Donate today online at www.wshs-dg.org
Here are Some Things to Work on:
• If they do not do
well and are stressed,
make sure to flag the
behavior and create a
training plan to fix it.
• When you crate the dogs make sure that you utilize
an individual crate for each dog and never crate them
together. You can start off with the crates right next to
each other to ease the separation anxiety. If the dogs
do well, you should slowly start moving the crates to
opposite sides of the room and then to different areas
of the house. This will greatly help the dogs to start
feeling independent.
• Train the dogs within
sight of each other and
practice moving in and
out of sight.
• Obedience train each dog without the other dog
around. The goal is to ensure that each dog forms a
strong individual bond with the owner. If attending
obedience classes we recommend that you enroll each
puppy in a different class.
• Make sure the dogs
can properly meet new
dogs and people when
they are together. As mentioned above the littermates
tend to feed off of each others energy. So when
meeting a new person or dog, any excitement or fear
will be amplified by having the other littermate present.
• Plan outings with each dog individually. Take the dogs
to parks, pet stores, or any public place on their own.
The goal is to individually socialize each dog to new
experiences while they are relying on the owner and
not the other dog. You will want to individually expose
each dog to anything that they might see when they
are adults. This includes; strollers, bikes, shopping
carts, cars, trains, people with different characteristics
(beards, glasses, hoodies, different skin colors, etc) and
various types of dogs.
• It’s important at this stage to continue with some
individual training/socialization trips as well as planning
joint outings.
With hard work, littermate syndrome can be prevented or
remedied, but it is important to start early. Also, remember
that avoidance of this issue is the best plan. Having two
dogs of a similar age is great, just get them roughly six
months apart and make life easier on you and them!
After we have started socializing and training each dog
separately, we phase in some joint obedience sessions
and socialization outings. Here are some ideas of things to
work on:
• Take a walk where each dog has a different handler.
After walking together for a few moments, walk the
dogs in opposite directions and see how they react.
Visit www.suburban-k9.com or call
(847) 232-1269
Emails and Letters from Adopters
Dear WSHS,
Barney and Clyde are doing well. They just about own
the house now, and they are always on the move.
They have both become very affectionate, especially
Barney. They love to play and chase each other. We
love them to death. Thank you all for everything you
do for all these little guys!
Sincerely,
Barney and Clyde’s forever family
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