Littermate Syndrome: Why raising sibling puppies is misguide...

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http://blog.betternaturedogtraining.com/2013/07/18/littermate...
Jeff Stallings, CPDT-KA
Littermate Syndrome: Why raising sibling puppies is misguided
Posted on July 18, 2013
By Jeff Stallings, CPDT-KA
Littermate syndrome is a condition in which hyper-bonded sibling dogs have difficulty relating to humans and
other dogs. In my most recent case, an owner’s email could serve as a go-to primer for this syndrome: At 12 weeks
old, the two puppies were terrified of people and other dogs and frightened of everything outside of their home:
Airplanes flying overhead, leaves blowing in the wind, passing cars, and all novel stimuli. It was almost impossible
to get the attention of the two puppies even for an instant as they were so focused on each other. They then began
fighting frequently.
It is important to note that there are exceptions and that not all sibling pairs will have symptoms, but the risk
seems to be fairly high. Anecdotal evidence suggests that littermate syndrome manifests because, during a crucial
early development period—when puppies should be bonding with humans, learning the nuances of canine and
human communication, and discovering the world—the two puppies instead bond tightly with each other to the
exclusion of humans. The symptoms are different in each case, but can include:
Not bonding with humans nor socializing with other dogs
Not learning to read human signals
Not learning to trust people
Playing only with each other to the exclusion of other dogs
Not learning basic skills, such as potty training and bite inhibition
Severe distress when separated from each other even for a few minutes
Fighting with each other, sometimes brutally, as they reach adolescence (at about 8 – 10 months)
The puppies come to rely on each other, which can weaken the confidence of both of them—often to the extent
that they become withdrawn from everything other than themselves. One of the dogs may appear bold and the
other timid but in reality the bold one is also withdrawn and timid when his littermate is not present to provide
support. Unfortunately this is a false boldness as he has been emboldened by the other sibling’s weakness.
Siblings living together often bark at other dogs and may attack to chase other dogs away. This is fear-based; they
become so engrossed with each other that other dogs are seen as a threat to their mutual alliance. The siblings
become super attuned to anything that may be invading their territory. This unfortunate pair may come to fear all
other dogs and unknown people, plus any situation where they are separated from each other.
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Seven to eight week-old puppies are ready to leave their mother and littermates to develop normally as
individuals. I work with my clients to implement an intensive socialization program to expose puppies to a large
variety of people (gold standard: 100 people before 12 weeks of age), children, places, animals, noises, bicycles,
cars and so forth. Weeks 8 through 14 are the most crucial, and during this period I encourage my clients to take
their puppies to as many puppy socials as feasible. Learning that there are other dogs in the world is an important
part of normal social development, and play between puppies is how they learn and practice many adult behaviors
and communication skills, including the “calming signals” that dogs use to diffuse otherwise fraught situations.
In some cases, when siblings are homed together this socialization process is stopped in its tracks. The puppies
are unable to develop the confidence that comes with slowly learning about our manmade world. Their intense
bond with each other precludes bonding with humans and muddles their learning how the world works. This
causes fearful responses to even mundane experiences, including meeting new people or seeing other dogs on the
street, or even watching a paper bag blow in the wind. Sure, we’ve all laughed at a puppy who gets startled by the
blowing leaf, but he will quickly learn that blowing leaves are normal and in fact fun to chase. Littermate
syndrome puppies are unable to process such occurrences to file them under “normal and fun”, and will instead
grow suspect of anything or anyone new.
I mentioned earlier that I had witnessed this syndrome before: A family simultaneously adopted two Shiba Inu
puppies that were exactly same age, but from different litters. By the time they contacted me, the 8-month old
puppies were holy terrors around the house and next to impossible to communicate with, much less train. To
make matters worse, they had no intention of neutering these dogs but instead planned to breed them—with each
other. I tried to convince them to neuter both dogs immediately and to re-home one of them and to begin an
intensive training and remedial socialization program with the other. They refused each of these
recommendations, so I was forced to drop them as clients. (The more unruly of the two was weeks from coming
into heat the first time; my reminding them that there a reason for the term “bitch in heat” fell on deaf ears.)
