Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I want to eventually have two beagles (male and female) to breed and have as pets. I was wondering how soon I should get one puppy after the other, in order to have the dogs bond with the humans and not solely with each other. I already have a female puppy, I chose to get a female first so that she will be a little bit older than the male, so she has more time to mature before she will become pregnant - which will occur sometime way down the road of course. I will wait until we have had a couple of months to really train and bond with the little girl, before even considering getting the boy - but I was wondering if anyone has any advice on this subject? Any help or experience would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Marie

>>I want to eventually have two beagles (male and female) to breed and have as pets. I was wondering how soon I should get one puppy after the other, in order to have the dogs bond with the humans and not solely with each other. I already have a female puppy, I chose to get a female first so that she will be a little bit older than the male, so she has more time to mature before she will become pregnant - which will occur sometime way down the road of course. I will wait until we have had a couple of months to really train and bond with the little girl, before even considering getting the boy - but I was wondering if anyone has any advice on this subject? Any help or experience would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
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>>Marie

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The best mate for your female genetically may not be the male you own. As far as the age to get a second dog, one way to look at it may be to earn at least one meaningful breeding title with your female first. For Beagles that could be a conformation championship or a hunting title. At that point you'll have gotten to know other Beagle fanciers and they you, and you'll have more options for breeding appropriately.
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Kathy Diamond Davis, author, "Therapy Dogs: Training Your Dog to Reach Others," 2nd edition, and the free Canine Behavior Series at www.veterinaryforum.com