*vent* on breeders who sell littermates together

[alicat613]

UGH. We have these two new pups at the park, siblings, in the same home.
Owners are very very nice, BUT already at 6 months the dogs are starting to fight. The behavior I saw yesterday was unacceptable, and pretty hardcore. The two were about to fight over a food item -- snarling and growling, with a small child right there. I went over, and they were thinking to let the dogs sort it out. I tried to impart what a bad idea that was and how serious fights can be between siblings.

I put my foot over the food and managed to nudge the female away, the male stole it and I went to reach for it -- CAREFULLY -- and I'm not sure if he went after me or the female as she was nosing her way back into the scene but either way, it was a very hardcore reaction on his part and not just a warning.

After that both dogs were seeming to have issues with each other and other dogs.

I'm frustrated by breeders that care so little about what they cause, not only to breed without doing everything to make it an excellent breeding in health and temperament, but setting up a nice family like this for such a difficult situation.

[daneslave]

I agree i have never sold people littermates no matter how much they begged.I believe very few people are experienced enough to raise littermates period jmo.

[Paradis]

Getting littermates you are just asking for trouble... Working in a clinic, you wouldn't believe how many dog fight wounds we had to clean up from littermate fights. It might not happen right away, we had two brothers that lived peacefully for NINE years and then all of a sudden, the owner heard commotion going on in the next room, and her boys were ripping eachother apart...

[angeldane]

there are a lot of people out there who can easily care for two pups at the same time esp. opposite sexes. I don't think breeders are aways the ones at fault first off food aggression is something that should have been dealt with by the owner, like most aggressive behavior it is the training a pup recieves when young that allows that aggression to become uncontrollable.
I think behavior is more nurture than genetic but I would not want two pups at the same time of the same age, I have raised litter mates together before and found it was hard to train them to walk together on a leash otherwise I thought it was ok

[ouesi]

I'm honestly curious as to why anyone would WANT littermates. I mean, I can see a rescue situation, keeping them until a home opens up, but purposely getting littermates? *Shrug*

I have two 6 months apart and they drive me batty!

[audreys]

Is this a litter mate thing or a 2 puppy thing? I got my pups 3 weeks apart and about 7 weeks age differance, not litter mates and not related. But they did and do drive me crazy

[daneslave]

I'm honestly curious as to why anyone would WANT littermates. I mean, I can see a rescue situation, keeping them until a home opens up, but purposely getting littermates? *Shrug*

I have two 6 months apart and they drive me batty!

Me either i raised littermates more than once because i liked more than one for show.I have to say you need to train them seperate take them places seperate etc.As i said there are very few capable period.

[audreys]

Hi. What I mean is, don't have these problems, that's why I wanted to know if it is a littermate thing

[Meatos]

There are many things in life that I told myself I would not do...I did a lot of them...I told myself I will never own littermate puppies, and that is one rule I'm sticking to, hard and fast!!!

[seachainanmadra]

I've personally known two sets of littermates sold to the same family (edited to clarify: these two sets did not go to the same family - each individual set went to a different family), and in both cases the owners got the littermates without careful consideration. In both cases, the owners decided on littlermates because they thought that the two pups would keep each other company and demand less attention and training from them.

The first set were cocker spaniels, both males, which I was hired to train after they became out of control. The owner should never have had a dog anyway, and would not cooperate with the training. The boys had never been apart, and were so anxious when we tried to separate them for training that the owner would not allow it. There was hope for them, but the owner became less and less interested as time went on (several times, I arrived for training and she asked me to do odd jobs around her house instead, like changing a light bulb or putting ear drops in her ear). I finally quit.

The second set were a pair of Dane pups that our neighbors bought a few months after we moved in with Stavro. This was a male/female pair, and for the first two weeks they were crated together. Then, they were mostly backyard dogs, along with the two adult males that the family already owned (boxer/dane and golden). The male pup quickly became aggressive, and by four months, he was bullying the female and I could foresee serious problems with possessiveness. I tried to make friends with him, so that I could deal with him as he got older, as their fence was in poor condition and I was worried that he would begin to escape. Just before they turned six months, the two pups and the mix disappeared, along with the man of the house, leaving the Golden all by himself with no idea how to handle that. He developed a serious barking/aggression issue as a result, which has improved now that they've added another dog (sheltie mix and nonstop barker) to their revolving family.

Unfortunately, I think most people get littermates for similar reasons, thinking that having two dogs will take the responsibility of interacting with the dogs off of them. One new pup is enough to overwhelm even the most experienced owners at times, so having two is asking for trouble.

[daneslave]

Hi. What I mean is, don't have these problems, that's why I wanted to know if it is a littermate thing

Hi i also owned two bitches 3 weeks apart.No trouble untill they hit puberty then they were like sisters wanting to kill each other.I just think when you add more trouble you get it this i have learned over the years.One puppy at a time for me.

[audreys]

Hi i also owned two bitches 3 weeks apart.No trouble untill they hit puberty then they were like sisters wanting to kill each other.I just think when you add more trouble you get it this i have learned over the years.One puppy at a time for me.

I have 1 boy and 1 girl. They are 3 years old. I don't have these problems, so that is why I was wondering if it was a littermate thing?

[daneslave]

I have 1 boy and 1 girl. They are 3 years old. I don't have these problems, so that is why I was wondering if it was a littermate thing?

Yes littermate and same sex thing.

[Ward]

I think the aggression is a littermate/same sex thing. But, I still wouldn't want two puppies similar in age. The teenage stage alone would kill me.

[Diamond T Farm]

I have had littermates before (not danes though). I never had any behavior issues. And I have had dogs of the same breed around the same age and never any issues.

I was a child (I was 11 when I got the springer spaniels) I was in charge of their care and training. It was a case where we went to pick up our chosen pup and that would have left one last puppy and my mother couldnt leave her. So I got them both. They lived to be 16 and 17 years old. They were very good dogs.