Thankfully my more recent case has ended better. During our first appointment, I took each of the two females
puppies out individually and spent time working on treat/retreat to gain trust. Both puppies were initially
terrified of everything we encountered on a short walk, but within 30 minutes the puppy would take treats from
my hand and respond to cues to sit. With the first puppy, I was able to then enter the home and continue
treat/retreat; this is the puppy they ended up keeping—she is now thriving. The other puppy had developed a
deeper, unhealthy bond to the first and is having a more difficult time in her new home.
My recommendation is to adopt a single puppy, and to then focus your energy and resources towards teaching
that individual all she needs to know to get on with all people and all dogs, in all situations all the time. This is a
daunting prospect with just one puppy, let alone two! That said, if someone were to insist on adopting siblings, I
would recommend that the puppies:
Be crated separately, in opposing parts of the house
Be fed separately
Be walked and played with separately
Be trained separately
Be taken to different puppy socials
Be taken to the vet at different times
You can see that this would be a nearly impossible task. So take your time picking out the puppy that suits your
home and your life, spend the next year showing him or her the world, keeping in mind that all your hard work
will pay off with many years of peaceful coexistence.
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And once your puppy is a dog, by all means, get a second or third since the animals will be at completely different
stages of life. At this point, the older one very well may become a great teacher of love and life to the little one.
Note from January 17, 2014: I have expanded this discussion into an article for print publication
in which I interview veterinarian behaviorists Dr. Ian Dunbar and Dr. Melissa Bain, as well as
renown dog behavior specialist Nicole Wilde. I will update this post once the article is published.
Share this:
Related
Nature vs. Nurture: Dog breeds, temperament and trainingEarly Puppy Socialization with Dr. Christopher Pachel
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About Jeff Stallings
Having owned well-trained dogs all my life, I started Better Nature Dog Training to exploit my decades of experience teaching
across a number of fields. I now teach people how to effectively train their dogs by clearly demonstrating that every interaction
counts when training a dog to come when called, for example, or instructing a puppy how to best get along in life. I take a
scientific and holistic approach to dog training. The scientific aspect comes from understanding dog psychology from an
evolutionary perspective, knowing how dogs are both similar to and distinct from their ancestors, including the grey wolf. The
holistic component derives from taking into account all facets of any particular dog’s situation, including upbringing, prior
training, traumatic events and—most importantly—the characteristics of his home and family life. Training a puppy or dog can
be a most rewarding life experience; it can also be stressful and perplexing. One of the best services I provide is taking the
guesswork out while lending a sure, guiding hand in successful dog behavior development and modification.
View all posts by Jeff Stallings →
This entry was posted in Dog stories and information, Dog Training and tagged dog siblings, dog training, littermate syndrome, puppy siblings, puppy training. Bookmark the
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51 Responses to Littermate Syndrome: Why raising sibling puppies is misguided
Sue says:
August 17, 2013 at 9:06 am
That was a brilliant article…..and of course whilst reading it, it all made sense.
Never too old to learn something new!……thanks!.
Reply
Pingback: Adopting Littermate Puppies: Don’t Do It | Quantum Meruit
Kirsti says:
October 11, 2013 at 1:58 pm
I am currently experiencing this “Littermate Syndrome” with my 15 month old lab/terrier females. We were completely
unaware that such a thing existed and the people at the shelter from which we adopted them mentioned nothing of the such.
They actually encouraged us to adopt both puppies. The aggression towards one another just started about a week ago and it
is awful. I am heart broken at the thought of having to re-home one of them. Is there any way that they will grow out of trying
to over-dominate the other and can eventually live in peace with one another again? Or should we absolutely re-home one of
them?
Reply
Jeff Stallings says:
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Kirsti, I am sorry to hear that. What age were they when you adopted them? I am not sure where you live, but I
suggest working with a behavior consultant/trainer to help evaluate all your options.
