Littermate syndrome is a catch phrase for two different behaviors that we see developing in puppies of similar ages. It’s a misnomer that it’s about related puppies too. It can appear in any two puppies within a year of each other regardless of breed, size, or relation. The behaviors exhibited often range between two extremes, hyper bonded puppies that in a literal sense cannot function without each other, and vicious fighting that can end fatally for one or both dogs.
The first behavior we can see is hyper bonding to each other. It can be a subtle, with a dog being stressed if the other leaves or goading each other into inappropriate behavior with the livestock. In handling, these puppies may be hard to train and more focused on rejoining the other than learning. It can also lead to two puppies with zero bonding to livestock who cannot function without each other. One puppy may appear to be bold while the other is skittish. They become a mental crutch for one another. The bold puppy may only be so because their sibling is there to back them up. The skittish puppy allows the bold one to lead them into situations. Often once separated, the bold puppy becomes unsure and the formerly skittish puppy will gain confidence with their newfound independence.
At its worst, littermate syndrome can lead to dead dogs. Fatal fights that will have them taking every opportunity to eliminate the other dog.
The only ‘cure’ for littermate syndrome is permanent separation. Sometimes this begins at 12 weeks old or 12 months old. More often it goes bad around maturity. In discussions online people are far too happy to tell newcomers how great their experience is with multiple puppies. Often professionals will see multiple red flags in from those same puppies and when things go down hill they disappear from later discussions.
The first behavior we can see is hyper bonding to each other. It can be a subtle, with a dog being stressed if the other leaves or goading each other into inappropriate behavior with the livestock. In handling, these puppies may be hard to train and more focused on rejoining the other than learning. It can also lead to two puppies with zero bonding to livestock who cannot function without each other. One puppy may appear to be bold while the other is skittish. They become a mental crutch for one another. The bold puppy may only be so because their sibling is there to back them up. The skittish puppy allows the bold one to lead them into situations. Often once separated, the bold puppy becomes unsure and the formerly skittish puppy will gain confidence with their newfound independence.
At its worst, littermate syndrome can lead to dead dogs. Fatal fights that will have them taking every opportunity to eliminate the other dog.
The only ‘cure’ for littermate syndrome is permanent separation. Sometimes this begins at 12 weeks old or 12 months old. More often it goes bad around maturity. In discussions online people are far too happy to tell newcomers how great their experience is with multiple puppies. Often professionals will see multiple red flags in from those same puppies and when things go down hill they disappear from later discussions.