# Littermate Syndrome: Why raising sibling puppies is misguided



## Adjecyca1 (Jul 25, 2010)

> 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.
> 
> Littermate SyndromeIt 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:
> 
> ...


http://blog.betternaturedogtraining.com/2013/07/18/littermate-syndrome/


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

Realistic well done Article when the individual work is not done daily in the the first year. If you can't treat your house like a well run, well organized kennel and a training center devoting your time to each individual pup it's better to stick with one pup at a time and add another one when the current pup is ready and will be a good leader dog to help you with the time you'll need for a new dog joining the household. Can be done well, but the focus is totally on them as individuals.


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## Losech (Apr 5, 2011)

I've got a pair of siblings that were raised together. Never did anything separate with them as pups. They love people and don't have any problems when separated from one another. Not saying littermate syndrome is not real, but it doesn't happen with all siblings who aren't raised individually.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

> I've got a pair of siblings that were raised together. Never did anything separate with them as pups. They love people and don't have any problems when separated from one another. Not saying littermate syndrome is not real, but it doesn't happen with all siblings who aren't raised individually.


agree'd I also have a pair of litter mates, I crate them together, walk them together, vet them together, feed them together, bath the together etc.. really the only thing I do separate is training(and I don't train ANY dogs together, not just siblings) and my girls are 2 now and totally fine, confident, bonded to me, play with dogs other then one another etc.. like losesh, I am not saying it doesn't exist, but I do tend to think the "rules" are over stated, unless its an "set the bar stupid high so people will go halfway which is the real bar" kinda thing lol


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## HollowHeaven (Feb 5, 2012)

Losech said:


> I've got a pair of siblings that were raised together. Never did anything separate with them as pups. They love people and don't have any problems when separated from one another. Not saying littermate syndrome is not real, but it doesn't happen with all siblings who aren't raised individually.


Quoting from the article


> Littermate SyndromeIt 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.


So, they did mention that.
But I have seen it more times than not. It's better to err on the side of caution.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

I agree with HollowHeaven. There are exceptions to every rule. That doesn't mean that people should run out and get two pups and expect everything to be fine.


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

Crantastic said:


> I agree with HollowHeaven. There are exceptions to every rule. That doesn't mean that people should run out and get two pups and expect everything to be fine.


The other issue is that it seems the majority of people get two puppies thinking it will be _easier_ since they'll entertain each other. The opposite is far closer to the truth.

Considering the number of problems people run into with *one* puppy/adolescent I think its good practice to warn people off it pretty strongly as a general rule.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Yeah, I watched a video with Dr. Ian Dunbar and his family recently, and they talked about how it's actually _three times_ the work because you need to walk, train, and play with each pup separately, as well as both together. It's not actually easier at all.

And I agree -- I mean, how many threads have we had here from people who were overwhelmed to the point of crying with one puppy? LOTS. We've had people debating whether or not to take the pup back because they weren't enjoying it or bonding with it and were sleep-deprived and frustrated with housetraining or nipping or crying... two puppies would be two or three times as bad.


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## Greater Swiss (Jun 7, 2011)

Crantastic said:


> Yeah, I watched a video with Dr. Ian Dunbar and his family recently, and they talked about how it's actually _three times_ the work because you need to walk, train, and play with each pup separately, as well as both together. It's not actually easier at all.


It doesn't just go for puppies! I've got that issue with Dexter and Caeda, definitely is more work that two individual dogs. I can't imagine doing it with puppies!! Yikes!! I've actually been wondering if a grown dog can develop a similar issue to littermate syndrome. Dexter is awfully attached to Caeda, although it isn't so bad that other things going on can't distract him, but he is stuck to her big time, and his demeanor is actually different when she is or isn't there.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Crantastic said:


> Yeah, I watched a video with Dr. Ian Dunbar and his family recently, and they talked about how it's actually _three times_ the work because you need to walk, train, and play with each pup separately, as well as both together. It's not actually easier at all.
> 
> And I agree -- I mean, how many threads have we had here from people who were overwhelmed to the point of crying with one puppy? LOTS. We've had people debating whether or not to take the pup back because they weren't enjoying it or bonding with it and were sleep-deprived and frustrated with housetraining or nipping or crying... two puppies would be two or three times as bad.