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Vicki Shelton says:
October 15, 2013 at 12:29 pm
My husband and I made a huge mistake and purchased two male littermates at the same time. They are now six months old
and one of them (Boo) is continually fighting with the other(Bear). Bear is now cowering down when he sees Boo coming
toward him. We also have a five year old (Max). These are all German Shepherds. Max has been circling Bear every time Boo
comes near. Max is very well trained but is now exhibiting tremendous anxiety. A lot of the time he will not even eat and
neither will Bear. I have tried to find a home to no avail and have talked to three trainers about this and all said the same
thing—not good at all. Bear had been very playful and confident but doesn’t seem that way now and Max is worn out trying to
keep them apart. We cannot separate them due to housing and time issues. We are at wits end. I have put a call in to our local
State Police because I was told that sometimes they will take a dog to train for their canine unit. I haven’t heard anything yet.
We had never heard of Littermate Syndrome until talking to the trainers. This is horrible! Any suggestions?
Reply
Yours is unfortunately a classic case. Definitely rehome one of these dogs. I would lean towards keeping Bear since
Boo might have a bit more confidence to draw on. You are going to have to spend lots of time working to rebuild
Bear’s confidence.
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Bonnie Joyce says:
November 30, 2013 at 10:07 am
We adopted 5 yr old beagles who are littermates. We also did not know of the littermate syndrome before the adoption. Is this
an ethical hot button in the breeding and adopting communities? What can be done to get the message out better?
Reply
November 30, 2013 at 10:24 am
Bonnie, I am researching this topic and have met with veterinarian behaviorists at UC Davis. I will be interviewing
Dr. Ian Dunbar in the coming. I am writing an article on the subject with the target of publication in a national
magazine, such as The Bark. I would be interested in talking to you about your experiences.
Reply
Bonnie Joyce says:
November 30, 2013 at 12:45 pm
I am not sure I will be able to add a whole lot to the discussion, but I am willing. How can we set up a
contact? (I’m using my fb account this time; the other is a shared account.)
Tom says:
December 27, 2013 at 8:50 am
We adopted two chiapoo puppies. They were 9 weeks old. We originally intended on getting just one but the original owner
said we could have both as he needed to get rid of them by the weekend(going on vacation). We quickly saw some aggression.
One pup more than the other. They were the center of each others world and got aggitated whenever one of us interrupted
their play. We thought it best to sell one. But after seeing your blog, We really started to push the sale. The pups are 12 weeks
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now and really feel like they need to be separated to be good family pets. Thanks for this article.
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January 4, 2014 at 2:14 am
You’re welcome. I am working on an article about this subject for Bark Magazine right now, hopefully to get the
word out so fewer people head down this often-disasterous path.
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ThePayferPack says:
When your article is published, will you have a way that other trainers can print it to reference it or hand it
out? I see people getting litter mates all the time coming into the store that I am a trainer in. I also have
people that ask about it and I think having an article/handout ready and waiting to give to people to take
home and read would be helpful in spreading the word. The more that people know the better.
When I was a pet sitter I had litter mate labs (male/female) and right around one year, I had an incident with
them where one became over stimulated after I brought her away from a very “playful” snake and she then
started biting at me and while trying to calm her the other joined in. Even though I recommended that they
take the pups to training when they were younger, they never did (even after the incident they didn’t take
them to training).
Of course I found out later that the female wasn’t allowed out with the boys because she would get over
stimulated and go after them and their friends. I ended up firing them as clients.
Thanks for your story and perspective. I am waiting for my interviewees to approve the draft, then it will
be up to the magazine (submitting it to three) as to when to print. Feel free to print this article out to hand
to folks!
