Raising Littermates

[msquitacat]

I have two 9 week old males from the same litter. Bear is clearly dominant over his much smaller brother, Rock. The problem is that Bear is displaying dominant behaviors to my husband and I, and no amount of correction appears to be helping. Bear constantly challenges our authority. Bear is always getting into something, while Rock plays quietly. Bear has injured Rock already while fighting. Rock, on the other hand is much calmer and willing to obey. We currently have to feed them separately because Bear has recently begun preventing Rock from eating at all. At first he would try to eat some of Rock's food, but now he simply will not allow Rock anywhere near the food. There is much snapping and growling at mealtime. On one of these occasions when we could not get Bear to behave, we put him in his cage while Rock ate. Bear then began spraying urine out of his cage (don't ask me how) and generally having a tantrum. So we put him in the garage for a while to cool down. But then Rock suddenly became very withdrawn and acted as if he didn't know what to do. He just sat by his cage and looked sad. He wouldn't come when called, and actually hid from my husband, who was the one who put Bear outside. As soon as we let Bear back in, Rock was his old self.

My concern is that Bear is a problem now, and will be an even greater problem at 100 pounds plus. I have read a lot on the forums about the dangers of raising two males, and the dangers of raising littermates. Bear is large for his age, so I believe he will be a pretty big dog. I would like to find a more suitable home for him, perhaps with someone with lots of land for him to run out his aggression on, or someone with no children. I would like to do this now, while the puppies are still young and can adjust well to the change. I would like to keep Rock because I feel his temperament is more suited to our lifestyle. My husband thinks, based on Rock's reaction when Bear was in the garage, that Rock will not be able to adjust to the absence of his brother. I think that in time, with some TLC, he will be fine and that the transition will be easier now that in say a year or so when we HAVE to get rid of Bear because of his aggression. I also would hate for Bear to "ruin" Rock. My husband has asked me to post this message to see what you all think about this issue.

[ElsasFamily]

have you contacted the breeder? They should be the one to rehome this little bundle of energy.

How long have you had these two?

[rottielover2004]

I would contact the breeder. No way you should be raising 2 male puppies at the same time. If you are having problems no, watch out, it will just escallate.( sp)
It sounds like one of them were not properly matched for the right home. Good luck, and call the breeder to return one

[msquitacat]

Unfortunately, it was a family member. The mother was allowed to be in the backyard while in heat, and the dog down the street jumped the fence. So an unplanned litter of puppies was the result. They gave away or sold all of the puppies because their landlord had a problem with so many dogs on the premises (understandable). So taking him back to the breeder isn't really an option here. My main concern is the effect that getting rid of one puppy will have on the other puppy. I have since learned from reading all the posts in the forums that the "backyard breeder" is a bad idea, as well as getting two littermates.

[LunaBell]

A puppy at 9 weeks doesn't exhibit aggression. Puppies go through several different keystone developmental periods. If you think that Rock is going to be exactly how he is now as an adult you have a huge shock coming your way.

I suggest that you read this link.

http://www.rottweiler.net/forums/pup...velopment.html

My puppy Luna was exteremly dominant, adventerous and troublesome when we first brought her home at 9 weeks, but we were expecting it. She chewed on everything and everyone. Her defiant edge made it a little more challenging to train her, but now at nearly 6 months she is awesome. A not at all aggressive, confident, well socialized, loving pup.

I agree completely that you should only take on one puppy at a time. Why not give this puppy back to the breeder? I find it unusual that a quality breeder would even consider sending home two pups with any new potential owner. Raising two puppies at the same tiome regardless of sex is a bad idea. Even the most experienced rott owners rarely take on such a difficult task.

Hopefully the link above helps you and you can make good moves from this point on. Good luck.

[rottcrazed]

You would be doing the best thing for both of the puppies and yourselves if you rehome one of the puppies NOW! If the option exists for you to take one back the breeder, do it.

It is not a smart choice to take home two puppies, let alone 2 of the same sex, and the fact that a breeder let you purchase 2 males makes me wonder what they were thinking.

You are inevitably going to face years of vet bills, you will have to separate them in your own house, and you will have to be very careful, at some point along the way, not to let them out together as they will likely fight each and everytime.

The puppies WILL adjust to being on their own. Most puppies go to homes where they are the only puppy and lead healthy, happy lives. If you want another one, down the road, go for it, but get a female and wait at least 2 years so that the puppy you decide to keep has a chance to grow, mature, learn and be a dog.

kristi

[Sharon Marples]

Originally Posted by msquitacat

My main concern is the effect that getting rid of one puppy will have on the other puppy.

Not a thing. Rehome one of them as soon as you can and raise the other to be a well-adjusted, happy puppy. Dogs do not think like humans, they do not need each other to be happy. You can make yourself to be the focal point of his world and he will be just fine. Look at all the other single-dog homes there are in this world......

But please, be sure that if you place the more dominate puppy, that you place him in a home that is suited to raise him. It should not be a first-time rottie owner, they should be aware of his dominance and be prepared to deal with it. Otherwise, he will end up being shuffled from home to home. And do not think about getting a second dog until this one is an adult (at least 2-3 years of age), neutered and well trained. Get him into obedience classes as soon as his vaccinations are done so that you can raise him to be a well-mannered and happy pet.