I agree with the above. I successfully raised Leeo and Blu Boy. They are siblings/littermates. I was home 24/7 to do so. I advise not to try it unless you are home the majority if not all the time to do this properly. Yes .... there are exceptions.

I knew I did well when Leeo passed and Blu Boy did not look for him.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

My family owned littermates when I was growing up and we didn't do anything special or train them separately. We even crated them together when they were small.

Overall, they were good dogs. They didn't mind being separated from each other and they never fought. They weren't particularly bonded together and ignored each other a lot of the time. The only "litter mate syndrome" effect I noticed was personality. The male became pretty bossy and pushy with her and other dogs. The female became pretty timid and nervous around other dogs. It could have been partially due to breed, since lots of terriers aren't great with other dogs, but they generally had poor dog-dog social skills. I think both dogs would've had more well rounded temperaments and been better pets if they hadn't been raised together, but overall they were really good dogs.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

what do you all mean by nothing special lol.... nothing special to me is they sat in the back yard got patted on the head here and there, saw a human on a passing bases if they saw them at all..... never gave them any instruction or one on one time for learning leash walking, living in the house, potty training..... just left them to do their own thing and they only had each other to occupy their time.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

PatriciafromCO said:


> what do you all mean by nothing special lol.... nothing special to me is they sat in the back yard got patted on the head here and there, saw a human on a passing bases if they saw them at all..... never gave them any instruction or one on one time for learning leash walking, living in the house, potty training..... just left them to do their own thing and they only had each other to occupy their time.


By nothing special I mean we didn't take them to training classes, didn't walk them separately, didn't socialize them separately. They were pretty much your generic "pet dogs" who knew sit, down, shake, and stay, and went for a walk twice a week. They were loved and had lots of attention and affection in the house, but we didn't go out of our way to socialize them, and we didn't do any more work with them because they were littermates.

Personally, I've never known anyone with an outside dog who got no human attention, so I don't consider that normal or "nothing special" - to me that's lower than standard care.


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

anyone have more insight or followup on this?

i have two puppies, not siblings but both received at the same time (7/5). we read all those scary articles on the internet basically saying how terrible LS can be

since reading it, we crate them separately, we take them out to potty separately (just in front of house as they are too young and still need 1 more vac), we feed them in their own crates, and we do take one or the other to work while the other stays home. we also take them to classes separately. with that being said, we do give them around an hour or so of playtime they get to have rough play which they seem to love.

right now we're not sure what we're supposed to be looking for as warning/danger signs. i definitely am cautious but we're committed to making this work.


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## momtolabs (May 27, 2012)

chombiekay said:


> anyone have more insight or followup on this?
> 
> i have two puppies, not siblings but both received at the same time (7/5). we read all those scary articles on the internet basically saying how terrible LS can be
> 
> ...


I would say what your are doing is fine. It's okay to let them have time to play together as long as they are having time to bond with u and try are from the sound of it.



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## Kayota (Aug 14, 2009)

since this thread got bumped up i am gonna ask something ive been wondering for a while... in feral dogs littermates are not separated at 8 weeks, or indeed in most wild mammals of any kind. so how does this affect feral dogs? do entire packs of dogs (or packs of wolves or prides of lions etc) have littermate syndrome?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Kayota said:


> since this thread got bumped up i am gonna ask something ive been wondering for a while... in feral dogs littermates are not separated at 8 weeks, or indeed in most wild mammals of any kind. so how does this affect feral dogs? do entire packs of dogs (or packs of wolves or prides of lions etc) have littermate syndrome?


Many wild animals separate from their families when they reach sexual maturity, and create their own families eventually. In some cases females stay and only the males leave. That's a big difference between wild animals and the way we keep domestic animals.

