Imagine getting two cute, adorable puppies from the same litter and bringing them home to be a part of your family.
You might think you’re doing a fantastic thing, keeping brother and sister pup together.
Cuddling will be double the fun!
I actually sort of considered getting two Rottweiler puppies but am supremely satisfied with just my female Rottweiler Amalia.
Another couple actually got a male and a female from the same litter, but dangers lurk behind doing this.
However, there’s a potential monkey wrench in your best-laid plans.
If you choose two sibling puppies, then you could face challenges due to littermate syndrome.
Littermate syndrome describes the phenomenon when two puppies from the same litter grow up together in the same home.
The puppies get so attached to each other and form such a deep bond, it can spark behavioral issues.
Unfortunately, it can also prevent your puppies from bonding with you, leaving you feeling a little bummed, to say the least.
Is Littermate Syndrome Real?
While not an exacting scientific or medical diagnosis, the concept of littermate syndrome is very real.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a given situation for all sibling pups that you raise together.
As with many things, multiple factors can influence the probability and severity of littermate syndrome.
But, there has been quite a bit of evidence suggesting it is best to avoid sibling dogs.
In fact, in some cases, even unrelated puppies adopted at the same time can exhibit signs of littermate syndrome.
Therefore, if you want more than one puppy, you risk dealing with several behavioral problems.
The theory is that you adopt puppies during a critical time in their development, around 8 weeks.
This time is the age when puppies can start to leave their mother.
During this crucial time, littermates possess a deep bond with each other, recognizing each other by scent.
When puppies share this strong bond, it discourages them from interacting with their human family.
This lack of interest or interaction inhibits their ability to start understanding canine-human communication.
It can also influence how your dogs react and interact with other dogs.
A lack of socialization caused by disinterest in the environment and perhaps other dogs can potentially lead to behavioral issues as well.
What Age Does Littermate Syndrome Start?
Typically, puppies stay together with their mother until at least 8 weeks.
Between 8 and 12 weeks is when most breeders deem it okay for pups to leave the nest.
If you adopt two puppies around this time and raise them together, you could see signs of littermate syndrome as early as 8 to 10 weeks if the puppies stay together after leaving their mothers.
However, slightly older puppies still less than 6 months of age that are raised together can also experience littermate syndrome.
So, basically, issues can begin as soon as young pups leave their mom but stay with each other, whether it’s 8 weeks or 6 months.
What Are the Symptoms of Littermate Syndrome?
If you’ve adopted two puppies from the same litter, you might start noticing some concerning behaviors.
For example, your pups might whine or bark frequently, seem overly fearful or anxious in new situations, and be challenging to train.
You might also notice your new furry family members paying little to no attention to you.
All these can also be caused by a variety of other (non-concerning) factors or a lack of a proper training program.
Be on the alert for clues the dogs might show through their interactions (or lack thereof) with humans.
Also, take particular note of how the two dogs behave when they are apart and when other dogs are around.
Here are a few possible symptoms of littermate syndrome:
- The dogs show fear or anxiety toward new people, experiences, and other dogs.
- Puppies display extreme separation anxiety when they’re away from each other. Potential signs can be excessive barking, whining, pacing, and destructive behavior.
- The dogs only eat when they are together.
- You might notice a lack of focus and difficulty with things like training because the dogs distract each other constantly.
- The puppies only seem to want to play with you if they are together.
- The dogs might fight with each other or show aggression towards other dogs.
Always take a holistic approach and evaluate all the criteria one after one and check if they could be caused by something totally different.
How Common Is Littermate Syndrome?
Although littermate syndrome is not a guarantee, it’s a fairly common occurrence when you adopt puppies the same age.
In addition, some believe that certain breeds are more prone to littermate syndrome than others.
However, there are no evidence-based studies to back up these claims.
Overall, professionals recommend avoiding adopting puppies younger than 6 months old at the same time.
However, it’s best to be prepared to put certain steps into practice if you insist on doing so.
You’ll need to stay dedicated and consistent if you want to try and avoid littermate syndrome.
Does Littermate Syndrome Always Happen?
In a nutshell, no, littermate syndrome doesn’t always happen. However, a lot depends on environmental factors and how you raise the puppies.
If you don’t make a point to treat them individually, then the likelihood of littermate syndrome increases significantly.
A lot also depends on how soon you start working toward preventing littermate syndrome.
How to Prevent Littermate Syndrome?
