[principesa66]

Hi. I'm new to the forum and am looking for some input. We adopted to sibling beagle boys three weeks ago. They are now three months. they are cute as can be. We previously had one beagle and he was truly a member of our family. So we thought this time we would get two. We know that beagles are pack animals so we thought this would be good for them at times when we are not here. NOw I am reading about something called "littermate syndrome" and wondering if there's anyone out there that has successfully raised littermates together?

 

[Rkelly2]

I am not a Beagle owner yet but it bothers me to see no one answer your questions so I'll have a go. I raised Alaskan Husky's for years (26 dogs). All of my dogs were raised in litters and some litters I kept all of the dogs for their whole life. I never ran into any problems related to them being from the same litter, in fact the dogs who were closely related were better together. Huskies are pack animals. I Googled the syndrome and I can see were the dogs might be less social with a human if they are left alone together a lot. It is always important to remember My #2 of the top ten dog facts "Dogs do not think they are human!!! They think you are a dog". That means you have to assume your rightful role in the pack. That brings me to #1 dog fact "There is only one pack leader and it D*** well better be me". That is not an endorsement of abuse or cruelty. There is no excuse for that but it means you have to be the boss and you will gently but firmly demand the dogs attention and obedience. If you are the leader the dogs will naturally attend you and not withdraw from their human.

Incidentally most dog behavior problems stem from misunderstandings of these two rules.

For all of you true Beagle experts I apologize for butting in on your forum but since no one answered this question I thought I would chime in.

 

[oldhounddog]

Rkelly2 ,

Thanks for stopping by and posting comments on "littermate syndrome" . It is interesting to hear you have never had any problems with you pups not getting along with each other. I have mostly hunting breeds now from rescue work. I have seen a little of this with my current litter , mostly shows up with a same sex pair that are both dominant types. I have found that this will soften up some after adolescence. Early training and keeping the problem pair/s apart will help. NILF training helps also. After all is said and done you may still have a pair that can not be left unattended in the same dog lot/run , but can work together. And then , you may also have a pair that just do not get along.

Best , oldhounddog

 

[Rkelly2]

I didn't mean to say I've never had problems with dogs that didn't get along. I have had just as many as the next guy/gal. What I meant is that it didn't seem to be any worse among litter mates. Sometimes dogs squabble and it is always important to watch for the sign and react before you end up with a bad fight. I had all of my dogs neutered and spayed and that made a big difference.
In my kennel it seemed that the closer the dogs were related the less fighting we had.
I did make a mistake with one litter though. When they were pups I kept feeding them together out of the same one or two bowls. I could see that they were very competitive at this but thought it would make them better faster eaters ( a desirable trait in racing sled dogs), it did but It ended up that when they were grown they exhibited food aggression around other dogs ( not a desirable trait at all). Live and learn LOL