# Uh.. I have littermates.



## Bentleysmom (Aug 11, 2012)

Hi, welcome to GRF! I can't help because I've never had litter mates but there are several people on here that do and I'm sure they'll give you some advice. Being a holiday weekend it may take longer but they'll be around.
Congrats on your extended family! We need pics


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

I've never had littermates either but happened to be out a little while ago and ran into a man walking 2 Goldens. When I asked him how old, he said five years and that they were littermates. One was lighter and one reddish. They looked like well adjusted dogs. So good luck, it can be done.


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## GoldensGirl (Aug 2, 2010)

Welcome to the Forum! And bless you for rescuing the two pups. I have no expertise about littermates, but others here do. Our search tool might help.

Also, I'm going to move your post to the Puppy Forum, since you already have the twin babies.

Good luck and please keep us posted.


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## MGMF (May 13, 2009)

They needs training time and cuddle time separately. Lots of respectful bonding with their humans. Litter-mates can keep doggie behaviors longer such as nipping/bitting, barking, digging, hard wrestling play. These are all natural in the doggie world and when we take a puppy home we usually teach them it is not acceptable. Litter-mates constantly remind each other this is normal and keep many of the doggie behaviors we don't want going. Litter mates respect each other first and put their human second. You need to be consistent teaching them what you expect to behave. Many think litter mates will make each other better behaved because they will wear each other out. Just remember they don't teach each other the good behaviors but usually double up on the bad ones. Consistency and spend lots of time with them over the next couple of years teaching them what they need.


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Hang in there. Haven't done it myself, but I'm guessing it's like with human twins--they need training, socializing, playing, etc., without the other around. They need to learn the world on their own two feet. They'll still have a really tight sibling bond I bet. 

Welcome to GRF! As Joyce said, we really do need pics!


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## jealous1 (Dec 7, 2007)

Years ago I had two littermates (shelties, not goldens), both males. I, too, learned afterwards about the possible issues that could arise and was advised to take both through a puppy class and at least one more class after that but to take them separately. Personality-wise, they turned out totally different and I had no problems with them listening or bonding to me rather than each other. When I lost one to CRF at the age of 14-1/2, the other did seem to go into a depression and shortly thereafter was also diagnosed with CRF. I lost him about 8 months after his brother. 

Good luck with your two--you can make it work!


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I currently have one set of littermates and another set that are essentially littermate(born eight days apart at my house). Mine are different than most because they never left their birthplace and never had to go to a strange home having only each other. The other thing is that the girls had separate careers from the boys...the girls were out showing, so they learned how to be apart. And like you, I have many more dogs,so they always have another support system.

It is very important to do things separately. Go to the vets separately. Take them on separate walks, separate car rides, etc. I have a client who didn't do any of that, so they both have to come to the vets when only one of them needs vet care.

The down sides for me were several: they will both be geriatric at the same time(my older ones are three weeks shy of 11), I found it harder to housetrain two at the same time. And then it was double the obedience training as well. And in my older pair, my boy has certainly aged more quickly than his sister. The up side is that I had two pups from the first litter I ever bred that I just adore. Both sets got housetrained, obedience trained... 3 of 4 got their CGC's and 2 of 4 got obedience titles(have not tried with the other two).

I think if you have already had experience with the dogs you have, you should do fine with the new ones you have...and make sure if you are crating them, they are in separate crates!


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## Lucy&jasper (May 20, 2013)

Hi  we're getting ready to welcome home our two new additions who are litter mates as well. We are pretty nervous about the horror stories as well but we are planning on putting them in obedience school right away and they are going through training separately. For us one dog will be my husbands and the other will be mine so were planning on giving them lots of attention separately to try and keep them adjusted and of course lots of socialization. Good luck. 