Littermate syndrome isn't a sure thing and doesn't happen in every pair of domestic dogs. It's also not necessarily horrible - sometimes just annoying. Often, one puppy is pushy and the other is submissive, and that could happen in the wild. It's not harmful necessarily, it just holds dogs back from what we want from their temperaments. Same for bonding more with their littermate than humans - that isn't good for dog-human relationships, but it wouldn't be an issue for a feral population.

In other cases, they fight, and in that case one or the other of the animals could just leave in the wild. In homes they are stuck living together. 

And for those that do stay together for life, I imagine they would experience separation anxiety if split up, just like any animal could that had lived with a close companion for years and was suddenly separated.

So basically, I think wild animals can and do suffer from littermate syndrome, but they are free to leave and move on (and often do, naturally), or the consequences aren't necessarily an issue for wild animals.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Honestly, I'm pretty sure Mia and Summer are overly bonded even though they are almost 6 years apart in age. I really think 'over bonding' is the bigger issue vs just having littermates. Summer is more attached to Mia than the opposite way. But Summer had separation anxiety prior to Mia so maybe it's just her temperament.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Laurelin said:


> Honestly, I'm pretty sure Mia and Summer are overly bonded even though they are almost 6 years apart in age. I really think 'over bonding' is the bigger issue vs just having littermates. Summer is more attached to Mia than the opposite way. But Summer had separation anxiety prior to Mia. So maybe it's just her temperament.


I think it's multiple possible issues. Overbonding is one. Fighting is another. And one dog being pushy and the other being submissive is the other. Those are the biggest I can think of. I owned littermates and they had the last problem, but it didn't make them bad pets or hard to live with, and could happen with two dog far apart in age as well (as can overbonding or fighting). I think it just makes those things more likely to happen when you have littermates.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

Honestly, any time we've had a pack we've had a pushy one and a submissive one, etc. Nikki and Trey were a good example- she walked all over him and he always deferred to her. Or Mia and Summer- Summer is overly attached to Mia and Mia is a bully. Etc. It probably is worse when you have multiple puppies though. Or more likely to happen at the least.

Also my maths suck- they're just 5 years apart. Mia is April 09 and Summer July 04.


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

Kayota said:


> since this thread got bumped up i am gonna ask something ive been wondering for a while... in feral dogs littermates are not separated at 8 weeks, or indeed in most wild mammals of any kind. so how does this affect feral dogs? do entire packs of dogs (or packs of wolves or prides of lions etc) have littermate syndrome?


In a feral dog, it wouldn't matter if they bonded to each other and not to humans . Plus, yeah, like elrohwen said, they have more space to leave if they get annoyed with each other. Feral dogs also tend to be around other dogs much more than pet dogs. Really, the way we raise pets is so completely unnatural that we're basically purposely raising them to be socially retarded in their own society :/. Like a human child raised by wolves or apes. I imagine that a human child raised by non-human animals would bond to a human sibling (if available) more than to the animals raising him/her. It's actually probably a significant survival advantage to have a closely bonded "buddy" in the wild; it just produces undesirable (to humans) side effects in pets.

For each point, as it would relate to a feral dog:

Not bonding with humans nor socializing with other dogs (the bonding with humans part would not be applicable, and I'm sure they'd be forced to socialize with other dogs)
Not learning to read human signals (not applicable)
Not learning to trust people (N/A)
Playing only with each other to the exclusion of other dogs (possible but when living among many other dogs not likely)
Not learning basic skills, such as potty training and bite inhibition (basic skills for living with humans. . .)
Severe distress when separated from each other even for a few minutes (could be an advantage in the wild)
Fighting with each other, sometimes brutally, as they reach adolescence (at about 8 – 10 months) (this would be when they naturally separate from each other, I think. Not possible if they're pets)


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

You know, I don't have this issue with my dogs. The closest age difference is 6 months (for puppies raised together and older dogs brought together). The greatest is 7+ years.

But... I don't let my puppies interact very much with the other dogs until they're older. Before and after that point, they all always have separate crates. They're fed separately. They're trained separately. They go to classes, where applicable, separately. Every one has SOME activity that only that dog does. When they're out and about they don't choose to sleep together. Most of the time, their only real ENGAGEMENT with each other is in some specific games they choose to play. Bug and Thud play Tug. Jack and Kylie, and Kylie and Thud (but not Jack and Thud) play chase games. Sometimes Bug will join a chase oriented game with Kylie and Thud. They'll all play with the puppy for a little bit.

