Littermate Syndrome

References

• Littermate Syndrome – Bark
• Littermate Syndrome: Everything You Need to Know
• Dr. Sophia Yin, Cattledog Publishing

The Arguments

Many dog behaviorists, trainers, breeders and shelters discourage adopting siblings. Anecdotal evidence suggests that behavioral issues may arise during key development periods because the two puppies’ deep bond impedes their individual ability to absorb and grasp the nuances of human and canine communication. Since fear is the canine’s default reaction to odd or unfamiliar stimuli, this muddled understanding of the world around them can lead to impaired coping mechanisms later on.

Bark

This happens because littermates bond so intensely to each other that they fail to develop connections with their human family.

Dr. Heather Graddy, a relief veterinarian and veterinary behavior consultant in Englewood, Colorado.

Once again, we hear an argument that sounds good, and is supported by so many experts. Except perhaps for all the ones who don’t support it, but they tend to be much quieter on this topic.

In my article On Puppy Socialization I described in some detail the key developmental periods for puppies and their characteristics. But, the limited references in their arguments here prevent any discussion because they do not identify which periods they claim are key to their conclusions. I also wrote about periods where the young puppy can easily become bonded to either people or even other species of animals (supported by research). Yet, no research has ever shown that any one deep bond will preclude another, which certainly seems to be their argument here.

Signs of littermate syndrome include fearfulness of unfamiliar people, dogs and other novel stimuli (neophobia); intense anxiety when separated, even briefly; and difficulty learning basic obedience skills. In some cases, the two dogs will fight incessantly.

Bark

Sure, but these are nearly the same symptoms found in thousands of fearful dogs., many of which are the only dog in the house. Just look at the number of cases of single dogs with separation anxiety, or those who are highly reactive at nearly anything when just walking down the street. And while they mention that littermate dogs may fight incessantly, even more often they and others will speak of the dogs strongly bonding and never wanting to be separated.

While there are a number of established approaches for dealing with very fearful dogs, they never even once mention trying to apply that to littermates.

Because they have each other as playmates, they are bonded more closely to each other than to their human family and, because two puppies are exponentially difficult to deal with, they don’t get trained.

Dr. Sophia Yin

As for two pups being so much more difficult to deal with, have you ever raised a single, young puppy? Did you happen to notice in some phases how much and how often the puppy will seek attention and play? And that it’s often far more than you can supply? So, how does having another playful pup to occupy the first one so exponentially (far more than double!) increase your efforts?

Separation as the Cure

The male was so attached to the female that he’d follow her everywhere, says Melissa. If he was away from her, he acted so scared that he wouldn’t move. If he was with her, he’d act friendly to people and dogs.

Melissa’s friend took one and her cousin took the other; the two dogs blossomed apart.  After about a week, the male came out of his shell and became more outgoing and playful, says Melissa. The female did really well too.  Her owner pampers her and babies her by carrying her around a lot and gives in to her whining so she’s not as outgoing and playful as her once-shyer brother, but she’s way more confident than before.

Dr. Sophia Yin

While this case was cited to support their argument, it actually has no bearing on this at all. I’ve worked with hundreds of fearful dogs, and have also seen this situation many times. Sometimes with far older dogs who were not raised together, and it seems to happen more often with single dogs.

Some activities which the people in the above case never even started, until after the dogs were separated. An effort which would have been much easier if it were done sooner.

And, if you notice their last observation after separating the dogs, their entire effort has now been qualified as a failure. I’ve never had a single healthy dog who continued whining and had to be carried once they learned about and gained some confidence in the world.

Sure, some will remain skittish and avoid some situations, but their giving in to the whining and carrying the dog is more the dog training the person in what they want to only pacify them, instead of the person doing the teaching. No longer fear-bonded to another dog, she’s now fear-bonded to a human. Their story here is not a success, but a sad failure.

How They Avoid the Littermate Issue

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 aloneâ, 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…This separate-but-equal arrangement is timeconsuming, exhausting and seems to defeat the original intent of acquiring siblings.

Bark, Nicole Wilde

Except It is far less the amount of time they spend apart, as it is what they are doing during that time. There is simply no reason for separate feeding, and I’ve had a half-dozen dogs here learning to eat meals near each other. Nor is there any reason to separate the crates. While both siblings here were together for most of the training, the two dogs had different needs and those components of training were done separately. Walking would be done together, then alone, then with another dog. The point here is that all these variations are important in teaching and socialization.

Their trying to teach by only keeping the dogs apart is nothing more than a study in deliberate boredom.

They are Missing a Variation of the Same Issue

I remember this woman bringing two young dogs to their first visit to the dog park. They were littermates who had always played well at home, and the dogs had been fine with people, so this lady just assumed that other dogs wouldn’t be an issue. Well, they certainly weren’t afraid of other dogs, but due to their lack of socialization they tried treating all the other dogs the same ways they had developed between each other.

While a single dog would have been more cautious and responsive, two outgoing littermates had no such inhibitions, because they already had established behaviors for interacting with another dog (each other). Yet, this is a form of littermate syndrome the articles never mentions.

Concluding Littermates

None of the articles I reviewed on this topic have ever attempted to use any conventional and established methods to resolve or even prevent this issue. Instead, their only advice is to quickly separate the dogs if you see any sign of an issue. Yes, the symptoms they list can occur with a littermate, or just with a single dog. But the method of avoiding or resolving those issues is similar in both cases.

I raised two feral littermates who came in at 6-months of age. They were very strongly bonded with each other, but would not eat with a human in sight, were afraid of a house and anything new, and would immediately attack any nearby dog. One was somewhat assertive, but the other dog was very fearful, and needed weeks to even be walked on a leash. While both received some training together, their different temperaments and needs required many separate sessions. Now, eight years later, you can still see signs of their early temperaments, but both dogs have learned how to cope with and enjoy the world. Both of them still most enjoy playing with each other, but are willing to include both people and literally hundreds of other new dogs.