Nan Wells says:
Excellent article!! It is very true that breeders and rescue shelter groups are encouraging people to adopt two puppies in a
litter because they are apparently unaware of this. I had a client that called me that had two foster puppies from the same
litter. They experienced severe aggression between the two at less than three months of age. I advise them to take the other
puppy back to the rescue group and keep just the one. He’s turned into a wonderful puppy through their socialization and
obedience class work.
Nan Wells
DogWoods Retreat
Reply
Thanks for the comments, Nan. I am expanding this article, hopefully for print in Bark Magazine. The word needs
to get out!
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Leeanne Cagnacci says:
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January 17, 2014 at 4:36 pm
Not all breeders encourage people to buy/adopt two puppies from a litter! I am a breeder and will not let buyers have
more than one puppy for the very reasons stated in the article. Reputable breeders won’t let two puppies go to the
same home and I certainly will not encourage it to “get rid” (I hate that term, it sounds like the puppies are rubbish
that needs discarding) of puppies for any reason.
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I would think that most breeders would know about this, but many do not. Thanks for your perspective.
Julie says:
January 18, 2014 at 12:13 pm
Leanne, I take issue with your comment that “reputable breeders won’t let two puppies go to the same home”.
I AM a very reputable, responsible breeder and I have in 2 instances over the years, allowed the same family
to adopt sibling puppies. Just because you don’t do it, doesn’t mean that others aren’t qualified enough to
interview and know well enough that the family they are allowing to adopt is capable of properly socializing
multiple puppies at once. I don;t allow it on a regular basis, but in both instances these were large families
with 4 or more older children that were both committed to making sure the puppies were socialized
separately so they didn’t become too dependent upon each other. In both cases, they ended up being
incredible, well behaved family companions. The world is not black and white, so don’t make such close
minded, offensive statements.
Kristin says:
I rescued 2 female Jack Russell mix litter mates 10 years ago. I really wish someone had told me then not to adopt both of
them. I love both of my girls dearly but having them has definitely been a trial through the years. I’ll be honest and say I don’t
think I have many of the syndromes problems, but I do have my fair share. They are both food aggressive especially with each
other & that is what usually causes their fights. And good lord when they fight!!! There is ALWAYS wounds after their fights.
Some have been bad enough that I’ve had to take them to the vet for stitches and deep cleaning of puncture wounds. My girls
aren’t big (both about 30 lbs), but when they’re fighting it can take me up to 15 mins to break them apart. They are both very
strong & focus so much on fighting that they don’t even realize I’m there. I’ve been bit a couple times while trying to break up
the fights but thankfully nothing a good cleaning and a bandage couldn’t fix.
I volunteer with a rescue organization now and often tell people NOT to get litter mates. Then I go into some of the stories I
have about what I’ve gone through. I will absolutely never make that mistake again but at this point in their lives I won’t
rehome either one. I couldn’t do that to them…or myself. I know that I’m fortunate that for the most part they tend to get
along and play well together. But I will never never never have litter mates EVER again. I do want to thank you for this article
as it finally validates what I’ve been saying for years…NO LITTER MATES EVER!!
Reply
Hello Kristin, thanks for your contribution to the subject and for helping to confirm that this condition is real,
common and, ultimately, avoidable. I would never suggest that you separate them after this many years together.
Lots of management, as you well know.
This blog post has become a de facto source of information, apparently. Hits to this particular post have increased
exponentially each month it’s been up. To that end, and to get the word out, I am working on an expanded article,
hopefully destined for print in a national magazine so that more people are aware.
By the way, your symptoms are classic, in particular, the fighting. That is not normal and such in-home brutality is
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rare…except among littermates, and especially same-gendered ones.
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johanna says:
About 14 years ago I brought home a lab mix puppy and then a week later I brought home her litter mate. Both females, lab
and german shepard mix from an ‘oops’ mating. They had a great relationship, bonded well with their humans and were great
pets. As puppies they were boredom chewers but that was about all. One passed away two years ago of cancer and the other is
riding out her final years. They never exhibited aggression or any poor behaviors. At the time I had siblings that were 2 and 4
and they were also great with the kids. I now have two smaller high energy rescue dogs and the old lady is great with them as
well. I guess we were SUPER lucky!!
