The incidence of owners
purchasing "Siblings", either same sex or brother and sister from the
same litter is now more prevalent than at any other time in living
memory. The old dogmen and owners knew the pitfalls and problems that
this action would create; however, this knowledge now appears to have
been lost on today’s dog owners with devastating consequences.
On the surface, the idea appears to be highly commendable. With the
busy lifestyles we now lead, it would seem feasible to take on two
pups. They can stimulate each other and keep themselves company,
hopefully alleviating any separation anxiety. They can also imitate the
good characteristics of each other. They will be able to do everything
together and therefore will benefit from that closeness and
companionship, and could glean untold pleasure from each other’s
company.
Sounds fantastic! Unfortunately, the reality is far from this ideal and
you really get the worst of both worlds in this scenario. The puppies
come to rely on each other and it weakens both of them, often to the
extent that they become withdrawn from everything other than
themselves. I call it “Littermate Syndrome”
The puppies can come to fear other dogs, people and any situation where
they are separated from each other. The stress this causes can often
then spill over into aggression against each other culminating in
fighting in
some cases causing serious injury or even death, commonly known as
“Sibling
Rivalry”. Strangely enough the worst fights are normally between
bitches.
Although nothing is set in stone, generally bringing together dogs with
too many similar qualities, ie age, size, sex, temperament and breed,
may spark a conflict. So many related characteristics make it difficult
for
them to decide who is the alpha or top dog; therefore fights occur
because
of the similarities.
Often, we can inadvertently cause the conflict - owners can disturb the
hierarchical balance by rushing to protect the would-be subordinate
from
being “bullied” or “picked on” granting him/her liberties, such as
being
petted first, which the other dog may consider his due. The lower dog
may
now feel emboldened enough to challenge the other. We need to
understand
that dogs have their own set of social rules, whereas we humans just
want
democracy.
Two Choices:
To my mind you have two choices with siblings from the same litter.
Whilst I believe the first solution is the most practicable, which is
to re-home one of them, I am also aware it is the hardest and most
difficult for the owners. If not they will always be damaged by their
almost total reliance on each other.
If you decide to choose this alternative, you can home one of the dogs
with another family member or a trusted friend. You will see dramatic
improvements to the personalities of both pups. These changes occur
almost immediately. Be aware that the longer you delay, the harder it
will be to part with one of your pups. It is a difficult and agonising
decision for someone to make, however in the long run it is in yours
and ultimately both your dog’s best interest.
Your second choice is to create two individual dogs, with two separate
identities and personalities, without the total reliance on each other.
To
do this you will need to work twice as hard because all the things you
did
together you will now need to do totally apart.
Things you must do:
Everything must now be done independently to allow for the Siblings to
have any chance of becoming separate entities instead of the reduced
sum of the whole.
• Walk them separately
• Feed them separately
• Train them separately
• Crate them separately
• Play with them separately
Literally everything you do should be separate. That includes Puppy and
Training classes. Take them to a trainer that understands the inherent
difficulties of raising two puppies together. Take them on separate
nights hopefully to the same trainer. They can play together but only
at strict designated times and for a period of no more than 15 minutes
each designated play time.
This regime will not be for life as the pups will, after a period of
about 12 to 14 months, have formed their own personalities and
temperaments. At this age they will have become confident of their own
individual abilities. Not as in most cases total inter-dependence to
each other when siblings are raised, trained, and fed together.
Without the total reliance on their sibling for constant support they
will grow and blossom into much rounder and less aggressive and fearful
individuals. I cannot stress how important it is to separate the
siblings
until they are older. It will produce two individuals rather than an
impaired
two parts of the whole.
It is worth stating that it is not only siblings that have these
problems. If you raise two young pups from different litters or even
breeds, you can have similar problems. I always recommend my clients to
wait till their puppy is 14 months old before purchasing another puppy
this then allows you to
concentrate all your efforts on that individual, and hopefully it will
take
on some of the good traits of the older more experienced dog.
However be aware that this can also have it’s pitfalls. It is too easy
to keep the new pup in the company of the older dog, depriving him of
the opportunity to develop self-confidence of his own, without relying
totally on the older dog/s and their protection. You must train and
occasionally walk separately, keep them apart at certain times in the
day so that over reliance does not happen which could stunt the pups
ability to interact with
both humans and other dogs.
I think what truly annoys me are the breeders that sell siblings, and
in some cases actually use emotional blackmail to push two pups, For
instance " what a shame you can't take two as I may have problems as
he's so small/white/little/runt etc and I'll probably have to have him
put down in the end". I have no respect for a breeder that uses these
tactics or that sell litter mates to one owner. If they are experienced
and not a first time breeder then they are well aware of the pitfalls
of these actions, and that the dogs will suffer for the
rest of their lives.
© Stan Rawlinson 
