Siblings or Two Dogs
The Worst of Both Worlds
By Stan Rawlinson
The incidence of owners and potential trainers 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 creates; however this knowledge now appears to have been lost on some of today’s dog owners with devastating consequences for the dogs and their owners.
And that is never more so than in the world of gundogs. A lot of amateur and some professional breeders and trainers, hold back a number of likely dogs from the litter. The experienced trainers will kennel and train these separately, so as not to have the problems that occur all to often in the keeping and purchasing of siblings or young dogs of similar ages. Unfortunately not everyone has the facilities or indeed the time to do this. I personally believe you should not take on a second pup until the first one is almost mature. Irrespective whether they are the same breed, litter or sex
On the surface the idea of taking on two young dogs 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 and other concerns a lone youngster could have. They can also imitate the good characteristics of each other, and will be able to do everything together therefore benefiting from that closeness and companionship, allowing them to glean untold pleasure from each others company.
Sounds fantastic, unfortunately the reality is very far from this ideal, 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 The puppies come to rely on each other and it weakens both of them, often to the extent that they become withdrawn from everything other than themselves.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 this “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, known as “Sibling Rivalry” Strangely enough the worst fights are normally between bitches who will fight to the death where the males tend to fight till one shows submission, the other then may urinate on the vanquished if it really dominant or just strut off.
Quite often one will be timid and the other appear somewhat bolder but in reality is a bully and like all bullies will collapse if seriously challenge, just think back to the siblings you have met or even owned?
Aggressive Behaviour
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 these 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 or two young dogs from different litters, 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 probably 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 a 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 this devastating total reliance on each other. To do this you will need to work twice as hard, all the things you did together you will now need to do apart.
Things you must do:
Everything must now be done independently to allow the youngsters 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 have to 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, which is what you get 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 youngsters until they are older. It will produce two individuals rather than an impaired two parts of the whole.
It is worth stating yet again that it is not only siblings that have these problems. raising two young pups from different litters or breeds can create similar problems. As mentioned earlier I am constantly asked when is the best time and age to introduce a second youngster.
I always recommend my clients to wait till their dog is at least 14 months old before purchasing another puppy and sometimes older if it is a large breed as they mature later.
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 even this can 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 reliance 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.
When you first introduce them do so in a neutral place not your garden or house or the park where you normally take your dog, but in a field, park or garden where it is new to both.
It is better they meet outside then neither should feel cornered or enclosed. Both dogs should be on a leash. If your current dog is obedience trained, put him/her in a down/stay. Allow them to sniff one another and encourage play, discourage all aggression.
Should your new dog show anxiety or aggression, take the introduction slow and easy let the dog realise your existing dog is no threat, do not force the situation allow your established dog to come and sniff the youngster. Hopefully he should learn to trust the established dog by realising that the he is not going to attack him, and your established dog learns that the new boy is acting either submissive or friendly towards him. This fosters trust amongst the two animals. If the dogs want to play, let them. In fact, encourage them, and do not interfere unless you feel you must. If you are in a secure area, you can let both dogs off the lead at this time.
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 and the new owners may well suffer emotionally and behaviourally for the remainder of their lives.