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Penny and Maggie are littermates. We got them as pups and it's been a wonderful experience ( they're 9 1/2 now). At the time, we didn't know any better but for us it's been great. We did always give them individual time. They both went to obedience class, and while we do tons of stuff together, especially when they were young, they were walked separately, taken places separately. I think the fear with littermates is that they'll bond more to themselves rather than their humans. Giving them each individual time every day does much to negate this.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

I have to say, I have refused to sell pups to people who want two littermates, but I see so many clients who do not make the proper effort..


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## Marley. (May 26, 2013)

Sally's Mom said:


> I currently have one set of littermates and another set that are essentially littermate(born eight days apart at my house). Mine are different than most because they never left their birthplace and never had to go to a strange home having only each other. The other thing is that the girls had separate careers from the boys...the girls were out showing, so they learned how to be apart. And like you, I have many more dogs,so they always have another support system.
> 
> It is very important to do things separately. Go to the vets separately. Take them on separate walks, separate car rides, etc. I have a client who didn't do any of that, so they both have to come to the vets when only one of them needs vet care.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this amazing post. It is very informative, clear & right to the point! So.. the main thing is keeping them apart, separate sleeping places, separate vets appointments, separate eating places, etc.  :crossfing


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

Yes (although ours all eat together in the kitchen). To us it was just common sense to balance times together with times apart..... just as with your kids or spouse.


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## Marley. (May 26, 2013)

Thank you so much for the warm welcomes, congrats & goodlucks! I'm so happy to be here and to have found this forum. I shall post photos of Marley & Bella & keep you guys updated! They are currently with me and they are safe. If anyone has any more stories, expirence or anything I would love to hear/read it all, the good & the ugly!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

They are so adorable.

I haven't had a pup in 18 years, so I have no tips or advice to give you. You've gotten some very good information from others.

Best of luck to you, looking forward to hearing how they are doing and seeing lots of pictures.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

Very cute pups!


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## Always51 (Feb 19, 2012)

lol..I see double trouble..  but they are sooo cute....the advice on here is great!....


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Oh my cute little ones. You are going to have full hands but lots of fun too.


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## Sweet Girl (Jun 10, 2010)

OMG - how could you NOT take in those two little sweet faces?? They are absolute gems.

I have no advice, but I just want to say welcome and I hope you stick around here. There is so much wisdom here. I think, given you are aware of some of the challenges involved, you will make the right decisions around raising them. Good luck! You have a very full house!


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## HolDaisy (Jan 10, 2012)

Welcome to the forum. Marley and Bella are ADORABLE! They will be lots of hard work but you will have so much fun, and then 2 well behaved beautiful golden's when they're grown up. Keep us posted how you're getting on with them. There is lots of info and help available on here.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Ive been around far too many sets of littermates that have gone wrong that I find it hard to be objective.

There has always been one of the pups that lives in the shadow of the other - the owners call them 'laid back' or 'shy' because they seem to hang back or behind the other dog. They call the other 'outgoing' and 'friendly' or 'bossy' becuase they push forward to grab attention, threatening the other to 'back off' with glances and posturing.

I just see stressed dogs....each just showing it differently.
They glance at one another constantly...will listen somewhat to their people and follow commands....but they are not confident, got-the-world-by-the tail kind of dogs. Two sets have had nasty fights with each other...bad enough to require stitches.

The only littermates that seem to have done well are ones from this forum belonging to Sally's Mom and Penny and Maggies Mom...


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

Makes sure you have crates/expens and keep them separated as much as possible when they are young.

One of the top obedience competitors in the US got a puppy around the same time his wife did (not littermates, not even the same breed). They were so adament on keeping the pups separated while they were young that they got seperate hotel rooms when they went to trials on the weekends.


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## Nairb (Feb 25, 2012)

I only personally know of one family that currently has litter mates. They live across the street. The two 10 year old lab sisters cannot have any contact with other dogs. Apparently they were attacked by two dogs when they were about 4, and were forever changed. They're still fine around people.