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There are definitely exceptions! The siblings from different litters would not fall into this category, by the way,
since they were/are at different developmental stages.
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Pongo & Tonka's mom says:
January 18, 2014 at 12:21 pm
Thank you for posting your response. Johanna. I, too, somehow lucked out with my two 12 year old Husky/Dalmatian
sisters (also an oops, I am assuming, as they were found in a dumpster at 8 wks, when I promptly adopted them).
They rarely fight, and when they do, it is over as quickly as it begins. With what I’ve seen out there among litter
mates, Mr. Stalling’s article is on the money. Johanna, you and I can count our blessings!
The reason I want to thank you for your response is that I have the biggest fear that when one passes, the other will
not be able to cope. The fact that you lost one two years ago (my sincerest condolences) yet the sister has thrived for
since is soothing to me. I really needed to read that; thank you for giving me hope.
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Sue says:
Hi
Sorry that your going through this with your pets. I was not aware of any of this. Hhowever i have to say that my neice
adopted brother sister litter mates. They have had no problems except with mischief. Sister can be , but not always protective
of her brother. They even go to dog parks and do very well. As far as bonding to their humans. With these two they love
everyone. So happy story here but it sounds like its an exception to the rule.
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Deborah Bean says:
January 17, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Hi!
We have been raising litter mates together for forty years. We have never experienced any of these problems. Seems these are
problems of dog owners failing to maintain control of their dogs through training and less of raising litter mates together.
Deborah
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There are definitely genetic and training issue that can lead to this problem. It sounds like you are on top of both,
so that’s great. But this is a real set of symptoms in many littermates. Read some of the other responses below. I
delve into this more and interview behavior experts in an upcoming print expansion of this article. Thanks for your
perspective, it is appreciated.
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Chris says:
I guess we got extremely lucky. We have two shep x littermates, both very very bonded, love each other, love us more and are
the most social and affectionate dogs you’ll ever meet. They are sweet to everybody. They’ve never had a fight, are great with
food and toys, love to chase but don’t get aggressive. They do compete for attention for sure, but never in an aggressive or
harsh way. And we have a challenge with jumping on guests because they’re excited, but that’s as bad as it gets. They will be
two in April, and have never had a fight or even exchanged harsh “words”. I’m knocking on wood as I type this….but so far, its
the best decision we’ve ever made. I also have friends who adopted littermates a few years back, and they get along well too.
Reply
This is not universal among all co-homed siblings. However, it occurs frequently enough. I mostly want people to
be aware of it, to avoid adopting siblings if possible (there are other reasons to just have one puppy at a time), and
to know what to look for. It sounds like you have an awesome set of lucky dogs!
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Sandi says:
I heard of this syndrome only after I adopted two female border collies at approximately 6/7 months of age (they are now
about 11 months). They were found together and were assumed to be of the same age and litter. I adopted them separately
but within about 6 weeks of each other. We brought them into a home with an 11 y/o male border collie we have had since he
was 1 and a half years old. After a little bit of adjustment and my male bc assuring one of the girls that he was Alpha, the
issues have subsided. They all play fairly well together or one-on-one but occasionally it gets a little out of hand and there is
growling and mouthing but so far no blood. A squirt of water and separating usually does the trick. My question is, if we are
fortunate enough to not have a problem by the time they are out of the puppy stage and are sufficiently socialized, what is the
likely-hood that we are in the clear? We love these pups and I dread the thought that I would have to rehome one of them.
Reply
It sounds like your male may be a stabilizing force, so I wouldn’t think you have to worry about having to re-home
one. You didn’t have them during the socialization period (up to about 16 weeks) so it’s impossible to know what
sort of exposure they had to people and dogs. I would suggest that our spend time with each of the siblings
one-on-one, focusing on separate training sessions with each.
