Kassies mom Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 I understand the point everyone has made about adopting sibling pups. My situation is a bit different. Kassie is 3yrs. old, 4 in May. She has a brother who is with friends and they have changed locations, thinking they might have to find another home for him. This dog was allowed to run wild, on a farm, with little or no training. My question is this, would they recognise each other as siblings after all this time ? Would the same sibling issues apply to dogs their age ? Kassie is very much my dog and has a great life. We do agility, rally and hope to start herding in spring. I wouldn't want this bond to be affected by a sibling bond. Any thoughts ? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 You've already formed a strong bond with her, so I wouldn't worry about that. They may remember each other and be happy to see their sib, but then they may hate each other too. No way to tell until you give them a chance to interact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK dog doc Posted January 14, 2007 Report Share Posted January 14, 2007 Having been reared apart may actually help. They may or may not recognize one another (have they had any contact with each other since leaving the litter? If not, I'd say it was unlikely that they'll know each other AS SIBLINGS, per se. They may sort of "click" with each other, however; like I sometimes click with complete strangers who remind me of someone or something I liked in the past. They seem familliar to me, even if I've never met them, and if the association is a positive one, I'm predisposed to liking them.) Having not been pressuring each other since birth may have allowed them to grow up without the usual "sibling rivalry" stuff. Also, the fact that they lifestyles have been pretty divergent may mean that they are now inclined toward different niches in the household; that in and of itself may decrease the conflict, since they might not want to use exactly the same resources at the same time, which decreases the competition. I'm not sure anyone can say for sure whether sibling issues will still apply, but I think it'd be a lot less likely if they've been pretty much separated since weaning. The bigger concern might end up being the lack of training... Just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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