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## Oakley&SegersMom (Feb 1, 2009)

Oakley and Seger are littermates. We lost Oakley in November at the age of 9 years, to hemangiosarcoma, so Seger is now an only pup  We made many mistakes with them simply because we were uneducated and did not have any support, nor did we know where to turn. I will not get into details but my best advice to you would be: make sure they have lots of separate one-on-one time and experiences; be sure to socialize them separately with other dogs when the time is right - we thought having each other was enough but it is not; bring them to separate obedience classes; train separately; watch for signs that one is starting to "dominate" or "manage" or "intimidate"the other and seek professional assistance. 
Best of luck - they are so sweet!. Stay on this site, ask loads of questions and read others posts. I have learned so much here and had so much support.
Carol


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## SandyK (Mar 20, 2011)

Congrats!!! Bella and Marley are so cute!!! I am sure they are greatful for you rescuing them so they do not have to live outside. Good luck with them. It sure looks like you have gotten some great advice from others who have had littermates. Thanks again for giving them a better life!!


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## Marley. (May 26, 2013)

Thank you so much for the comments, I have read each and every one and I'm smiling. I do have another question though regarding the crating.. Currently I have one HUGE crate, it's really big. As some said previously that they need to be crated separately, and right now I can't afford another crate so is it OK to crate Bella at night in the big crate and let Marley sleep in my room? Thanks!!


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## Penny & Maggie's Mom (Oct 4, 2007)

I think you really need to find a way to borrow or find a used crate (Craig's List, garage sales, etc).


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## Marley. (May 26, 2013)

Yeah, I'm going to be able to get a crate about next week, but until then is it ok? Thanks.


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## CStrong73 (Jun 11, 2012)

I'm no expert, but for what it's worth, I would suggest perhaps alternating nights in the crate between the two pups to avoid jealousy until you can get another crate. But that's based more on my experience with human kids than puppies.


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## Marley. (May 26, 2013)

CStrong73 said:


> I'm no expert, but for what it's worth, I would suggest perhaps alternating nights in the crate between the two pups to avoid jealousy until you can get another crate. But that's based more on my experience with human kids than puppies.


Great idea. One night each!


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## MyBuddy22 (Oct 29, 2010)

you should post pics of all your dogs!


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## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

CStrong73 said:


> I'm no expert, but for what it's worth, I would suggest perhaps alternating nights in the crate between the two pups to avoid jealousy until you can get another crate. But that's based more on my experience with human kids than puppies.


I agree with CStrong--spread the bed time equally. One more way to separate them and have them focus on a human. Also good practice for the other pup at being alone (something they should learn to do).


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

When my two almost 11 year olds were pups, when they would wake me up in the AM, I would take them out, then put them back in a crate together. That is until, they decided to wrestle and Mantha got her lower jaw hooked thru the wire. I learned my lesson...


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## Park City Retriever (Jul 9, 2013)

How is it going with your pups? We are getting (at least) one English Creme Golden puppy to add to our family and are "considering" one of his litter-mates. We have a 10 year old English Lab and our thought is two pups may be less annoyance to him. We fully aware that two pups will likely be 2-3 times the work. My main concerns are the interaction with my lab, will it be more stress on him or will they be more likely to entertain each other? Also I have read that people recommend against litter-mates because of their tight bond and are not only more work to train but also may not for the same tight bond with their human family... Any thoughts and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Marley. (May 26, 2013)

It has been going great with my pups. Recently, I sent Bella away for a month to my sister and she came back, they still remembered each other and greeted each other, a month after that I bought a new house. A Villa, with a garden and one big dog cage. As I have four dogs, Bella & Marley sleep togetger in the big cage, my German Shepherd sleeps outside of the cage (free roam garden) and my Jack Russell sleeps indoors, with me. Golden's spend time together a lot, only time I seperate then is when they eat. The golden's don't go in the house, just the jack. They are together at all times except when they eat. They both eat at different times, If I feed Bella first then Marley will eat an hour after her. They are inseparable and still bond to me.


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