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Bonnie B says:
January 18, 2014 at 12:04 am
ollow
I believe it has more to do with trying to raise two puppies at one time. The same as any two children at oane tiem. it is farFFollow
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more difficult.It isnt impossible ant there are positive as wellas negative effects. But Two puppies at once can never getas
much attention as one at a time
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You got the “far more difficult” part right. Notice I said in the article that it can be done, but to do it right requires
separate crates in separate rooms, separate training, feeding, walks, socialization, trips to the vet, etc. I was talking
to renown dog trainer/veterinarian Dr. Ian Dunbar about this recently and he agreed strongly that there are no
good reasons to do this. Yes, they may both turn out to be confident, well-adjusted dogs. But they may also be
emotionally damaged for life. My point is, it’s not worth the risk.
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JT says:
January 18, 2014 at 12:44 am
Interesting article and as a breeder I would not allow 2 to go to the same home, however I am keeping 2 from my current
litter so will certainly watch out for these signs. However I would not take by babies out socialising until they are fully
vaccinated at 12 weeks old
Reply
Waiting until after the 3rd set of shots is not in the interest of your puppies! Indoor puppy socials with
non-littermates is the most important thing you can do, starting after the first set of shots plus 7 days. Breeders
and new owners are doing a great disservice to these animals by waiting until AFTER the primary socialization
period to introduce their puppies to the world. The chances of raising a dog with severe behavior problems far
outweighs the chances of contracting Canine Parvovirus. They absolutely should be kept away from porous
surfaces, including dog parks and beaches. But indoor puppy socials and meeting 100 people before 12 weeks old
is imperative.
The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) concurs with this practice. Their official statement
on the subject reads:
“The primarily and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life.
During this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and
environments as can be achieved safely and without causing over-stimulation manifested as
excessive fear, withdrawal or avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary
Society of Animal Behavior believes that it should be the standard of care for puppies to receive
such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.”
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Sharon says:
Have you been through parvo treatment and the heartbreak of losing puppies? I have, not fun. A good
breeder does puppy socialization with many different people, offers various stimuli, etc. To risk the health of
a puppy with only one parvo shot just to socialize with other dogs is not a risk I would take or recommend.
Been there, done that.
I have seen parvo. You’re right: it’s horrible. I also work in shelters with dogs with extreme fear because
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they weren’t properly exposed to other puppies and to people before 12/16 weeks of age. Many are
needlessly extremely emotionally damaged. You can socialize your puppy very little risk of parvo if you’re
smart about it. I attended a symposium on the subject at the University of California/Davis last weekend, a
room full of veterinarians and veterinarian behaviorists. Conclusion: The risk of a dog being euthanized
due to behavior issues resulting from a lack of early socialization is orders of magnitude higher than
contracting parvo. This is not MY view; it is the official view of the most knowledgeable scientist in the
field. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) official statement on the subject:
“The primarily and most important time for puppy socialization is the first three months of life. During
this time puppies should be exposed to as many new people, animals, stimuli and environments as can be
achieved safely and without causing over-stimulation manifested as excessive fear, withdrawal or
avoidance behavior. For this reason, the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior believes that it
should be the standard of care for puppies to receive such socialization before they are fully vaccinated.”
commongrounddog says:
This looks like a really good argument in favor of the very early socialization protocol – handling puppies and exposing them
to minute amounts of stress starting a few days after birth. There are breeders out there doing this, and describe the
differences in confidence and adjustment to the human environment as nothing short of amazing. I’m very excited to read
your expanded post!
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Sheila Babcock says:
I will attest to what you are saying. I adopted out 2 boxer mix puppies, male and female. They came back to me at a year of
age because they were so aggressive to people. Those 2 dogs attacked any animal in their paths. I kept them in fear of them
hurting any other animal in someone else’ care. About a year ago, I had to give up my rescue and was terrified about these
dogs. An amazing rescue took them and after being together for 8 years, they separated them. Those 2 dogs live amazing
lives…..with other animals!! The two together were NOT a good idea, even though they were so bonded. It about caused them
to lose their lives too soon. I also had a father son combo. The son was terrified of people. The puppy at over a year old got
tick paralysis, and I had to take the puppy from the dad…..best thing that ever happened to that dog! He came out of his shell
and is the most amazing dog! Thank you for your article.
