we spent tons of time with our pup socializing the daylights out of him, training classes... so now he is getting to be a year old and we/ actually me, my DH is still not on board with that idea but we are working on it/ are thinking of new addition... but... how to give both dogs 24/7 attention???? how to train?
Do I walk one then another? Do I put one into crate and train the other then switch? Do I let both of them play with each other all the time or crate both of them so puppy will see me as most important person in his world?
I am reading this book" Building blocks for performance" where it states that I need to make myself a center of the universe for the puppy... well as of now it is Che who is "King of the Hill"... can I handle two?
for those of you who have more than one dog and train them, how do you do that? how can I give one dog all my best without hurting the other?

 

[Justicemom]

I don't think you can give 2 or more dogs the same type of attention you can give 1 24/7.

I let my dogs play together but I train them seperately. I make sure I do one on one training time with each dog daily. Usually the others are crated nearby but they need to learn to wait their turn. When housebreaking the pup I take them out seperately. Walk the pup seperately to work on leash manners. I crate them seperately. I do everything seperately at first. When the manners are in place I start adding them to group outings. But the training is less intense with the more dogs I've added. I still keep getting stalled out on Justice's tracking training because I'm focusing on Ember and Diva's obedience and agility. If he was my only competition dog I'd have him trained by now and be further along on his OTCH.

But the companionship my three give me means more to me right now than the top winning performance dog. I admit I have my favorite. Justice does more stuff alone(such as walks ,hanging out, going for rides, errands etc) with me then either of the girls. I know I'm the center of his world. Ember is definitely my dog but I'm not the center of her universe. She is. She humors me. But Diva will work for anyone. She has a sign around her neck that says "will work for food". It is all what you want and if you want 2 dogs you'll make it work.

 

[Caro]

The puppy will bond closely with your other dog, its only natural. As long as you are happy with Che's behaviours, and he is ok with the pup, dont worry about letting them spend time together. But some one-on-one time will help the puppy bond with you as well. One of the great things with shelties is they bond closely with their owners so you are already half way there.

I would spend maybe 20min a day with each of them doing a special activity. With mine I took them on individual walks every morning, doing the activity they liked best (Deska met with his mates and Tully played ball). The one that stayed at home got to have breakfast (treat bottle so it took them time to eat). I personally dont like the idea of crating the other one (you dont want them to feel punished), but giving them a kong or something to keep them occupied also teaches them to spend quiet time on their own as well.

 

[Lovely]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnPVBe9X_ew

That's me training Duncan (with Pierre) at 10 weeks old. I sound incredible squeaky, but hey - he was an adorable puppy. Duncan definitely bonded to Pierre as a pup, but as he got older, he drifted more and more to me. They are great playmates, but it is clear Duncan loves me above all else (save for maybe food).

I trained with both dogs at first to help instill in Pierre the sense that a new puppy meant good things (like a handfed lunch). I gradually pulled them apart for training. Sometimes I train in the same room (usually Pierre is crated, but not always). I've been able to teach all the dogs to respect my space when I'm training one of them. I just kind of... growl at them and they know they aren't wanted right then. I don't ever do this if I'm not going to spend time with all of them. If I only have time to train one (I'll admit - usually Duncan because of the Flyball and agility), I try to take it outside or upstairs away from the others. It's when the other pups somehow get passed the gate three times in a row that I just deal with them witnessing the target training.

There was definitely a time when I lamented that Duncan liked Pierre more than me. It was tough because I thought it might always be that way. But lots of time together training, playing, and otherwise have really helped. Plus, us humans feed him. And what is better to a Sheltie than food?

 

[corbinam]

I train my dogs separately until they are pretty good at something. We do all agility separately or at least taking turns. Lexi really doesn't like to wait her turn, so we're working on that. But I don't want to squelch her drive or enthusiasm for the sport - we are still trying to find middle ground on that. Crating one dog while the other works has actually increased Bentley's speed.

We do a little training together - like sits Downs stays and recall.

 

[Justicemom]

I train my dogs separately until they are pretty good at something. We do all agility separately or at least taking turns. Lexi really doesn't like to wait her turn, so we're working on that. But I don't want to squelch her drive or enthusiasm for the sport - we are still trying to find middle ground on that. Crating one dog while the other works has actually increased Bentley's speed.

We do a little training together - like sits Downs stays and recall.

Diva hates to wait her turn too. The drama but we are working on it. If I didn't crate them I would get nothing done. Justice would be in the way doing everything ,Diva working just as hard to be the center of attention and Ember fed up with the both of them and leaving the scene.

But put Ember in the crate and work one of the others and suddenly who wants to work.:lol Justice is a ball of fire when one of the other is worked before him. Speed, drive, enthusiasm everything turned up a couple notches. They have to learn to wait in the crates at shows when one is doing something else so it starts at home.

 

[romeosangiovese]

My dogs don't know how to wait their turn. Sigh. So if I train separately I tether one for only a few minutes then switch. Boy is it tiring!

I walk them separately also which will hopefully translate to a nice bum on me. I do train them together for certain things (mainly manners) like opening the door, etc. I also realised that it can help build drive with competition around. Heehee. Don't tell Romeo this but I let Juliet hang around him when we train sometimes coz she'll always try to beat him and he thus always needs to try harder. There's something to be said about wanting whatever someone else has!!

Side question: I tried crating Juliet while training Romeo and left a stuffed kong/pigs ear/other smelly treat with her but she just would. not. eat. it. She'd just bark at us! I don't mind if she does this outdoors but when I train them at night at home it's a huge problem. Any ideas?