Are Your Dogs Emotionally Codependent?
Have you ever heard of the codependent concept littermate syndrome?
It’s actually an interesting concept, whereby two dogs of a similar age, typically littermates, grow up together and eventually become codependent.
Trying to separate them when they’re older becomes impossible. You’ve probably seen it in re-homing groups.
An ad will say two dogs from the same home can’t be separated when they’re re-homed.
Of course, many of us will just roll our eyes and keep on moving. Can’t be separated? That isn’t logical, right? We can always put our dogs in different rooms. They’re just being sentimental.
Hold on. Before you start pushing them out separate doors, you need to understand something. Whether we agree with the theory or not, there is evidence that suggests that some dogs who become codependent on other dogs will exhibit significant stressful behaviours when separated from their fur-family.
Symptoms of Codependency
- Fear of strangers, whether they be dogs or people
- Anxiety due to external stimuli like sounds
- Significant anxiety when separated from the second dog
- Difficulty learning commands when separated
In short, littermate syndrome means that puppies from the same litter have difficulty interacting in a normal way with other dogs and people. They become closed to external stimuli.
Here’s the thing though. At the kennel, dogs don’t have to be from the same litter to start exhibiting this behaviour. The first time we separate them to groom we can tell if there’s a problem.
A dog that’s too emotionally attached to another will go through the gamut of behavioural issues:
- Destructiveness like digging at the door
- Excessive barking
- Urinating on the walls and bed
- Fear response to people and dogs
- Inability to self-regulate
- Refusal to eat
In truth, all dogs want consistency, which is exactly what the littermate offers. They’re crying because they want that consistency returned to them.
Does Codependency Matter?
So, why does it matter? So what if your dogs whine a bit when you take one to the groomer? Of course, it isn’t that easy. We could just leave them together forever, right? The question then is how long is forever? And for dogs, even healthy ones, that answer isn’t as long as we’d all like it to be.
Eventually, death, the great leveller, will come for us all, and when separated suddenly like that, it’s unknown how well our fur-family will react. We’ve seen reactions ranging from moping around, to loss of appetite, to complete anxiety.
How to deal with Codependency
It doesn’t matter how old your dogs are, it’s never too late to do something about their behaviour. It will however take a lot of effort. Here are 4 important steps to take to make things easier.
Personal training time
Whether it’s the time alone with you or the focused time to train, carving out the minutes to train separately is important. This will reduce the tendency for them to goof off and ignore you and also keep them focused on what you want them to do. Take them on separate walks or to the groomer on different days.
Socialize the dogs separately
You may have to do this in short periods, but it’s important that you socialize your puppies separately. You do this for three reasons. The first is to introduce them to different dogs so they can have fun on their own. The second is because they may need to be introduced differently. Not all dogs are comfortable with everyone at first. And the third is because some dogs can become protective of their families, hovering over them and snapping at other dogs if they come near. A great idea is to choose different days to go to doggie daycare.
Give them a job
Just as if they had other anxieties, giving your dog a job will help it focus on something other than the immediate emotional distress. This way when you separate them for any reason, they have something to do with their time.
Don’t put them in that position
Though the emotional attachment may be far greater for littermates, we can all appreciate that dogs of any age or breed can come to rely, even connect with the rest of their pack. That means putting them in that position in the first place isn’t wise. Should we not get a second dog? Certainly not what I’m suggesting. I have 4 dogs, two of which were born three days apart, though from different litters.
Instead, my suggestion is to think about the reasons why we want to add another four legs to the family. Who are we doing it for? If it’s to bring positive change? Great. If it’s to calm another dog? Be careful. Getting your puppy a puppy can be complicated as a dog who is already emotionally compromised may come to rely on that crutch too much, establishing that littermate mentality. In those cases, it’s best to teach your dog how to self regulate before adding to the family so they don’t fall prey to the effects of anxiety when separated. Check out our article on how to deal with anxiety.
Waiting a couple months is important so you can establish a healthy relationship with each of your dogs.
The added benefit of waiting is that your first dog can teach the second good behaviour as opposed to teaching them poor behaviours that you don’t want emulated.
Are you worried one of your dogs has become too dependent on another? Have they spent so much time together that you don’t know if they can be separated? Let us help. Our kennel building is set up well to establish a plan for each of them.
Whatever you choose, by doing nothing, whether they are littermates or not, you do your dogs a disservice for later in life. Take the time to celebrate their individual natures.
LOYALIST BARKWAY
Where your dog gets the loyal treatment
9675 HWY 33, BATH, ON K0H 1G0
info@dogboardingkennels.ca
613-777-5024