Raising puppies together

Has anyone done this? I did some research and there is all sorts of doom and gloom forecasted. Many articles say that the puppies will bond together instead of to the owner.

This sounds like it may be malarkey to me, one of those deals where someone says something on the internet and from then on in it becomes incorporated at fact when it may not be.

My sister is one year younger than I am and while we played together a lot, I do not recall that it interfered with the feelings I had for my parents. I knew a lady at a church I attended for a while with 3 sets of twins and 4 singles, and while I heard tell that the management of the home was a challenge, it always seemed like all the kids loved their parents.

I am sure that in many ways, raising puppies together IS a challenge, would appreciate any feedback from those who have done this.

My neighbours did this and it didn't seem to affect their loyalty to their owners at all. And it's a BLAST to see sibling puppies playing together.

I think that, to some extent, it will depend on whether the person uses the 2nd pup as a crutch...an excuse not to devote the same amount of time and attention. It is, after all, easier to let them play together to burn off that energy. However, if the person still plays with them regularly, and takes an active role in training them (both together & separately), there can still be a tremendous bond.
That said, I have had both good and bad experiences with raising more than one pup at a time. Years ago, I had two littermates - acquired a few weeks apart. The first one was a wonderful girl...very attentive, smart, playful, eager to please. We were so thrilled with her, that we went back and picked up one of her brothers. The change was immediate. Her attention went to him. She would no longer focus on, and follow me. That probably could have been addressed, but the male was horrible. Destructive, disinterested, stubbornly refusing to fit in (ever had a dog that would refuse to go to the bathroom outside, but would soil his bed and lay in it?) As it turned out, I was horribly allergic to both of those dogs - between the unrelenting bronchospasm & the hives any time I touched them, I gave in and had them brought back to the breeder (when I ended up in the hospital). I have since raised 2 pups together, and, while it is a lot of work, I found it worth every bit of the effort.

Harald makes an important point. As long as proper time is devoted and attention given there shouldn't be any issues.
Generally speaking dogs don't exactly view themselves as being different, they view their family as a pack of which they are a part of. If you assume the role of the alpha then it would go against the pack mentality to bond to each other to the exclusion of you. They will have a strong bond but they will both be bonded to you as their alpha as well.

In multi person homes different dogs often show preference, even if subtle, for different family members, but in my experience they all still view one of the people as the alpha.
As with all other aspects of being a dog owner, the ultimate outcome depends on the actions of the owner.

Then you get the rare occasion to end up with a dog like Harald mentioned. Unless you're Cesar Milan, all bets are off then lol.

I think it is important when having critters to never reach a point where you feel like you have all the answers, and I don't. And while I don't have all the answers and never will, I do feel comfortable asking questions and questioning answers until I understand. I've done hours of reading and research after adopting these puppies and I think the critical point is the one Harald mentioned, that one has to spend separate time and effort with each dog. I also have read that after a week or so of acclimation here in my home, the pups should have separate crates and sleep in different rooms.

Let me mention that I LOVE hearing dog advice here. When I visit dog boards, each board seems to have a 'company line' that most members of that board adhere to and all advice is along that line or else. Here, there is no predetermination, only good advice from good people, so I appreciate all of those who contribute.

I'd have to agree with pretty much everything above. I raised my 2 poms together from pups, from different breeders, but same age, and they had no issues bonding with me rather than each other.
But I could see where that may be the case if you simply get the second dog to keep the first one company just because you don't have the time to spend with them and give them all of the attention they need.
Mine both get equal and large amounts of attention and play time with me. I also found that recently when I had to leave them with a sitter for a week while I went to another state for work, they were on me constantly for a couple weeks once I got back and they also seemed to have cut way back on their eating habits while I was gone and didn't go back to eating regularly until I had been back for a week.
The only thing I've noticed is that my own antisocial tendencies have made them antisocial when it comes to any other dogs or people. They are the type to act like they're going to attack anyone or anything that comes near them or me when I take them outside.
So yes, I think as long as the owner still forges the proper bond with both dogs, there is no chance that the dogs would find the need to bond with each other rather than the owner.

I think the biggest thing is making sure both of them get more than enough training and attention- by themselves. You can't just train them both at the same time and expect to have the same results as if you'd be training one puppy, and the two will distract eachother. It is more work but it certainly is do-able and many people have had success. You certainly wouldn't have a death sentence if you raised to siblings of the same sex, either- but it is going to be more work. If you do try training them both at the same and doing everything with them together, and if they spend a lot of time together, they might bond more with eachother than you- but only because you aren't there. Just remember, they are two different dogs and even though they're both puppies they can have different personalities and different preferences.
Don't forget to also get two pups on different ends of the spectrum-- don't get the two most wild and rough playing puppies, and don't get the two most submissive. Pups in the middle are best for the average owner and two pups in the middle would be much better, or one slightly more submissive than the other.
One more thing- breed does matter. Independent or dog-pack orientated breeds like the Malamute, Husky, etc... they will be more likely to be bonding to eachother or just even give the appearance of being aloof towards you. I several people who raised two Great Dane puppies problem-free, they're such loving people dogs and generally crave human attention. Of course, not all dogs fit in their breed standard and finding good breeders and knowing the parents behaviors would be ideal in getting what you want in the puppy.
I would look into low-stress/associative learning theories and avoid the dominance theory just in general for raising puppies. Dr. Yin and Patricia McConnell are two great behavioralists/trainers to read up on.

Originally Posted by tmth

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Don't forget to also get two pups on different ends of the spectrum

They are already here. They are completely different though.

I don't know about the theories you mention, but I will go look.