I think LMS does generally come out as aggression to one another - or, at least, that's the most obvious effect that would cause people to have to address it. I believe that Guide Dogs stopped keeping litter mates together, though, after discovering that, nearly without fail, having litter mates in the same house caused one to not reach its full potential. What exact factors are at play here, I couldn't say. Since I'm not training mine up to work, it also doesn't matter to me if it is the case, as long as they are both happy. I think the implications of housing two litter mates could be a lot more broad-ranging than aggression between the two; that being the thick end of the wedge, as it were, but I'm also sure that it's not as simple as them just being from the same litter; there will be lots of personality traits in the mix, the environment they've grown up in, and, of course, failings on my part along the way.
I do wonder if it's not just littermates. I met a spaniel on a course on the weekend and the (extremely dedicated and caring) owner was helping a beautiful little girl through issues that the owner thought were caused by the puppy being (sort of) bullied by the mother (she had kept a puppy from her own dog's litter) - or, well, not exactly bullied but sort of 'overshadowed' perhaps. So, anyway, the relationship between the two dogs had very obviously caused problems for one of the dogs in a much broader sense than just her interaction with the other dog. I did think it was interesting, and I have been thinking more carefully about the interactions between Betsy and Charlie as a result.
I follow Black Retriever Cross Rescue on Facebook and they definitely decide to split up some dogs that have come in as a pair due to one being restricted, held back or over shadowed in some way. This is often greeted with disappointment by supporters who feel the dogs must love each other but I can totally see how some dogs inhibit others and they're better off apart. I'm also quite sure it's not a decision taken lightly.
I agree. I had Mabel spayed before her first season, two weeks after she was diagnosed with ED. I too will always wonder if it was the right decision. One interesting fact both Mabel's sisters have also been spayed. One before her first season and one after. The sister spayed after her first season is incredibly similar to Mabel in personality, whereby she is nervous of certain noises etc. The other sister is bomb proof. I'd always put Mabel's fear of certain situations and things down to so much restricted excercise and being spayed early, but that theory doesn't work for her sister. It's a pity we don't live in a parallel universe where we could do things a couple of ways
Isn't it just?! The sister of theirs who lives close went through two seasons before she was spayed and is a complete tank, completely impervious to pretty much anything and everything. Although she can still be skittish around children, just like mine - at least, used to be, not sure if she's grown out of that.
