I had been doing some dog training in Philadelphia, after one session I was waiting for my much deserved Philly Cheesesteak to appear when Sheffield’s own ‘Def Leppard’ classic “When Love and Hate Collide” played over the restaurants sound system.
“If I ever write one,that would make a great title for a Blog on Sibling Rivalry” I thought.
Now seems a good time to do just that as recently we have been helping several clients who were struggling to deal with the chaos that extreme cases can cause!
The knowledge or wisdom that getting 2 or more puppies from the same litter needs careful planning and selection or it could be a recipe for disaster, seems to have been forgotten. This is especially true of certain breeders anxious to shift their latest batch of puppies.
As a rule of thumb, the closer the puppies are in gender; age (obvious if from the same litter)personality; character and temperament then the greater the chance of conflict as the dogs try to establish their natural hierarchy.
Now, these factors can also apply to dogs of different breeds and different litters when put together under the same roof, but actual Siblings take the problems to a higher level as their obsession with each other, both good and bad, can actually adversely affect their development as individuals with potentially disastrous results. Hence, Love and Hate Collide!
We have been successful in helping the people cope with their problems but it would be wrong of me to give the impression that we turn up, dressed in our Super Hero Dog Trainer costumes, and quickly re-programme the dogs. It really does need a lot of commitment and work from the 2 legged members of the pack if it is going to succeed.
It is important to point out that Sibling Rivalry can apply to all breeds, regardless of that breeds image or reputation.
If you would like more information on or help with this issue or, even better still, help with avoiding this problem in the first place, then please give DogsInSight a call.
