A few weeks ago we introduced Healing Haven’s Therapy Dogs in Training. Our Founder & Director’s Golden Doodles, Winston and Huxley, were in the middle of their initial training to work toward becoming therapy dogs. Winston excelled in training and returned home to Jamie’s house eager to practice his new skills. Huxley remained at the training center for another week. He was struggling during the first few weeks, showing signs of being timid and not engaged.
A Surprise Development
After Winston went home the trainer noticed how Huxley’s behavior changed. He approached Jamie about an issue that is very common among sibling puppies. Many dog experts are aware of the possibility of “littermate syndrome” developing. Littermate syndrome is when “two puppies become hyper-bonded. They can become so emotionally dependent upon their sibling or each another that they have difficulty relating to people or other dogs.” More information on littermate syndrome is available here and here.
The lesson from this experience is that if you’re looking to add more than one dog to your family, it’s recommended to not get sibling puppies. However, if you can keep them separate from one another until they are trained and have developed their individual personalities, they can be wonderful companions. Unfortunately many dog breeders don’t admit this potential issue and just look for people to purchase their puppies.
As a result of Huxley becoming too dependent and passive when Winston is around, Huxley will live and train separately from Winston. This will allow him to continue to develop his own independence, confidence and personality. His new owner is a kind social worker who intends to continue to train him to help other people.
Winston just passed his Canine Good Citizen test. (See the picture at right of him receiving his certificate from his trainer.) Now the paperwork is in process for him to officially become a therapy dog! We are excited for him to come work in our clinics in the near future. Research shows that therapy dogs can help improve a person’s social, cognitive and emotional functioning. They can also provide comfort and help manage stress in kids with autism, not to mention the staff caring for them!