can two beagle pups of the same age be an advantage or a nightmare

Question
Hi kirsten, Myself and my partner are due to recieve a beagle pup (male) of 8wks into our family fold, but during conversation with other beagle owners and breeders they have suggested that getting two pups would be benificial for each other. We have made enquiries and put a deposit on another pup (male) of a different litter. But Im wondering how hard this would be to train we intend to do seperate sessions with each pup and then swapping around the training so that each pup has bonding with us both and our kids. I just wonder if firstly the two male pups would be any different to females and also if there is any differnce in getting a playmate at the same time as apposed to later on. Can you help???
Best wishes
Russell

Answer
Russell, if you want the puppy to bond with you, then do not get more than one at the same time. Yes, beagles are pack dogs, but if you get two puppies, they are going to bond more to each other than to you and your family (dogs of any breed are like this), and can be more difficult to train as a result. There's absolutely nothing wrong with getting one puppy now, and another one later on (after the first puppy is trained) if you so choose. There's also nothing wrong with never getting another puppy and just keeping the one.

IF you choose to get two, then they should both be neutered or spayed pretty soon after you get them, to prevent hormone-related aggression towards each other as they mature. Generally, dogs of different sexes get along better than dogs of the same sex, but if neutered or spayed before maturity, this rule does not always apply.