But mostly they just live in the same house. No aggression or resource guarding or anything, but they're... sort of like polite roommates. They are DEFINITELY not bonded to each other. To be honest, it's probably more related to how different they are and what they like and luck than anything else.

(Right now Kylie is at my feet, Jack is on the couch across the room, Bug is on my husband's bed, Thud is in front of the back door, and Molly is with my kid.)


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

My question is...

If they are being crated separately, fed separately, go outside separately to eliminate (soon walks when they have all their shots), trained separately, how about the rest of the time? there's a LOT of time in between those things... should they be allowed to have access to each other?


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

I would make an effort to have one on one PLAY time with them as well, so they know you can also be fun to interact with-

But there's no reason they can't play together some, too.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

chombiekay said:


> My question is...
> 
> If they are being crated separately, fed separately, go outside separately to eliminate (soon walks when they have all their shots), trained separately, how about the rest of the time? there's a LOT of time in between those things... should they be allowed to have access to each other?


Well, one of the main issues with littermates is bonding more with each other than they do with humans in general. So even if you do things separately every day, but then let them have access to each other for 6 hours a day, they are going to bond strongly. Like CptJack said, it's a good idea for any puppy to be kind of separate from the other household dogs so they learn to bond with the people, not only the other dogs. Not that you can't allow playtime, but I would limit it to maybe 1-2 hours a day, and otherwise try to interact with them independently, and definitely play with them one-on-one.


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

elrohwen said:


> Well, one of the main issues with littermates is bonding more with each other than they do with humans in general. So even if you do things separately every day, but then let them have access to each other for 6 hours a day, they are going to bond strongly. Like CptJack said, it's a good idea for any puppy to be kind of separate from the other household dogs so they learn to bond with the people, not only the other dogs. Not that you can't allow playtime, but I would limit it to maybe 1-2 hours a day, and otherwise try to interact with them independently, and definitely play with them one-on-one.



well said and makes sense. my next question was actually going to be "how many hours a day should i let them interact," but i wasn't sure if it was silly to put a quantifiable value to it. we have a studio and no divider really so basically while we play with one, we put other in a large play pen.

sometimes we do have to travel to different states and we bring the puppies with us. we're trying to keep one in front and one in back as well.

this may be a silly question but does sleeping with a puppy or holding it in your arms or lap also strengthen the owner/pet bond?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I would pretend like they are two puppies who live next door to each other. If you had a puppy and your neighbor had a puppy, you might let them play together for 1-2 hours a day, but you wouldn't just let them go off and have free time all the time, you know?

I will be honest, I think it will be very hard to impossible in a studio. Even if they are separated by a pen, they can still see each other and interact, so they aren't truly separated. I grew up with littermate puppies and they were great dogs, so I don't want to be doom and gloom (and we didn't separate them because we didn't know about littermate syndrome) but just giving you some things to think about. Maybe separating them so they can't see each other would help. Definitely giving them one-on-one time outside the house in the wide world will be the most important - they will learn to cope without one another and look to you for guidance, which is so important. If you can do that often, then seeing each other in the house might not matter so much.

Sleeping with a dog or holding them can absolutely strengthen your bond! Some dogs just love to cuddle with their people.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

I think the key is giving them opportunity to develop as individuals.. can they apply skills independently even though they are shoulder to shoulder in the same room.. Those are the skills you need (valuable).. two or more dogs all together and you need only one of them to respond while the rest of them wait or do a different direction. Lots of opportunity to teach them the ability. "Think of red rover type games" for my crew we use to play the only one bowl game which meant I fix one bowl of food and only one dog who is called come over and eat it, finish it off, and go back to sit and wait with the crew while the next dog got their turn. Can you have one pup stay while you take the second pup and walk all the way round your house and back ????? Valuable Valuable skills that they both sync'd to you and the task and not feed off the other dog who is doing differently then what their job is.. Not hard to accomplish when you train for it... I always had different dogs in different classes so not all dogs went to class at the same time.. so one or the rest needed to be left behind at the house while I left with the one. or just grabbing the one for a short walk to start, or a quick trip to the store getting the pups use to going or staying by themselves normal events. Not all dogs are going to be cuddly, some are just naturally the strong silent type.. some will sleep in your bed and always want to be touching you and some will be just as affectionate wanting to be in the same room where you are.. My two independant pups love to sit outside on the deck,, my GSD's are ones to stay in the same room under my feet while I'm at the computer desk it is just who they are as individuals.. and nothing to do with not bonding..


