puppy sibling aggression

608 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by alchera dachsies, Feb 7, 2021

alchera dachsies

Discussion Starter · Feb 2, 2021

Hi all, I have an interesting question, I'm a registered breeder of dachshunds and golden retrievers, have 4 dogs at home and consider myself fairly clued up on dog behaviour, but this one has me a little stumped. I recently bred a second (and last litter of GR's one of which I kept, 4 of the other pups went to fantastic local homes with friends of mine. I had expected to be able to socialise with them regularly. But recently my pup Sadie, who is now 12 weeks has been displaying aggression towards her littermates in a very non playful way. She is perfectly fine meeting other dogs calm and even submissive but when her siblings bound up to her she is immediately tense and will go for the attack, pinning them down and having to be dragged off. All is calm at home, her Mum is very placid and gentle with her and she plays very gently with my 2 dachshunds, there seems to be no dominance issue at all. I dont know whether to continue letting her meet her siblings in a controlled environment, or just leave her for a month or 2. Any thoughts?

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3GSD4IPO

· #2 · Feb 2, 2021

Stop letting her meet her siblings. There is no need and it is not going well. Sometimes we don't know "why" and in this case it does not matter "why." It does not work, don't do it.

I have a dog in training and meet regularly with sibling owners but the dogs never meet. They see each other at a distance as they would any other dog during training exercises but are never F2F or playing together.

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ClanWorgen

· #3 · Feb 5, 2021

Sounds like genetic dog aggression. It is ok for a dog not to like other dogs, but obviously this is a less common trait for a Golden and is undesirable. This pup wouldn't be a good breeding candidate, but as you said it's the last litter so probably not in consideration anyway.

Are the other dogs she is submissive toward adult dogs? While it's fun having puppies tumble around and have a blast, I personally think that well rounded adult dogs are the best candidates to have pups socialize with. Puppies tend to be very wild and over correct, whereas an adult dog with a good temperament is going to be patient while still giving appropriate corrections. It may just be that other puppies overwhelm her.

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Deacon.dog

· #4 · Feb 6, 2021

Littermate sydrome?

seperate the dogs.

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DaySleepers

· #5 · Feb 6, 2021

Probably not littermate syndrome as the puppies don't live together.

I agree with just stopping the playdates. Whatever the cause, they're not a positive experience for her and her behavior is making it a negative experience for her siblings. If you want to still meet up, I'd focus on working with her at a distance from the other puppies, doing focus exercises and practicing calm behaviors so she's at least practicing being neutral, calm, and not fixated around her siblings (and maybe other puppies in general).

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alchera dachsies

Discussion Starter · #6 · Feb 7, 2021

ClanWorgen said:
Sounds like genetic dog aggression. It is ok for a dog not to like other dogs, but obviously this is a less common trait for a Golden and is undesirable. This pup wouldn't be a good breeding candidate, but as you said it's the last litter so probably not in consideration anyway.

Are the other dogs she is submissive toward adult dogs? While it's fun having puppies tumble around and have a blast, I personally think that well rounded adult dogs are the best candidates to have pups socialize with. Puppies tend to be very wild and over correct, whereas an adult dog with a good temperament is going to be patient while still giving appropriate corrections. It may just be that other puppies overwhelm her.

I think you've hit the nail on the head that the pups overwhelm her, they are very rough and tumble and she is not, when she plays with our miniature dachshund pup it's very gentle almost like in slow motion, I'll keep her away from the siblings for now and as you suggest stick to some calmer adult dog socializing. Thanks

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alchera dachsies

Discussion Starter · #7 · Feb 7, 2021

DaySleepers said:
Probably not littermate syndrome as the puppies don't live together.

I agree with just stopping the playdates. Whatever the cause, they're not a positive experience for her and her behavior is making it a negative experience for her siblings. If you want to still meet up, I'd focus on working with her at a distance from the other puppies, doing focus exercises and practicing calm behaviors so she's at least practicing being neutral, calm, and not fixated around her siblings (and maybe other puppies in general).

great idea thanks, makes lots of sense

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