Rehoming litter mate

[Anotherday39]

Hi,

I have 2 litter mates , both neutered. The resource guarding between them is increasing the fighting. Would the dogs be better separated, will it only get worse?

The reality is that both will probably be much happier if separated.

If you keep them together you'll have to keep feeding separately and a lot of separate training.

I have 12 year old littermates who still occasionally play mind games with each other over food and have to be supervised.

When I looked at getting puppies and thought 2 from the same litter would be a good thing I started to read up on littermate syndrome.

If you can't separate them yes I think rehoming one would be the best thing but I have no idea how you would decide which one and for that not to break your heart.

Yes it is heartbreaking.

And totally my fault.

I want what's best for the dog now. We got her sister 2 weeks before so we are keeping her. I don't think she ever accepted him.

That is such a hard decision to make, you have all of my sympathy! 😥 how old are the dogs? And how long since neutering? Sometimes these things do settle down with time, and help from an experienced behaviourist. X

Thanks for your post.

Can anyone advise me , who has dealt with resource guarding and a behaviourist?

Hindsight is 20/20, but all you can do now is to try and find the best way forward for your two dogs.

It may be that rehoming one is the best option, but it's not something I'd do before having consulted with a behaviourist - at least then if they recommend rehoming one you'll know it was genuinely the only way forward and won't be thinking "what if".

Look for someone APBC or CCAB accredited - there are lists on the APBC and ASAB websites. It's important to look for these qualifications as there are a lot of cowboys out there who will make problems irretrievably worse. Expect to need a vet referral - it's partly a formality, but it's partly to check that there are no underlying health problems causing behaviour problems (eg pain is a really common cause of aggression).

Littermate syndrome is a real thing but a lot of people just aren't aware of how serious it can be

I'm sorry it's come to this. You could deal with it and keep both but it would be a lot of work and you'd need to walk, feed and train them separately - probably for the rest of their lives. It's a lot of work and a bigger commitment than having two unrelated/non-sibling dogs is.

Personally I'd rehome one of them, it will take a lot of work to get them comfortable with each other. I know a breeder who kept litter mates and she's had to put in so much work training, walking and feeding them separately. She's admitted she'd not keep litter mates again.

An accredited behaviourist may be able to help or advise if this is a lost cause. Good luck in whatever you decide

Hi,

I am going to see what a behaviourlist says first, thanks for your replies.