Like many rescues, One Love Animal Rescue is no stranger to taking in litters of puppies. From time to time, we have potential adopters looking at a litter of puppies and tell us they would like to adopt two so they can “be friends and playmates”.
As with many dog behaviorists, trainers, breeders and shelters, it is against our policy to adopt our siblings together. Why you may ask? The answer is “littermate syndrome”. Anecdotal evidence suggests that behavioral issues may arise during key development periods because the two puppies’ deep bond impedes their individual ability to absorb and grasp the nuances of human and canine communication. Since fear is the canine’s default reaction to odd or unfamiliar stimuli, this muddled understanding of the world around them can lead to impaired coping mechanisms later on.
Think about it. Do you have a sibling? Even if you don’t, you probably had a friend with siblings growing up. Siblings fight (sometimes it can get pretty nasty), they can end up relying on each other (sometime too much) or sometimes they will do things that they laugh at that otherwise wouldn’t be appropriate to anyone else. Puppies are exactly the same way.
Of course this isn’t to say that all siblings raised together will have issues. Littermate syndrome is a risk, not a foregone conclusion. As a matter of fact, my best friend grew up with two black labs that were littermates and, while they are relatively dependent on each other, they have never had any behavioral issues. Still, while littermate syndrome can be avoided, we agree with many canine professionals that adopting siblings together is simply not worth the risk. We highly encourage adopter who are looking to add a puppy to their family to find a single bundle of love that fits in with their lifestyle and focus on the training and socialization that strengthens the interspecies bond unique to humans and dogs.
Looking for more information about littermate syndrome and it’s potential effects? “Don’t Take Two Littermates” by Jeff Stallings, CPDT-KA, is a well thought out article that will give you in-depth information and hopefully a better understanding of why our policy stands the way it does.
