Difficulties for Who Works All Day
Keeping the puppies separated may be quite challenging because it often translates into dividing the chores in two. Owners will find themselves, walking one puppy and then the other, feeding one and then the other, training one and then the other, doubling the time for just about everything.
This can be time-consuming and both mentally and physically draining unless you have a family member who can help you and you have lots of time on hand and work at home.
Something that doesnt come to mind at the moment, but will hurt later on, is watching littermates aging together, and potentially losing them at the same time. This can turn out to be heartbreaking, costly and difficult to cope with.
Littermate Puppies: Double the Joy, or Double the Trouble?
Wilde believes the problem is rooted in hyper-attachment, which leads to hindered social development and communication issues. âPeople assume that having two same-age pups who play together and interact constantly covers their dog-dog socialization needs, but they in fact donât learn how other [dogs] play and have no idea about social skills with other puppies, adolescents, or adult dogs. Perhaps one puppy is a bit of a bully, which their littermate puts up with, but their rude behavior might not be tolerated by a new dog in a new setting.â
Recognition of the risks of dual adoption appears to be spreading, with many breeders and shelters declining to place siblings together. Shelley Smith, adoption center manager at Pets Unlimited in San Francisco, said her shelter stopped placing siblings together after a particularly disturbing case. âA Dachshund mix named Thelma was returned to the shelter because her sibling repeatedly attacked her; she had multiple injuries by the time the heartbroken family returned her to us. Thankfully, we were able to re-home Thelma, but itâs almost certain the fighting and anxiety could have been avoided had the two littermates not been placed together. We now separate siblings and inform adopters about the rationale for our policy.â
Those committed to raising a pair of littermates should ensure that the puppies spend significant portions of every day apart so each learns how to be alone â a key lesson in any well-thought-out puppy program. This means feeding, walking, and training each puppy separately, with individual crates in different parts of the home. Even trips to puppy socials and the vet should be separate so they learn to incorporate these episodes into their respective psyches without being overly dependent on their littermate. (Yes, this can be time-consuming, exhausting, and defeat the original intent of adopting siblings.)
If you adopted puppy siblings â and they fight nonstop â you could be dealing with littermate syndrome. Heres everything you need to know.
Myriad factors affect dog behavior, including genetics, early life experiences, and human engagement. As University of California, Davis, veterinary behaviorist Dr. Melissa Bain points out, âTwo fearful littermates very well may be genetically predisposed to fear.â Bain is less inclined to apply the term syndrome to the set of symptoms. âIt makes you think all littermates have problems, which is not the case.â
Can brother and sister dogs grow up together?Many factors influence behavior, and not all siblings raised together will exhibit this problem, which is called “littermate syndrome.” In other words, it’s a risk, not a foregone conclusion. That said, many dog behaviorists, trainers, breeders, and shelters actually discourage adopting siblings.
Do your dogs play rough or fight?//Proven method to fix it.
The idea of adopting littermate puppies can seem like an adorable, fun idea. Theyll play with each other, keep each other company, and theyre guaranteed to get along. Right? Unfortunately, not so much.
Lets talk about littermate syndrome and why bringing home littermates can be a recipe for disaster.
But for those of you who already have sibling pups at home, well also talk about proactive ways you can survive the growth and development of sibling puppies without sacrificing your sanity and the pups well-being.