Littermate Syndrome and why you should take it seriously!

From time to time when Camp Cocker Rescue ends up with a rescued litter of puppies, one of the most common requests from people is to ask to “keep the puppies together” or to adopt out “two puppies together”. This is a normal human reaction to seeing puppies sleeping together or playing together or bonding to one another. But of COURSE we want to see them stay together and go on to grow up together and be best friends for life. (it’s a common fantasy that we all have when we see puppies cuddling together) But this is a terrible mistake that many pet owners unwittingly do, when they get two puppies at the same time.

An analogy that humans can relate to

So let’s try to put this into human terms that might be easier to understand. Imagine if you had a twin sibling and your parents decided that you and your twin were to never be apart - FOR LIFE! You were always together. You did everything together, you slept together, you played together. You became so co-dependent on one another that your bond is stronger with each another than any bond you can form with anyone else. You become teenagers and you are not allowed to be free of your sibling, to figure out who you are becoming, what your likes and dislikes are, you are not allowed to sleep on your own, you are not allowed to have friends of your own, or have a moment of freedom from your sibling. Of course you love your sibling, but you are now feeling the constant cloud over your head of the suffocation of another person that is so intertwined with your life that you don’t know where you end and they begin. At some point, one of you becomes the dominant one and that sibling’s personality is stronger and the other sibling’s personality is suppressed. If the suppressed sibling tries to break out and become their own person, then conflict happens and there is a power struggle. Again, you love each other but you also hate each other because you simply aren’t being allowed to have the freedom to become your own person. You both end up not developing to your full potential and gaining the confidence that comes with the independence of growing into your best self. This is the best way to describe what Littermate Syndrome feels like for a dog that is trapped for life with a littermate. Their freedom to fully develop and come into their own has been taken from them.

A puppy’s best chance for confidence is to be raised independently of a littermate

A puppy needs to gain confidence and have their own life experiences without the constant shadow of a littermate. Once a puppy leaves their littermates, they have so much to learn and experience and they deserve to be given the freedom to do this in an environment where they can most flourish. Here is a great article written by a dog trainer that really explains it so well. The most interesting thing she discusses is that the Guide Dog Organizations have had some experience with Littermate Syndrome. Because the first year of a Guide Dog’s life has to be in a foster home before they are old enough to begin formal training, the Guide Dog Organizations often face challenges finding enough foster home volunteers. (as a rescue group, we can relate to this, there are never enough foster home volunteers and it is often the biggest resource that many rescue groups have a challenge with) So the Guide Dog Organizations began to double up puppies in foster homes, simply because they couldn’t find enough. Two perfectly outgoing normally developed puppies would enter a foster home and then one would become the confidant dominant one and the other one would become shy and not develop normally. By the time the puppies were old enough to begin formal Guide Dog training, the one puppy would no longer be a candidate because the development had been hindered.

From a rescuer’s perspective

I remember many years ago, the very first time I had rescued a pregnant dog. She had a large litter and I was unaware of littermate syndrome at that time. I was down to the last two puppies that needed homes and I had a really great family of adopters lined up. I brought both of the puppies over to their home for them to meet and they couldn’t decide which puppy they wanted to adopt. I enthusiastically suggested they consider adopting the pair together. The adopters were smart people and they asked if they could first consult with a dog trainer that they had worked with in the past, because they wanted to make the right decision. So the next day, the adopters got back to me and told me their dog trainer told them absolutely DO NOT adopt a pair of littermates. They adopted one puppy and although I was really happy for that puppy, I was also resentful that a dog trainer messed up my plan to get the last two puppies adopted out to the same home. Fast forward a year later and I ended up rescuing three puppies from a shelter that the breeder had turned in because they had cherry eye and he couldn’t sell them. I rescued all three littermates, got their cherry eye surgery and neuter surgeries done. One was adopted out and is now flourishing in his forever home. The other two puppies began to have psychomotor seizures and at such a young age, had already started on anti-seizure medication. The months went by, no viable adopters would consider a puppy with a known seizure disorder. Several vets had also said that puppies with epilepsy at such a young age, were not likely to live a normal long life. Then a year went by, still no adopters for each dog. Then two years went by, still no adopter, not for either dog. By this time, signs of Littermate Syndrome began to present. The dogs would fight and have a power struggle. One dog developed such extreme separation anxiety that he couldn’t be alone. In hindsight, these two dogs should have been split up at twelve weeks of age. But because I was not aware of Littermate Syndrome, I didn’t split them up and the damage to their development happened. I think back to what that dog trainer told those adopters and now I am grateful that trainer discouraged the adopters from getting a pair of littermates.

Information can change the life of a puppy for the better!

If you or anyone you know is considering getting a pair of puppies, even if the puppies are from different litters, please encourage them to take a pause before doing this. Of course there will be exceptions to the rule and some pet owners may have gotten lucky with two puppies and not experienced Littermate Syndrome. If you have to have two puppies, at least get one first, raise that puppy for the first year or two years, then get the second puppy. This at least allows each one to go through their important developmental stages at different times. Thank you so much for spreading the word about Littermate Syndrome. It is not something a lot of pet owners are aware of but it is a real thing.