Of course, the best way to try and prevent littermate syndrome altogether is to adopt dogs of different ages.
For example, you could adopt a puppy but then select an older dog for your second pup.
Another option that could also be successful is to adopt your dogs at least six months apart.
When you stagger your timeline for bringing home your new pups, your dogs are more apt to bond with you.
Plus, it’s a lot easier for you to focus on helping one dog get acclimated at a time to their new environment.
This idea is a good practice no matter your dog’s age.
However, whether you choose one of these options or move forward with adopting littermates, it’s essential to socialize your puppies properly.
It’s also vital to start your action plan right away; the longer you delay, the more likely littermate syndrome will develop.
Furthermore, it’s critical to treat your dogs as individuals, making a point to spend time with them separately.
Not only does this one-on-one time help ease the effects of littermate syndrome, but it also helps you bond with your dog.
Can Littermate Syndrome Be Cured?
If your dogs are already exhibiting signs of littermate syndrome, all is not for naught.
It will take a lot of dedication, but yes, it is possible to remedy the situation. However, immediate action is best.
The sooner you can start working on a plan to resolve the various issues, the better.
Separating your dogs for training is a significant part of this plan so that you can work with them individually.
Remember, it’s about each dog feeling comfortable and confident in their own skin and with their human family.
However, if your pups already share a strong bond, you may need to ease into the separation gradually.
Again, if you plan to adopt two puppies simultaneously, it’s best to prevent littermate syndrome from occurring in the first place.
Employing the following techniques can potentially help ease existing signs of littermate syndrome.
- Crate your dogs separately, leaving the crates side-by-side at first and then gradually moving them apart. Eventually, the ideal situation would be to have the crates in entirely different rooms.
- Train your dogs separately as well. Plan out a training schedule where you only work with one pup at a time. If you plan to enroll in obedience classes, do two separate classes on occasion.
- Work on socializing each dog independently; take your dog to public settings, go on a walk, and enjoy some play sessions. Then, repeat the same activities with your other pup.
- As your dogs start to become more independent, you can gradually ease them into joint activities. Enlist the help of another family member or friend. For example, if you plan to take both dogs on a walk, you handle one and your friend the other.
- Even as you start to have joint training and play sessions, still maintain individual sessions with each dog as well.
Do Dogs Outgrow Littermate Syndrome?
Without a thoughtful and constructive action plan to remedy behavioral issues, it’s improbable your dogs will simply outgrow littermate syndrome.
If you want to be able to get the situation under control, it’ll be because you’ve allowed them to develop independently and receive proper socialization, not because they’ve outgrown anything.
Besides, training one puppy is hard enough – trust me, I know. Puppy blues times two incoming.
As with anything when it comes to your pets, if you’re concerned about their well-being, talk with your vet.
Have you already adopted two puppy siblings and are experiencing some challenges?
I’d love to hear from you in the comments. If you’ve dealt with littermate syndrome in the past, what are some things that helped you and your pups?
Disclaimer: This blog post does not substitute veterinary attention and does not intend to do so. I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist. If your dog shows any sign of illness, call your vet.
We adopted two cavapoo puppies. I am on watch for littermate syndrome. They play fight a lot. We are going to start separating them at night soon (they are 9 weeks old). We separate them now for walks and outdoor pkay and they seem fine. At what age do you really think this problem would become more apparent
Hi Tara, if you don’t see any signs of this happening and you do your training, they play together in a healthy way, eat well and so on I wouldn’t worry too much. You can spot signs anywhere from right after getting them at 8 weeks to a couple of months later (unusual though).
Make sure they spend time together without depending on each other and train them properly and you should be fine :).
I have male & female. Got them at 8 weeks. They are now 20 months. And perfect. A real team. Smart, funny & protective. They do well with my 2 smaller older dogs. They rarely bark. If they are barking it’s bcuz something is wrong. They are happy & loving.
I adopted an 8 week old chihuahua female and had her for about 2-3 weeks. I felt like she needed a playmate so I adopted one of her female litter mates who is slightly older. (Same dad, different moms). My younger chihuahua is being very aggressive toward the littermate at times. I’ve noticed it mostly revolves around treats, bones or food. The first one i adopted plays fairly rough and also exhibits behaviors like pushing her butt against the other dog, getting stiff while standing over her, and humping. They are not technically “littermates” in the traditional sense because they were born a couple weeks apart and weren’t raised together to my knowledge. Do you have any advice?