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Marlene Johnson says:
I raised 4 littermates, I had them since birth because I am their breeder, I did all the things you said, take them separately to
the vet, to training classes, walks etc. They do not have littermate syndrome, they are 6 years old now, I still take them for
separate walks etc. It really wasn’t all that difficult to raise them that way, but then I was aware of it from the start and did
things accordingly.
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Exactly. You allowed them to develop individual identities with the separate walks, training, etc. Littermate
syndrome is not a foregone conclusion, but if you have siblings, you have to be diligent as you were to avoid it.
Kudos!
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ThePayferPack says:
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Reblogged this on Payfer Pack and commented:
Here is a great post, with an expanded article to come, by Jeff Stallings, CPDT-KA about why raising litter-mates is not in
anyone’s best interest. While it can be done, if done properly, it is a lot more work and two puppies will not receive as much
attention as one puppy would and to do it right, you need a lot of extra time and money. Thank you Jeff for writing such a
great article! I will do my best to help spread it around.
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Thanks for getting the word out. I still get push back, especially from breeders. Trainers, behaviorists and shelters
see these symptoms all the time.
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Mary says:
As a breeder I completely agree with your comments on homing siblings or puppies of a similar age together. I think a gap of
about 12 – 18 months or later is acceptable. Having said that, I recently kept two pups (both bitches) from the same litter. I
made a tremendous effort up to about 4 / 5 months to separate them during the day. My usual routine was to send one of the
pups to day-care and have one with me (I work from home). The one pup was a little more timid but having said that both
have blossomed. They both are shown. They can be shown in the same class and focus on their handler, they can also go to a
show alone without a problem. My only concern is that they play very very rough! I have never seen anything that would
make me think that this could escalate to a fight but realise this is not impossible. They are now 18 months old. They also
differ quite a bit in temperament. The one is a very outgoing girl and will go and play with everyone on the beach; the other is
also playful but does not wonder off to play with other people on the beach but prefers to stay with us. The one is quite vocal,
the other hardly ever barks, the one is destructive (will destroy toys or shoes if she gets a chance) the other doesn’t and the
one will jump our fences the other won’t. BTW these are Golden Retrievers. Also I have a few adult dogs to which they are
exposed to all the time. I think this also helps with what is acceptable behaviour and what not. Would love your comments
about whether you think there might problems with them in future or do you think that we are on the right track?
Reply
You did all the right things as far as allowing each to spend time without the other. That is key. If you can do that,
you’ll probably raise confident dogs okay on their own. It’s impossible to say whether problems will develop as
they reach social maturity (about 3 years). Just keep focusing on having them be together sometimes and apart
others.
Reply
Jolene says:
We have 2 brothers that are beagles and both of them have done well with other dogs and humans. They are best friends with
each other.
Reply
Jules says:
January 18, 2014 at 10:21 am
We used the “very early socialization protocol” on our litter of 6 pups 4 years ago. We did not let puppies go to their new
homes until fully socialized at 12 weeks. We kept one pup. We have recently gotten one of the pups back due to a family Follow
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problem and noticed that although the dog received no formal training, he is well mannered, sociable, gets along well with his
littermate who is here, re-integrated with no fuss or bother and has no fears or phobias (i.e., fireworks, vacuums, etc). The
owners of the rest of the pups attest to their stable temperaments.
Reply
Liz Hogg says:
January 18, 2014 at 11:06 am
We rescued two female shep X’s and were told from the very start to watch out for the hyper bonding. They are now almost 4
years old and I can I can honestly say we really have not had any issues. We have had the occasional, though very rare fight,
they play well together and love other dogs. They are very affectionate with us (one is almost too loving!) the biggest problem
we had was teaching them their names (though once we got some advice we solved that in one afternoon with a whole lot of
treats!) I find they are no more upset to be apart then my past dogs who were not siblings. Overall it has been a great
experience though I would not do it again because it is a lot if work (though I still believe that dogs should always have a
friend) early socialization was the key I believe.