[poohbearsmom]

Originally Posted by msquitacat

I have two 9 week old males from the same litter. Bear is clearly dominant over his much smaller brother, Rock. The problem is that Bear is displaying dominant behaviors to my husband and I, and no amount of correction appears to be helping. Bear constantly challenges our authority. Bear is always getting into something, while Rock plays quietly. Bear has injured Rock already while fighting. Rock, on the other hand is much calmer and willing to obey. We currently have to feed them separately because Bear has recently begun preventing Rock from eating at all. At first he would try to eat some of Rock's food, but now he simply will not allow Rock anywhere near the food. There is much snapping and growling at mealtime. On one of these occasions when we could not get Bear to behave, we put him in his cage while Rock ate. Bear then began spraying urine out of his cage (don't ask me how) and generally having a tantrum. So we put him in the garage for a while to cool down. But then Rock suddenly became very withdrawn and acted as if he didn't know what to do. He just sat by his cage and looked sad. He wouldn't come when called, and actually hid from my husband, who was the one who put Bear outside. As soon as we let Bear back in, Rock was his old self.

My concern is that Bear is a problem now, and will be an even greater problem at 100 pounds plus. I have read a lot on the forums about the dangers of raising two males, and the dangers of raising littermates. Bear is large for his age, so I believe he will be a pretty big dog. I would like to find a more suitable home for him, perhaps with someone with lots of land for him to run out his aggression on, or someone with no children. I would like to do this now, while the puppies are still young and can adjust well to the change. I would like to keep Rock because I feel his temperament is more suited to our lifestyle. My husband thinks, based on Rock's reaction when Bear was in the garage, that Rock will not be able to adjust to the absence of his brother. I think that in time, with some TLC, he will be fine and that the transition will be easier now that in say a year or so when we HAVE to get rid of Bear because of his aggression. I also would hate for Bear to "ruin" Rock. My husband has asked me to post this message to see what you all think about this issue.

In addition to what's been said already, I'd like to note that dog dominance and human dominance are usually entirely different 'animals'. Therefore, think about keeping the pup that shows dog dominant behaviors, even though you may need to deal with those issues later, you'll likely have an easier time of rearing him.

I'm so sorry your breeder simply let two boys go to the same home. It's not easy rearing one pup, let alone two of the same sex and age.

Please contact your breeder immediately, and take one of the boys back. They will both be fine... in fact, they'll both be better for it.

Read up on the stickys on the forums here, use the search function (socialization, critical periods of canine development, zoomies, biting, etc...), and ask questions!

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Welcome to the forums.

[rottielover2004]

There is no breeder PBM, just an accidental oops. So it would be up to the other family member to take this dog back. I sure hope she does, and when she does, I hope he can be placed in the correct home, or he will be tossed around.

Good luck

[StephanieandToby]

Rehome Bear...and Rock will blossom!

A similar thing happened to my brother...only the dogs were older when Bear (the older one) finally left. After that, my brother really got to experience his other dog's true personality and everybody was sooo much happier and more relaxed!

[allin21]

I am currently raising littermates. They are male rottweilers and they are six months old. I don't know if I just got lucky, but right now they get along great. They occasionally have their little fights, but it is nothing serious. They are fed in the same room about five feet away from each other.

[Diane Heller-Vaccaro]

It is a very bad idea for people to think they can raise puppies together and end up with well adjusted dogs that never fight. In the OP we can see there is a problem already. It sounds like you can't return the puppy as a courtesy I would call you family member and tell them that you have learned that it isn't fair to the puppies to be kept together. You had no idea what it takes to raise 2 puppies together, I personally can get overwhelmed with just one puppy because you are trying to make sure he has all the proper socialization, excellent diet, excellent vet care. Soon you should do puppy kindergarten where he will learn how to interact with other dogs, if he is learning to defend himself because of his brother he will do this with ever dog. The next is basic obedience and just house manners that will require you to rotate these 2 puppies in order for them to get the best training and not ignore you and continue to play together. The will need enough time to learn to live together, which sounds like even as young puppies this isn't possible, while bonding more closesly with the humans in the family than with each other.

I don't mean to offend you but because there wasn't any consideration given to temperament with this breeding that is just going to make things that much harder. Find that puppy a home now with someone who understands what it will take to raise him correctly. Please talk to the people you got the puppies from and have them spay there dog immediately. Believe me they will run out of friends and family members to dump their puppies on long before they run out of puppies if this continues. If you need to do some research on the net and find a low cost clinic, I've talked many people into altering their animals once they learned how inexpensive it can be at a clinic. Now is the time to seperate them and find him a home, do not delay you will be sorry. Even the most experienced people will not take littermates and never the same sex. Often if there is one dog that is much older you can later introduce the same sex dog as a puppy with success.

To do a proper adoption for this puppy you will want to screen very carefully where this puppy goes. Ask them lots of questions have them come and visit the puppy and then offer to deliver the puppy, this gives you the opportunity to see how they plan to keep the puppy. Check their vet references and make sure they understand what it takes to raise a puppy. Do not be shy about asking for references it is your responsibility now to make sure this puppy ends up in the right home.

[SWEETBREW]

allin21 - just because they don't have problems now, doesn't mean they can't later on. I have read stories of dogs raised together for many years and then all of sudden snap! They absolutely hate each other and either one has to be rehomed(which is always harder when they are older) or they have to be kept seperated for the remainder of their lives. doesn't sound like a fun household to me!!!

[Sharon Marples]

Originally Posted by allin21

I am currently raising littermates. They are male rottweilers and they are six months old. I don't know if I just got lucky, but right now they get along great. They occasionally have their little fights, but it is nothing serious. They are fed in the same room about five feet away from each other.

At six months old they will not have any issues. It's when they start to mature that the problems WILL start. If you allow them to have their "little" fights now, you will be in for "big" fights later on.

I suggest you do a search of the archives here for raising two puppies together and read all you can about it. With two males, you are in for a hard road if they are not separated and brought up correctly. Again, the problems are not going to be now, they will be in a year or so.....

[allin21]

My dogs are not going to be together forever. One of them is mine and my brother owns the other one. So if they ever have any problems, we can separate them.