# 9 month old brothers can no longer be around each other



## Swampcollie (Sep 6, 2007)

The are squabbling because they are littermates and trying to sort out the social order of the situation you're putting them in. (Neutering isn't going to help either.)


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## Carrite (Aug 8, 2017)

Both dogs are alphas. I'm not sure how it resolves.

I had one GR that was totally sweet around children and adults and cats and cows and everything else on the planet but went chiroptera-guano-loco around other dogs, and the absolute worst were other GRs. 

It just was what it was with him. He had been the runt of the litter and that made him a bit of a sociopath around other dogs, I theorized.

tim


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I experienced this for the first time last year with my "pack". I have a neutered then 9 1/2 year old, has never growled at another dog in his life. Loves everyone. Also had at that time one female spayed ( the pack leader) and one intact female. Brought home a 8 month intact male - everybody got along so well, loved each other, the new puppy just fit right in. At about 15 months, we had our first fight, scared the heck out of me. Never thought either one was capable of it. Separated them for a few hours, would not allow them to look at each other when they were together supervised, I think they got in one more fight within the same week. Now, the intact male is 2 years old, the neutered is 10 1/2 - they are always together, will sleep together occasionally, no issues. I think the hormones come in, and they need to figure out who is top dog.


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## jumpshot22 (Aug 12, 2017)

Sorry to bump this old thread. 

Both dogs are now 1 year old and have been neutered for 2-3 months. Over the past couple of months, I have been home a couple of times for a weekend at a time. Both dogs seem to have gotten somewhat better. After 2 days or so of trying to introduce them to one another, they can be in the same room with each other as long as we have ahold of them by their chest harnesses. 

Any time their eyes meet, they start to growl and things escalate from there. Nothing seems to work to help calm them down when they're around each other. I'm not really sure what to do going forward because it is taking a huge toll on everyone when I come home. So much time and energy is spent trying to get them to be normal around each other without much progress. 

I am at my parent's house for this whole week for Thanksgiving break and we are hoping spending a longer amount of time around one another will improve things. But I'd love any suggestions if anyone has them. Thanks!


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## jennretz (Jul 24, 2013)

Do you have a way to keep them separate? Your only option may be management. Give them both space to feel safe away from one another. There is such a thing as littermate syndrome, but I don't know much about it.


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## jumpshot22 (Aug 12, 2017)

That's what we have been doing so far. Luckily my parent's house is big enough that we can keep one of them in a bedroom and then keep the other throughout the rest of the house or outside in the fenced in yard. We've been doing rotations and then bringing them both out every now and then to get them around each other. They're doing better with each day but who knows if they'll ever get over it. 

I've read about litter mate syndrome but I thought it was more of a concern if you raise them together. But we've raised them separately and they only see each other sparingly. But I have no experience with it so perhaps someone else could share some information.


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## SandyK (Mar 20, 2011)

I have no experience with this but I wanted to wish you luck. Maybe the longer stay together will help.


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## jumpshot22 (Aug 12, 2017)

SandyK said:


> I have no experience with this but I wanted to wish you luck. Maybe the longer stay together will help.


Thanks! Unfortunately, the longer stay didn't help as much as I had hoped. We got to the point where the dogs would go on walks together and be perfectly fine. They would sort of play with each other every once in a while. Things we're different once we went indoors. We got to the point where they could be in the same room as one another (with us both holding them by their harnesses) but once they looked each other in the eyes, they would try to fight. Literally nothing we have tried or read to try to do seems to help. Neither one wants to back down to the other. 

My parents and I are almost to the point where we put muzzles on both of them and just let them sort it out between each other. It is so exhausting dealing with them like they are 24/7 and it takes a toll on everyone.


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm really sorry. It just sounds like these are two dogs that can't be together. I can understand how stressful it is for everyone, you and the dogs, being on edge all the time. Sometimes the best thing to do for everyone is just keep them apart so everyone can relax.


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