Reply
Patti says:
January 18, 2014 at 11:41 am
We have 2 lab mix littermates that we adopted 3 years ago when they were 4 months old. We had never heard of nor did
anyone ever tell us about Littermated Syndrome. In fact, the rescue we adopted them from was so thrilled that we were
keeping them together. As a result we did everything with them together (from crating to training to vet visits and so on). I
will admit that sometimes they function as “one unit” but they are very well socialized and each has her own individual
personality. I will however take a page from your book and begin working them separately. Hopefully it’s not too late! Thank
you for a very interesting and informative article.
Reply
Dave says:
January 18, 2014 at 12:01 pm
I think that this also apply to kittens, I can now understand why my two are like they are
Reply
Mina says:
January 18, 2014 at 12:12 pm
This text was an eye-opener, everything now makes much more sense and I think I finally got an answer to question I’ve been
asking myself for more then two years: “Why is my dog like that?”
I must say my experience …. I got a female Dobermann puppy at age of almost 7 months, which stayed with her breeder until
that time … She had one litter-mate staying there with her and other dogs similar to her age … I know for sure that they were
always together, meaning breeder didn’t feed them separately, take them to walk separately etc …
When I got her, I experience the most disturbing dog personality I have ever ever encounter. Such amount of fear was
unbelievable! And it wasn’t a fear that she would easily shake off or get used to quick…. It was so intense and so irrational,
completely without any logical understanding or explanation. She feared everything that was around her, inside and outside
of house. Passing through doors, stairways, bags, bushes, trash cans, traffic signs, not to mention people, dog, traffic or
noises, she feared going outside when it’s dark, or passing over bridges, under highpasses etc … everything! To her I was OK,
but I with a cup in my hand was not. It was the most horrible experience of my life. And every time I talked to her breeder,
she told me that in her pack she was just fine, not scared and being even bold and outgoing! The breeder thought it was my
fault …
I struggled with her for many months, thought that she is just poor socialized and spent up to five-six hours every day (before
and after a full-time job) to get her accustom on as much as possible things that was going outside, and also inside, and after
couple of months of endless hours spent with her, I finally get to see glimpse of improvement. We continued hard work, and
socialization and education, and now with her being almost 3 years old, I can say she is doing much better, most of the time
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you can’t even say she is fearful or shy or was anything like before. She has well manners and is very obedient, has very strong
bond with me, and is very much loving to anyone she knows, dog or human. But is still shy to most strangers, especially the
ones we meet outside, very rarely allows strangers to pet her, and doesn’t like to play much with dogs, only ones she knows;
and also it takes much longer to get her used to new situations or items … Like she was fine with metal crate in the house, but
it took me three weeks to get her accustom to plastic crate inside a car, and also I’m trying to get her accustom to dog trailer
(for my bike) but very very slowly, so it’s taking now more then couple of months …. So, in the end, thankfully we worked it
out somehow, she is manageable and loving, but I know she will always be “my special one”, and I’ve except her as she is.
Thank you for this article,
Mina
Reply
Gewanna Nichols says:
I have adopted a brother and sister from the same litter twice. First, a pair of Jack Russell/Beagle mix and then a pair of
Dobermans. I haven’t seen these extremes in my pairs and we were always pleased about having a pair so they weren’t alone.
Now I have one old Doberman and a Mini Dachshund. We adopted the pairs at 8 weeks. The only aggression was between the
girls and boys of the different breeds. It always seemed to be the Alpha battle.
Reply
Jeff Stallings, CPDT-KA
The Twenty Ten Theme.
Blog at WordPress.com.
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Littermate Syndrome: Why raising sibling puppies is misguide...

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