Hi Demi, it’s important to note whether or not you got your dog from a responsible breeder or not (e.g. rescue with several pups)? Unless it was planned already, adopting another pup so soon just because you feel like the current pup needs a playmate isn’t a good idea. Going to puppy play sessions 2-3 times a week and socializing in general should suffice and a playmate isn’t always necessary (or even desired).
What you describe sounds quite unusual for an 8-week-old pup. You might want to look up resource guarding (food aggression is part of it).
The fact that they’re related might have nothing to do with it, but you definitely want to get to the bottom of this asap.
I am one who has just adopted a pair of siblings. I will be bringing them home soon. I heard about littermate syndrome after committing to the 2 puppies and have already started making a plan for training. I’m wondering if you have any tips for separate potty training? There will just be times it’s easier to take them outside together. Is that ok?
Hi Sheri, sure bringing them outside together is okay, especially since most pups need frequent potty breaks and bringing them seperately would just double the work. Just make sure both go during the potty break instead of playing with each other and you should be fine.
Cheers,
Dnaielle
We adopted two pit bull puppies. One of them is deaf and had learned to rely on her brother so we didn’t want to separate them. But training has been impossible and now they are very aggressive toward each other but still will freak out if we try to separate them. I’m so frustrated I don’t know what to do. They basically have to stay in their crates if they aren’t outside or they are destructive or fighting. I know they’re not happy living this way, but I don’t know what else to do with them.
Hey Paula, first of all, you’re right in saying that letting them stay in the crate won’t solve it. Dogs need mental and physical exercise and also bonding time.
It really depends on how they display aggression towards each other (circumstances, body language, triggers, etc.). Since they’re still pups, it’s best to train them quickly and for that, I’d suggest you consult a local behaviorist/trainer.
We have two, three year old Aussies. We went for one and accidentally came home with two as they were so little and cute. We love them both, but even now they occasionally fight. Hard. We’re not sure what to do. Any tips? We love them both dearly, but don’t want to see them hurt (or worse). Please help.
Hi Kristi, it’d be important to know what your dogs are fighting over and how exactly they behave. Has this issue been present from the get-go or just developed recently? I’d suggest consulting a trainer.
Sometimes, it’s just rough play between littermates but if it persists and happens around resources such as toys, food, favorite people, etc. then that might need to be addressed.
So we have 2 dogs who mated and had 5 pups. We are unable to recommend 2 pups and its likely they’ll be staying with us. They are beginning to enjoy play with their parents and love time with us as a family. Individually and together. They are just 8 weeks old now and need to know best ways to discourage litter mate syndrome. They all play fought together and the 2 remaining still do though are (so far) content on doing own thing exploring round house. Will nap separately. Though sleep together at night. All advice appreciated
Hi Deborah, apart from what’s recommended in the article, there’s not that much you can do. Occasionally training or playing with them separately and making sure they seem to have a healthy relationship is all you need. Keeping them is the only responsible option anyway unless you manage to find the perfect home for them but never settle for anything less due to a potential issue that might never arise.
Cheers,
Danielle
We have 3 American bullies. They are brown and the other is lilac, the oldest 16 weeks is blue.They are comparably the same age. All from different litters. But 2 were crated and the other was with another litter.
Anyways the two younger that were kenneled together, 1 of them (brown) would prefer to play by himself when other is kenneled. They all 3 fight playing, although i feel it get serious. We lead train and stack separately. They are 14 and 16 weeks old. They still prefer to play with each other, the 16 week old is pretty bigger then the others.
The Lilac prefers people, the blue prefers either, the brown is the only one who would also rather be in his kennel playing with toys. Is this normal and just part of their personalities
Hi Stephanie, it’s totally normal that every pup has a different personality (i.e. preferring toys over people for now or vice versa). That being said, playtime and socialization is crucial for all of them and they definitely should display healthy behavior with each other. Extremely rough play should be discouraged, especially if the others are clearly not into it.
Usually, the mother will have taught them that as well as basic bite inhibition which they partly learn within the litter. It’s unclear where exactly all of them are from, but why don’t you consult their breeders, maybe that’ll shed some light on their behavior.
