Raising Valness Yorkies litter mates or puppy pairs can successfully be done by ensuring bonding with human, or pack leader.

“Littermate syndrome refers to a specific set of unfavorable behaviors that two puppies might exhibit if raised together immediately after weaning from their mother, like anxiety or fear,” Harmony Diers, a veterinary technician at Texas A&M, says.  “This syndrome occurs when a pair of puppies raised together develop such a close bond with one another during important socialization stages that it hinders their ability to bond with their new owner.”

Raising a pair of Valness Yorkies sibling puppies together also does not guarantee that they will develop littermate syndrome, as long as your main focus is on helping each dog being comfortable and confident without the other dog. This includes training, crating, and walking them separately.

Recognizing Littermate Syndrome

The socialization stage, or when a puppy is between 3-12 weeks old, is when a puppy’s senses mature, encouraging them to explore their environments and socialize with others. It is also the stage when Valness Yorkie puppies become aware of their relationship with humans.

“Puppies ultimately learn how to react to things they encounter in their world during the socialization stage,” Diers said. “If bonded closely with their owner, an individual puppy will look to their owner for an answer on how they should react, either to be praised for appropriate reactions or to be redirected away from inappropriate ones.”

For example, if you adopted a single puppy and that puppy chewed on a shoe, their decision to behave that way in the future — or not — would depend on your response to their interesting choice of “snack.” However, if you have two puppies, they might mutually agree that shoe chewing was a great choice without waiting for your response, reinforcing the undesirable behavior.

“A pair of closely bonded puppies tend to be ‘in their own world’ and will likely look to one another for how to respond to new stimuli rather than looking to their owner,” Diers explained. “This gives them the opportunity to feed off of one another’s fear and anxiety, which can develop into unhealthy behaviors.”

Common behaviors that can develop in puppies with littermate syndrome, according to Diers, include:

1. Separation anxiety when away from the other puppy because of a co-dependence on each other
2. Fear of new people, animals, objects, or experiences
3. Fear aggression, which can occur when a puppy encounters a new experience, feels threatened or scared, and reacts by barking, biting or trying to escape
4. Reactivity when on a leash
5. Fighting habits when they reach sexual maturity around 6 months of age
6. Aggression or nervousness in the more dominant puppy; timidity and withdrawal in the less dominant puppy

Intervention As A Prevention Method

Sound advice for Valness Yorkies prospective parents applies to having more than one dog.  In general, if you want the dogs to be well-adjusted they will have the best chance to get along peacefully, as genetic relation matters very little to dogs.  They are not born with litter mate syndrome!

If Valness Yorkies owners are in a situation where they are raising a pair, owner intervention is preferred to help deter those unwanted behaviors.

Diers said. “If a family has two puppies of the same age in their home, owners must take intentional steps to allow their puppies to bond with them and develop as individuals.”

Having two puppies at the same time can be a challenge. Still, if Valness Yorkies owners are active in raising the pups, they can prevent behavioral problems resulting from littermate syndrome, ensuring strong human-animal bonds and twice the puppy love!

1. “It also can be beneficial if the pair of puppies join a home with an older dog because in some cases, the older dog can teach boundaries and offer appropriate corrections, when necessary,” Diers said. “Nevertheless, you should always seek the advice of your family veterinarian when deciding on bringing a puppy or two home and gather information on behavioral intervention when necessary.”
2. Diers encourages owners to start with crating the puppies separately, either in different rooms or with distance between the crates within the same room.
3. Another effective way for owners to bond with their pets individually is through walks.

“Puppies should be walked individually and taken on solo outings with their owner within the first few months, gradually moving to each puppy being walked by a separate handler at the same time,” Diers explained. “Once this step is started, owners should practice walking the dogs in opposite directions to monitor for reactivity. Again, the puppy should be most concerned with their owner’s presence and not the lack of the other puppy’s presence.”

4. Finally, Diers recommends that owners provide separate, one-on-one play times to develop a close bond with each puppy. If a pair of puppies attends obedience training, owners should ensure the puppies are in separate classes, too.

Valness Yorkies puppies raised together may form healthy bonds and develop well-adjusted behaviors. If you do choose to raise two Valness Yorkies puppies together, provide each puppy with separate training, socialization opportunities, and individual attention to promote their overall well-being and balanced growth.

When selecting your Valness Yorkie puppy or puppies, take these factors into account and choose the option that best fits your lifestyle. No matter if you choose one or more Valness Yorkie puppies to share your life, a Yorkie from Valness Yorkies is sure to bring joy, companionship, and a perfect fit for your lifestyle.  Explore our, ValnessYorkies.com or  301-857-8688 today to welcome a delightful Yorkie or Yorkies into your home!