Two puppies at once?

I have had several requests lately from families that just got their first pit bull puppy and now that it is 14-20 weeks old...they love it so much they just HAVE to have another one and would like to rescue. Most of them get mad and think I'm calling them bad dog parents when I deny their application and I am not. They don't even listen to my reasons for denying them at the current time. Some people just got a puppy of a different breed and just want to have two puppies at the same time because they think it will make life easier to housebreak two at the same time and they can keep each other entertained. That's the lazy way to raise puppies - letting them raise each other and it will come back to bite you.

Adopting two puppies of ANY breed is a bad idea just as it is a bad idea to adopt siblings or same sex puppies. Honestly, I think the worst mistake someone could make is getting two same sex littermates.  The best idea is to have each puppy bond and be trained by the family as they enter the home separately. A responsible breeder will want you to have your dog raised, trained and neutered before adding another and they would explain things similarly to the links below.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=2043
http://www.essortment.com/all/puppiesbuying_ralf.htm
http://www.leerburg.com/pdf/raisingtwopuppies.pdf
http://members.petfinder.org/~AZ137/MISTAKES.HTM

It is in a puppy's best interest to enter a family that does not have another puppy and can dedicate time to his/her training and development, not expect two puppies to entertain each other and raise each other. That is the surest way to have behavior problems. The puppies would bond to each other instead of the family. They would be more difficult to train because they are not that bonded to people. They would be more "doggie" than a dog that entered the home separately. When the dogs begin to socially mature, they would likely have problems with competition because of their close age, those that are the same sex usually start having problems getting along as they try and assert their dominance with each other.

Adopting puppies that are one to two years apart will reduce competition and tensions that come when dogs are beginning to socially mature and test their dominance boundaries with each other. A pit bull is a very hands on breed and needs the time and attention and structure that a multiple puppy home will not provide.