We recently went for one Golden Retriever pup and ended up leaving with 2 females at 8 weeks old (now 12 weeks old). I had never even heard of littermate syndrome until tonight and now I’m panicked! They both have very different personalities – one more aggressive and feisty, and the other laid back and loving (quintessential GR personality). I just started crating them and am going to start feeding them separately, and taking them out separately as much as possible and we start puppy classes in September. My concern is they do (play?) fight. I assumed this was typical puppy behavior, but now I question when to know when it’s too much, and anytime I see them wrestling around, do I break it up? More so than anything else I am now worried about aggressive behavior as I do have a toddler in the house!
Hi Jessica, playing together is part of normal puppy development, it’s usually not necessary to break up play, on the contrary. It’s only necessary if play gets too rough (i.e. one signals that she doesn’t want to play anymore by whelping, cowering, etc.). Puppy play classes are great so they have contact with other dogs too.
If they’re doing well and you train them consistently, you’ll probably have nothing to worry about. It’s good to incorporate 1-on-1 sessions but don’t get too worked up over them being together. Teach your toddler how to behave around the pups and the pups how to behave around your toddler. Aggression doesn’t develop out of nowhere if you properly socialize your dog and rely on positive reinforcement instead of punishment.
Cheers,
Danielle
We adopted 2 male labrador littermates. Currently 8 1/2 weeks old. I’ve followed the breeder for years and she is awesome as far as we know. She always has a waitlist for her dogs. I asked he about getting 2 together and she said she had more than a dozen families do this and no problems. I was more worried about bonding with us verses each other – I had not heard of littermate syndrome. Then I heard about it and now I am worried. We have 2 sons ages 10 and 13 and we thought it would be great to get 2 at the same time. We also have a 14 year old lab. We are active people. Averaging 5-7 miles of hiking for the adults each day – kids join us for 1-3 miles depending on other activities. We already have the puppies sleeping in two separate rooms at night. They have 2 crates that we have them in during the day. We plan to train them separately. having them eat in their crates separately. They do play fight and it does get rough but I’m limiting that now and they’re responding well. Any chance we make it out of this without littermate syndrome? ANY suggestions? I can’t barely seem to find success stories.
Hi Megan, it’s always best to know about this beforehand but even if you don’t, chances are slim that something will go wrong just because you got littermates. If you look out for a few things, train them and avoid separation anxiety, it should go well. You’re probably not taking them with you yet, but it’s important to state that 5-7 miles is great for adult dogs (as well as humans), but it’s not for puppies. I actually have an article on how to safely exercise pups.
It’s good to occasionally train separately and get them used to not having the other one in their face 24/7, but you’re probably fine to let them sleep in the same room (especially if it’s in your room). It’s also no issue if the eat at the same time, but it’s best if they have separate bowls. However, that’s just small details and it’s up to you how you want to do it. Play between them is great, that’s why people get littermates after all :).
Cheers,
Danielle
Hi Danielle, I have two Labrador siblings – they are nearly 4 months now and sleep in separate crates in separate rooms at night, we feed them in their crates too so that they are fed separately (with a door shut between the two rooms as one of them inhales their food and finishes before the other!), my husband takes them for their main morning walk separately one after the other (the one left behind doesn’t seem to fuss at all), then I take them for a small joint walk on my lunch break. I also alternate which one I take to puppy class each week, and again, the one left behind doesn’t fuss whilst the other is away, they just sleep as it’s in the evening.
They are lovely dogs, have different personalities and have definitely bonded with us – we enjoy lots of cuddles with them and also lots of licking! When do we need to stop worrying about the risk of Littermate Syndrome? It would be nice to think that eventually they can have normal open dog beds around the house that they can share when they are older (if they want to). From what you have written it looks like the risk reduces from 6 months onwards maybe or do we need to wait until we are through adolescence?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Kathryn, the fact that your pups seem to do well if the other one’s away is a good sign. It’s hard to say what the risk is and when it’s going to be safe but I wouldn’t worry too much about it if your dogs are doing fine. Prevention is essential and sounds like you’re setting them up in a way that they won’t experience many issues.
Keep in mind that bonding time is important too. Playing together, sleeping together, going on walks together.
While some people feed dogs separately their whole lives, I’d say it’s definitely possible for two pups to eat in the same room. One just needs to be taught not to touch the other’s food if they’re finished earlier. You can just distract them, reward for not trying to get the other one’s food, etc. When it comes to sleeping, it’s up to you but since they’re pretty young, potty accidents might be an issue right now. Once that training is solid and you’ve established a routine, it’s probably okay to let them sleep freely. Every dog is different though and I know some people keep their crates longer than others but it really depends how your dogs react.
