How far apart in age should dogs be to avoid littermate syndrome?
Bernadine Towne
2025-06-21 10:17:03
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I have had a dog in the past, but most of my experience is with cats, where getting littermates is generally a good idea. The general recommendation was that you want them spaced out. My understanding is that generally 2 years is a good gap. The idea was always to ultimately have 2 dogs. Is it more a question of the age gap, or not wanting two puppies playing off each other all of the time.
Madalyn Johns
2025-06-21 09:25:34
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Littermate Syndrome is a condition of over-familiarity and co-dependence, formed between two dogs of similar ages, and does not always involve littermates. In-fact, it can occur in any two dogs who cohabitate from young puppies and are within 12-months of each other. The closer in age, the more time they spend together at liberty, and the younger they started this cycle of dependence, the higher the risk of it developing. The easiest way to prevent Littermate Syndrome is to never add two puppies to the household within a 3 year period. As a rule of thumb, our dogs must spend more time apart than together, and when they are together we must teach them to be calm around one another. We need to ensure that they do not spend time together until they can be apart comfortably, and they should never be at liberty together unsupervised until they’ve proven their independence.
Charlie Denesik
2025-06-21 07:24:13
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That’s why most professionals advise not to adopt two puppies within six months of each other. The behavioral risks are just too high—even before considering the added cost, time, and training effort. If you want multiple dogs, consider adopting one puppy now and another after the first is fully developed. Alternatively, consider adding an adult dog instead.
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