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

elrohwen & patriciafromCO, great info both!


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## Pasarella (May 30, 2013)

Not always,I have two litter mates,no problems,normal dogs.My father has two litter mates -perfectly normal dogs.


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## Pasarella (May 30, 2013)

All my dogs kinda bond to each other.I don't see anything bad about it,it's easy to watch them when they are of leash,because they explore everything together,both sister usually sleep together.Mokka is always where I am,right now she is under my chair and with her the little puppy Mimi,but I'm not sure where Mimi would chose to be,she can't get in bed herself.Sometimes they sleep all together,cuddling,licking each other ears.Fanta is the bully,they follow her,so usually I have to just call her and everyone comes with her,Fera is the most submissive,she gets humped by Mokka while I'm not watching,poor girl,and than Mimi,who still has her puppy pass and she is all over everybody,biting their ears,legs,necks,muzzles,everything.


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## Lako (Apr 2, 2014)

Wow. Reading this article just made all the puzzle pieces fit together for me.

We rescued our GSD from a friend of ours who brought him home with a littermate. He eventually gave up both dogs because of thier bad behaviour, all listed in this article.

This also would explain my dogs fear of all other dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels, or basically anything that moves too fast.


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## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

I don't know, maybe I just got lucky, but my two Blenhiem Cavaliers are only three months apart in age and the two dogs (mixed breeds) I had before the Cavaliers were around 2 months apart in age. There were never any issues. None of the dogs were actually "littermates" but were very close in age.


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

So far I've been able to take one out on extended trips with the other having no issue.

My main problem is that when they are both free they love to play with each other. They don't really seek us out to play, just each other.


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## MaDeuce (Sep 5, 2013)

I am raising and working two littermates that I have bred myself. They both live in the same house, the both are crated, they both get to play with each other and they both get to work. I can take one out without the other, both pups are focused on me, not the other. 

I personally believe it lies in the balance and how you deal with them from the beginning.


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## doglover24 (Jul 17, 2014)

I will not ever recommend two puppies in the same household. Im glad that it has worked out for some people but we cant not assume it always will. 

To me, its not worth the risk. I suggest that anyone who has littermates or dogs within 6months of age that they do everything separately or get rid of one because of the possible end result. I do not think that it is worth a dogs mental well being to try and raise two dogs close in age or the same in age.

Im happy for those that have had it work for them, but i sure hope that anyone who reads this thread doesnt get the wrong idea, and understands that the risk is too great and that they should keep the age difference around 6 months. 


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## MaDeuce (Sep 5, 2013)

I think there is a difference between new dog owners who get puppies "to keep each other company" and people who are experienced and seasoned owners. 

Mine are 6 months of age. While crated in the same room, I've began crating them separately at about 9 or 10 weeks. Took them out alone and together. 

They are both worked in IPO and SAR and I won't get rid of eather one of them. It's a male and female and the legacy of our bloodline. 
Today my male went into the field with our team for the first time. Both pups went out by themselves to meet the team for the first time. Each of them interacted with the team members and my male went out with the ground pounding team I was assigned to. He was awesome (not to search but for exposure). He was off leash for the entire time, a 6 month old dog. 
How many people do really trust their teenage dogs off leash? I know I do. 

Other than that, they spend quite a bit of time together and with the pack. I've retired my adult dogs, lost one dog to a medical condition and solely concentrate on these two puppies. 

Now if I was a first time dog owner, not involved in Sports or Work, not knowing what goes into raising two young dogs at the same time, I wouldn't recommend it and I wouldn't do it either. 

