Grimm Pack Dog Training

04/02/2025

Understanding Littermate Syndrome in Puppies

Bringing home two puppies from the same litter might seem like a great idea—they’ll have built-in companionship, right? However, many dog owners are unaware of the challenges that come with Littermate Syndrome, a behavioral condition that can develop when sibling puppies are raised together.

What is Littermate Syndrome?

Littermate Syndrome is a set of behavioral issues that arise when two puppies from the same litter (or even unrelated puppies of the same age) are raised together. These issues often stem from excessive bonding between the puppies, making it difficult for them to develop independence and proper social skills.

Signs of Littermate Syndrome:

Severe Separation Anxiety: Puppies become highly distressed when separated, making training and socialization more difficult.

Fearfulness: They may become overly reliant on each other, leading to increased anxiety in new situations or around unfamiliar dogs and people.

Difficulty in Training: Since they focus more on each other than their human, training sessions can become ineffective.

Inter-Puppy Aggression: As they grow, fights between littermates can become more intense, sometimes escalating into serious conflicts.

How to Prevent Littermate Syndrome

If you’re raising two puppies together, consider these steps to ensure they grow into well-adjusted, independent dogs:

Separate Training Sessions: Train each puppy individually to ensure they learn to focus on you rather than each other.

Encourage Independence: Allow them to spend time apart daily so they learn to be comfortable alone.

Socialization: Expose each puppy to different people, dogs, and environments separately.

Individual Bonding: Spend one-on-one time with each puppy to strengthen your personal relationship with them.

Should You Get Two Puppies?

While raising two puppies is possible, it requires significant effort and commitment. If you’re considering adopting littermates, be prepared to implement structured training and socialization strategies to prevent Littermate Syndrome.

By understanding and addressing Littermate Syndrome early, you can help your puppies grow into happy, confident, and independent dogs!

03/21/2025

Happy 10th Birthday Flashy Grimm!!🥳🥳

Flash is the oldest of the Grimm Pack and the first dog I’ve ever had. Matt and I brought him home a year into our relationship right after officially moving in together, so he’s almost literally been with us from day one and has been there for every milestone. Can’t imagine life without him by our side!❤️❤️

#10

01/31/2025

😉

01/15/2025

Sorry we’ve been quiet lately!

We’re in our final week of walks and focusing on this transition. I cannot thank our SOR community enough for your support over the years. I’m excited to take the experiences I’ve had with you and your dogs into this next phase of business. We are doing a rebrand and will be back soon with a new look and info on our services!

12/20/2024

11/27/2024

Meet Maisy! This sweet girl stole our hearts and quickly became a fan favorite around here. She loves her walks (as long as it's not raining) and even more so, loves to play, hunt for treats, and get some good belly rubs!

11/26/2024

Recall Part 3

Now that your dog is coming to you consistently, we can add our Come command!

Start using it as your dog is coming to you, mark, reward, and release them. Before you know it, you’ll be ready to start saying Come as your command!

11/23/2024

Recall Tip #2

Use your dog’s name as the attention getter!

You can use food or a toy to pattern name=yummy food or play. The great thing about focusing on this step is that you’re shaping recall, making the next step easy!

Sprinkle this exercise into your normal daily activity.

If this step is hard, try hand feeding your dog their meals at least once/day. Start with no expectations, and then build up to rewarding for voluntary engagement before adding their name into to exercise.

11/19/2024

How you live daily life with your dog makes all the difference in your training. This isn’t just a tip for recall.

Focus on quality time together (vs quantity). Be present when you’re with your dog. Do things you love together. Get outside, play, and have fun! Limit your attention indoors to purpose moments. Give your dog time alone to decompress and relax.

Following this protocol helps you become more valuable to your dog because your time and attention is scarce. When your dog does interact with you, it’s through fulfilling, fun activities outdoors and calm intimate moments indoors.

Comment with questions below! We’d love to dig more into our relationship protocol in future videos!

11/15/2024

Looking for easy and affordable ways to improve your dog’s meals? Here are some of our favorite tips!

10/23/2024

Meet Shirley!

Shirley started visits with us this summer as a puppy😍 She LOVES playtime and is quick to pick up on her basic training during her visits with us. Welcome to Sigh of Relief Shirley!!💙

10/18/2024

Where to start with training can be overwhelming! These 3 tips are the foundation we like everyone to start with. Focusing on these three areas provides biological fulfillment, builds team work and engagement, and promotes and good rest/decompression schedule🙌

Need help getting started with these steps?
Reach out to us today!
sordogs.com
(315)533-2478