Hi everyone, I am really looking for some advice and reassurance. I have two labrador puppies. 10 month old boys and litter mates. They have always got on and been lovely with each other. The calm one as always been dominant although his brother who is a tad more jumpy is always trying to play quite roughly. The other day very suddenly and out of the blue, the less dominant one attacked the other and has since been hell bent on viciously attacking and sinking his teeth into his brother. When they are out of the house walking they are lovely together, as soon as they come into the house they have to be separated because they are so hell bent on fighting. It's extremely distressing to us a. They are currently residing in separately cages and everything is being done separately. The only thing that seems to have changed is that the less dominant one is now bigger than the other and he is the one that is starting the aggressive episodes (even though he crus afterwards) . The one that was dominant is now very scared of his brother and shakes. We are seeing a behaviourist and we are Getting them neutered but in the meantime I would love any help and advice. Many thanks all, Sarah
Hello there, and a very warm welcome to the forum. I think it's an excellent idea to consult a professional, if this is really aggressive behaviour (and it does sound like it is). I'm afraid it sounds a bit too serious to really attempt to give any advice over the internet. I don't know much about it at all, but I have heard that while many people raise litter mates very successfully, there can be problems which some people group under the heading "litter mate syndrome". This refers to a set of circumstances where all sorts of behaviour can arise due to the dogs focussing too much on each other. Often problems which seem to be socialisation problems, but aggression between the dogs too. I really hope that you can find a good behaviourist that can help you, please do let us know how you get on.
Hi and welcome to the forum. I have litter mates, against all advice and my better instincts. I read up a lot about litter mate syndrome before getting them, and knew I had to be prepared if this sort of thing happened. I do lots of individual work with them and they get to spend plenty of time apart. That, combined with some luck, I haven't had any of the aggression problems you have experienced. They play very rough together (far rougher than with any other dogs), but there is a big difference between that and aggressive behaviour. If you are reading the body language correctly, and I assume you are, then it's definitely a job for a behaviourist. Sadly, it seems that in many of these cases, the only solution is to give one of the dogs up. It's a heartbreaking thing to have to decide, if it comes to it, but you have to do what is best for everyone. The dogs will go on to live full, happy lives separately, whereas keeping them together will be remarkably stressful for all involved. I sincerely hope this isn't the case with your boys and that you've caught it early enough for the behaviourist to help you all work through it. I do think you need to prepare yourself for that scenario, though. I also wouldn't rush into neutering, if I were you. Unless it's proven that the behaviour is sexually motivated, then neutering likely won't have any positive effect and could even make things worse, as you're messing with their hormones. If you really believe it's the way to go, you could consider chemical castration which is temporary and reversible, but will give you an idea of how your boys will react to actual castration which, obviously, is not reversible. I hope you stay around on the forum and let us know how you get on. Everything crossed for a positive outcome for you. I really feel for you.
Oh dear. I hope you get some help with this, it must be very worrying. My Twiglet (14 weeks) has met her littermate, Rossi, twice and they fought badly both times - they really don't get on. I was startled at how ferocious they both were Twiglet is great with my pet dog Tatze and all the other dogs she's met, which is a lot. We only now let them meet on leads on neutral ground - but I realise you can't do that.
