If you're new to dog breeding, you might be concerned the first time you see canines mate. They seem to have a hard time detaching from one another after they do the deed. Why do dogs get stuck while mating? It's called a copulatory tie, and don't worry, it's perfectly normal. Read on to find out why it happens, what it means, and if you should intervene.
"Unlike cats who are fertile every 21 days, dogs only come into heat twice a year. From an evolutionary perspective, the copulatory tie helps them make the most of every opportunity to produce offspring," Marty Greer, DVM, author of Canine Reproduction and Neonatology and co-owner of Veterinary Village in Lomira, Wis., says. "It improves the likelihood that semen reaches the eggs by pushing it forward and acting as a plug to keep semen inside the female."
two dogs having sex
The longer dogs are stuck together in a copulatory tie, the greater the chance that the semen will reach the eggs. But pregnancy in dogs is never guaranteed, Greer says, "Just like in people, not every mating is successful."
You might be tempted to try to separate dogs when they're stuck in a copulatory tie during mating. But hold up: Pulling dogs apart can seriously injure them and doing so won't stop a pregnancy from occurring. Instead, encourage your dog to remain calm. Although watching dogs in this awkward position may be agonizing for you, it's simply a part of canine mating.
To prevent unwanted pregnancies, keep male dogs away from fertile female dogs so mating doesn't take place. "A female is potentially fertile four weeks after the start of her heat cycle," notes Greer. "When the bloody discharge dissipates, that's when she's most fertile."
I understand this article is a few months old now, but I am having very similar issues with two completely unrelated dogs, not even the same age or the same breed. Are there articles on non siblings behaving this way? One is a male Maremma Sheepdog named "Fionn", I've had him since he was 10 weeks old, he was 1 and 1/2 and very bonded to me and my older 4 yr old Aussie when I brought home an 8 week old male Australian Shepherd named "Bear". The minute I introduced Bear to Fionn, Bear ran right up to that 90 lb. dog and initiated play with him like he'd known him his whole life.
I can't call Bear unsocialized though. He loves meeting new people and dogs. I started obedience classes with him and he's doing great (aside from serious issues keeping his focus on me), but Fionn can't stand it. He loses it when I leave with Bear and any time I exit the gate with Bear for a training session where Fionn can't interfere. He huffs his cheeks, cries, whines, wails, even howls like he's in pain.
Having two same sex dogs can lead to many fights as they compete for rank. Always best if having more than one to get opposite genders (however have to be careful if they are too young to be neutered/spayed)
I would think this could clarify similar to littermate syndrome. The thing also to consider is that different dog breeds mature at different speeds. For example Labrador Retrievers don't typically reach adult status till 4-5 years old. Other dog breeds may take 1 and half years old to reach adult status. And then within this each dog is different as well maturing early or late. From the description you provided I would classify this as littermate syndrome from the actions going on. So I would follow the recommended treatment for the syndrome, most importantly "with BOTH dogs". I can understand wanting to treat the younger dog especially since that's when the problem started. But both dogs need to be recurving that same treatment and training separately and together. We adopted siblings, not know about littermate syndrome, but by happenstance I spent the majority of my time with one sibling and he with the other. Then brought them together usually at feedings and nights and playtime's. Training was done separately and together. When they were about 4-5 months old we took in a 12 week old Dachshund mix. We had never heard of littermate syndrome and immediately the new dog bonded with one of the older dogs. And they played and rough house and got along great. The first thing we started noticing was less then normal bonding with me or my husband. Then came the severe separation anxiety. Even to the point that if one of us left and the other stayed here he would moan and whine and cry the whole time. He has been all but untrainable except for sit when getting a treaty is involved. He hasn't really bonded with any of the other dogs or me and my husband. Here is a very lovable dog that always looks and acts sad. There are even times he will almost act like an abused dog; hunker down and freeze in place when he is told no or move. We previously had a Lhasa Also we adopted because it has what we now know to be littermate syndrome with it's sister. He was 7 when we adopted him and about a year later we adopted a 3 yo Labrador Retriever. The Lhasa was very aggressive towards other dogs and didn't know how to socialize with them. But with so work and dedication the two ended up becoming very close, even though there would still be random outbursts of aggression towards the much larger Lab. Luckily the Lab want aggressive back and allowed us to intervene for it's protection. We followed a lot of the same techniques when dealing with these two. I spent my time majorly with the Lab, my husband with the Lhasa, separately. And then they would come together a few times a day for walks and training was done both separately and together. We would usually always walk then at the same time but took them in different directions and courses. My current challenge is starting treatment for littermate syndrome in the younger Dachshund even though the other older dog does exhibit really any signs of having littermate syndrome. I hope this helps and kinda clarifies a multitude of things related to littermate syndrome and the various ways it can present and how we accidently avoided it/prevented without even knowing about it.