Cheers,
Danielle
I’m considering adopting 2 chihuahua littermates.
I totally understand all the things to do to prevent littermate syndrome, and I have had many dogs in the past, so it all makes sense.
My question (that I can not find the answer anywhere) is how long is the process of getting past the potential of developing littermate syndrome. I’m committed to dealing with the preventative measures (crates, training, walking, socializing, bonding) independently, but how long does this process take?
At some point, I would like them to be able to go on walks together….is it just observing them to know when they’re confident in meeting people and remembering their training even when they’re together? Am I looking at 6 weeks of teaching independence or is forever?
Lots of sites explain the how, but not the how long.
Thoughts?
Thanks,
Joe
Hi Joe, there’s no set time frame but you definitely shouldn’t worry about it forever. It can take as little as 4-8 weeks to build a solid foundation. Even beyond that, constant training will be required but that definitely does not mean that you won’t be able to on walks together etc. Some individuals experience a lot fewer problems.
Personally, I advise people against getting littermates, especially if it’s an intense breed. If you want to adopt, it might be even harder since they’ve already formed certain habits but of course, you might feel like they have a playmate and besides, rescuing both is better than just one.
Hi Danielle,
This is a unique situation. I got a male Golden Retriever from a very reputable breeder when he was 8 weeks old. The breeder kept two males from this litter, with the plan of ultimately placing one of them depending on which one showed better conformation.
Now they are 4 months old, and she has probably selected the one she will be keeping. I am thinking about taking the other one when he is 5-6 months old. He is already house trained and knows basic (and some advanced) commands, as does my boy.
Do I need to worry about littermate syndrome, or is it likely to be a non-issue since they are older? They do play together sometimes for a couple of hours, and have stayed together for a couple of weeks, with no issues.
Thank you.
Hi Barb, if you keep these tips in mind and the pups get along with each other well, there’s probably nothing to worry about. Since there’s such a time difference between when the first vs second pup is added, you just have to make sure that it will work between them.
I have two GSD male and female 9 months old, you can’t quite tell where one starts and the other one ends. We’re working on slowly separating them. Our male isn’t too bad but our female is horrendous of your on a joint walk and the male is a head with my partner she will pull me over to get back to him. If you try putting them in separate rooms she will bark and wine and continuisly attack the door to get to him. She is petrified of other dogs and he his more than happy to play with them.
Hi Danielle,
I am looking to adopt a 1 year old dog who is being rehomed BECAUSE of littermate syndrome. How can we support this new dog as she joins our family? Will she be okay and confident without her sister?
Hi Kellie, my advice before getting the pup would be to inquire about why exactly the puppy needs to leave. Were the two siblings brought home together at 8-10 weeks? If so, what issue suddenly arose or has it drastically worsened with adolescence?
Make sure you’re up for the task if behavioral issues are involved, especially if you don’t really know the person who’s giving the pup away.
Other than that, the same as with every dog. Socialization, gradual change, lots of positive reinforcement, and consistent training from day one.
If there are existing issues, the current owner should tell you about them (i.e. separation anxiety) so you can work on them.
Hope that helps,
Danielle
Hi Danielle, 14 years ago my husband and I brought home 2 puppies born the same week (one cocker and one mini schnauzer) and successfully raised them with no issues (and no clue about littermate syndrome!). We recently said goodbye to the last one and are bringing home 2 new mini schnauzer puppies in 2 weeks. We worked with the breeder to select for a positive personalities and have watched them interact (both played but looked to the human alpha first and most often.). They are not of the same litter but Beverly similar ages.
In preparation for their arrival, I’ve now discovered the littermate syndrome risk. Are there certain personality combinations that work to minimize the risk in addition to all the great advice you share above? We are committed to ensuring they bond with us and have 2 girls to help (10 & 12). Im hoping the approach we took the first time will help avoid issues but am now really worried!
Any help you can give would be wonderful – thank you for the Ana ing resource!
Hi Becky, honestly the best advice is to just keep it natural, involve the whole family (sounds like your husband and two girls are onboard) and take it from there to see if any issues develop. As long as both pups are in harmony with each other and don’t share any negative predispositions for any specific traits that the breeder has observed, it should probably turn out fine. Hope you won’t get that puppy blues with two of these rascals haha!
Wish you and your family a lot of fun,
Danielle