As a matter of fact I did think of giving one of the pups to someone else to work but I've got a controlling issue. I want to be in control of the training of my own dogs.


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

hi. lots of good info here. what do you mean by "focused on you." is this for training or all time time, even play?



MaDeuce said:


> I think there is a difference between new dog owners who get puppies "to keep each other company" and people who are experienced and seasoned owners.
> 
> Mine are 6 months of age. While crated in the same room, I've began crating them separately at about 9 or 10 weeks. Took them out alone and together.
> 
> ...


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## MaDeuce (Sep 5, 2013)

Both training and play. I can call them of any time, I can call them in any time, I can go on off leash walks with them together or alone. I can have one in the car and take another one out without getting a major fit. Though I have to say this. If I have one on the leash and another one holds the other puppy, they want to get to me, not to their sibling. Both pups are bound to me, not each other.


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## Katagaria (May 21, 2014)

I have littermate brothers. We got Cosmo at 8 weeks old and he's a confident happy chap, definitely my best buddy. We then got Jet at 5 months old (Cosmo was the same age) I feel like the main mistake we made was introducing the pups together as soon as Jet was introduced to us pretty much. Jet is tightly bonded to Cosmo but not the other way around. Jet has had difficulty walking by himself because he gets stressed out with Cosmo not around, my boyfriend and I took them out on a walk once and did an experiment where we both walked separate ways half way through the walk, he with Cosmo and I with Jet. He told me Cosmo was a little confused at first, but he went trotting along fine after a few seconds. Jet? He was quite upset, started whining, would not walk, took about 5-10 minutes before he would move. I tried to do some basic training with him but he was extremely distracted, as if every moving thing was potentially my boyfriend with Cosmo.

They are my first dogs in my whole life but my boyfriend's 4th and 5th, there's a LOT I could have learnt before I got them and during their puppyhood that I wish I knew but know now. I think I sure am well equipped for the future lol.


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## chombiekay (Jul 15, 2014)

hi. just an update as the puppies are almost a year old. so far they still love to play together and cuddle together when we're not there, but when we are they, they tend to move towards one of us or wherever they choose to be on the floor or sofa. they seem to be okay with or without each other when separated for a while. we purposely take them to different days for doggy daycare once a week for each of them and we take them on 1-3 day trip with one of the owners while the other pup stays at home with the other owner. honestly, it was hard work. it's definitely double the trouble but honestly i committed to it and it wasn't an option to quit on them since it was our decision to bring them in.

some small behavioral issues they still have (since they are our first puppies we are still learning)

1) they LOVE playing with each other. when they go to dog parks they do play with other dogs though, though one is a bit more shy than the other but i don't know if i can attribute that directly to littermate syndrome or just a personality issue. when they are at home together, there is no dominance, they fight fun equally and respect each others toys and food.

2) one thing i did note was when they were separated for four days, on the third day, they both PEED in whichever house they were at (one house it was the bed, other house it was the sofa). it was weird since they were over 100 miles away from each other and haven't had an accident in months. were they mad?


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## Katagaria (May 21, 2014)

chombiekay said:


> hi. just an update as the puppies are almost a year old. so far they still love to play together and cuddle together when we're not there, but when we are they, they tend to move towards one of us or wherever they choose to be on the floor or sofa. they seem to be okay with or without each other when separated for a while. we purposely take them to different days for doggy daycare once a week for each of them and we take them on 1-3 day trip with one of the owners while the other pup stays at home with the other owner. honestly, it was hard work. it's definitely double the trouble but honestly i committed to it and it wasn't an option to quit on them since it was our decision to bring them in.
> 
> some small behavioral issues they still have (since they are our first puppies we are still learning)
> 
> ...


 Sounds like you have been doing a great job tackling things as best you can!

1 - As an owner of littermates, and having worked with many littermates, I have always found this to be the case. One does become more shy/withdrawn than the other.

2 - I think some dogs often can be only housetrained in the house they live in, but not every house they go to. I'm pretty sure this is the case with my boys anyhow!


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