Littermate syndrome is kind of a misnomer. This can happen to any two young, near in age, or new dogs brought into the household at the same time, not just "littermates" It is named as such, however, because that is the scenario most common when people are bringing two new young dogs home- that they are siblings/ littermates
We have two goldendoodle sisters that are just past the 6 months age mark, they sleep separately at night and do like having alone time from each other throughout the day, but we do notice the aggression towards each other. What we do is separate them so that we assert our dominance, giving them almost a time out so they can calm down. But then we let them fight again so that they will be able to learn when too much is too much by when we separate them or let them fight. And if you are worried about them getting too rough with each other, we always have two toys handy to give to each of the puppies to distract them.
My littermate males are 3 years old. They are two of my pack of 7, so they have plenty of interaction with other dogs. They do sleep in separate crates now, after about 12 weeks old. Their own personalities have developed nicely, Dale is more loving and clingy to me, while Chip is more independent. I guess mine were easy as littermates because there was a larger pack.
Hi Tony, Hope you get this message. I just adopted two girls from the same litter. I am having a tough time with them. They fight play where it is scary. How are you doing with your two girls. Thank you, Barbara
Rachel, in answer to your comment, before they are fully vaccinated, puppies can be carried when they are out and about, so they can be introduced to the world via sight, sound, smell, and touch in some cases. They can watch other dogs, people and children. If you have friends with vaccinated, friendly dogs, then they can meet them. You can have a puppy on your knee and the dog can be brought in on a lead and allowed to sniff the puppy, etc. Once the vaccinations are in place, you can start to take them to environments which enable calm introductions to other pups and dogs, and also watching them from a safe distance. The ideal is to meet other pups and dogs one to one, so they don't get too hyper. Near my home there is a large park with grass, plants, river, lake, etc., and owners of small dogs and puppies often walk them there during times when children are in school. That sort of place is an ideal environment for a puppy to explore; see pushchairs, prams, toddlers, and generally grow in confidence.
My dogs are two year old pitbulls both very strong personalitys and from the same litter 2 weeks ago I noticed that they've been fighting and last night and this morning they literally tried to kill each other what do I do? Give the one away or put one down I need advice asap as I love both my dogs and am scared they might kill each other
I'm so sorry you're in this position! It is normal for these behaviors to kick off as dogs begin to reach full maturity. Typically these issues are a combination of management and behavior modification, and the most intense fights we see are often sibling dogs. They play hard and they fight hard, and often one blends into the other. If we can be of assistance via online private instruction, please don't hesitate to reach out.
I have the exact same problem, 2 husky litter mates (opposite sexes), I can't seem to get them to calm down as I separate them to spend one on one time with them and it's really hard. When they're together it's also nearly impossible to get their attention. They both have somewhat learned basic commands but the male is really tone deaf with or without his sister regardless and socializing is a nightmare in quarantine. They're good pups and extreme aggression hasn't happened yet but I only just learned of this too and am trying my best to get them to grow into healthy well behaved dogs. Regardless, I hope you you've been able to make progress with them :') I also wanted to ask if you where to have any tips so far? 2ff7e9595c
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