Adopting two puppies from the same litter?

[AtrociousCircumstance]

Has anyone had any experience of this? We are getting one puppy but his sibling is also beautiful...however I’ve read about ‘littermate syndrome’ which makes two puppies reared together harder to train, less likely to bond with you.

Would be grateful for any insight!

The breeder said he was worthless to him and would probably be put down so offered me a buy one get one free deal!!

Why on earth did you think that this was a reputable breeder who was someone you wanted to hand over your money to?

Jesus Christ.

The breeder said he was worthless to him and would probably be put down so offered me a buy one get one free deal!!

Wow. Breeder sounds really caring...

Sadly most breeders think in ££, please do not kid yourself they love dogs. Disabled pups are pts not always humanely, the ones who make it to the vet usually end up in rescue and older dogs if returned get used for breeding or sold on as do the breeders who have outgrown their usefulness. Breeders aren’t doing it from the goodness of their heart, it’s their source of income.

Breeders aren’t doing it from the goodness of their heart, it’s their source of income.

Depends on the breeder.

Please don't even entertain the thought of getting littermates - dogs are not like rabbits or cats. Littermate syndrome is a very real possibility, any breeder that is willing to sell 2 puppies to one household should be avoided. No responsible, knowledgeable breeder would agree to it generally, because the risks are so high.

Two 8 week old puppies together is a very cute thought. 2 adolescent dogs going through the teenage stage (which is hard enough with just one dog), one bullying the other, separation anxiety when one is removed from the other, fighting once the hormones kick in.. not so cute anymore. All things that can happen with littermate syndrome.

There will be people who say "but I have littermates and they turned out fine!" - but on the other hand, you have people who ended up having to rehome one of the pair because of the serious fights that broke out once they hit the teenage stage, because one of their dogs would have been killed by the other if it was allowed to continue. It's really not worth the extra stress and heartache.

If you want more than one dog, you can always get the one first, put your full effort and attention into training and socialising for 2-3 years and then bring home a second! There really aren't any major benefits to getting littermates, dogs don't require constant animal company like some other pets.

RTFT
OP has both dogs!!!

We have 2 puppies from the same litter, both 4 months. Similar to OP we were originally going to get just 1 and then fell in love with the other too. Apparently they were due to be homed together and then the woman who was going to take them no longer could because her circumstances changed. Somehow that made us feel like we would be kinder to take them both.

From the sounds of it we have been lucky so far that they don’t show any signs of litter mate syndrome but we certainly hadn’t banked on how hard it would be and that we would have to walk them separately etc. I wouldn’t say don’t do it but give it very careful consideration!

JKscott where does it say that?

@JKScot4
The photo is not from the op.

*No problems, the two of them are inseparable and never fight.

They aren’t really great and sitting or giving paws. They have acceptable recall but I wouldn’t trust them off the lead in busy areas so probably they are not the best trained.

So you have had problems then! Just because they get on, doesn't mean it's worked...they have poor recall and poor commands, which means they're not properly trained at all.

Yes, you are right, I do keep them in the lead at busy parks and on the pavements, but I rarely see other dogs running free, especially not toy breeds and never near roads.

And no they don’t really do tricks, but I’m not really that bothered. They are pleasant happy wee dogs - they don’t chew, bite or snap at anyone, they are toilet trained and apart from getting filthy when they are out in winter, really aren’t a hassle at all.

OP has both dogs!!!

@JKScot4 no she doesn't.

No, I currently have zero dogs!

And have certainly been persuaded that one is more than enough to start with. Thanks for your knowledge everyone.

(Happy it’s worked for some of you but we will start with just the one!).

All those saying they have littermates and its worked out fine.. Its not over yet.

The most common thing to hear is 'they were best friends, inseparable for years and now I have to separate them' .

Two bitches are the worst combination, and often the fighting doesn't start until 5years+.

Two bitches are the worst combination, and often the fighting doesn't start until 5years+.

Oh yes, bitches will fight to the death. A lady posted on here the other day that one of her dogs turned and killed the other :( I don't think they were littermates though.

@adaline Yes saw that, it was Boston terrier as well, not a breed you would think could do that much damage.

Most people assume dogs are the most aggressive, but 'bitch fights' can and are fatal .

I've learnt something new today, didnt realise two littermates was not a good idea.

Start with one dog op and then add another if you wish to have two. It usually works well when you have an older trained dog to serve as an example to a pup vs getting them together from the same litter. I think it's only natural to want to take all the puppies!

@userxx despite its name, they don't have to be actual littermates, buying 2 puppies of a similar age from any litter can have the same result.

They initially bond very closely with each other, and not to the owner, which can cause training and behavioural problems, and severe separation anxiety. It can cause developmental and socialisation problems, and awful fighting later on in life. There isn't really a 'cure' - once they start fighting, they will have to be supervised and separated at all times.

The only way to raise littermates to minimise the chance of LM syndrome is by raising them completely separately - separate walks, training, socialisation, play etc.

Often breeders that sell littermates (for working dogs or show dogs etc) will only allow the owners to take one home initially, and then the second a month or so after.

Flickering out - that breeder needs reporting. Awful.

I think the general recommendation is to wait until your dog is 2-3 years old before adding as second. Our breeder won't sell to you if you have a dog under two years of age in the home for this reason.

@LochJessMonster It makes sense really. My friend has recently gained a dog from her MIL, the dog was part of a pair and is very hard work - this is probably one of reasons why.

I've grown up with dogs all my life, only one at a time though apart from ex racing greyhounds and to be honest you cant compare grey's to normal dogs :)

Tell us about greys userxx !

@AtrociousCircumstance They are lovely 😍 not pups though, usually anything from 3 to 10 years old! They are surplus to requirement once their racing days are over, just makes me love them more. Low maintenance, lazy, chilled out..... what more do you need 👍

Ozzie (black and white) and Preto together (I strongly suspect different fathers!) and then Buster and Mickey BlueEyes together with Captain Jack in the foreground.

Don’t do it! We ended up with sibling dogs (long story, sad circumstances, shady previous owners, not by choice...) and had to split them up, kept attacking each other and would have fought to the death if allowed. Individually nice dogs, together a complete shitshow. DON’T DO IT!