Do dogs remember siblings?

[Bindi Mom]

I'm curious if a dog will remember their littermates after time has passed?

[silhouettestable]

Not sure but Lightning's sister Summer lives across the road from us and they get along very well whenever they have the chance to get together. I've had a couple of his other siblings over a few times to do some dogsledding on our trail and one of them wasn't too impressed to see him again after about a year apart. She was a bit snippy, but that might be just her personality. She also tried to guard the cookie bucket I had out there for treating the dogs. When I put him out in single lead with the other 2 siblings behind him and they all ran well on the sled together. I would like to know if Rain and Storm's brother Tipper would remember them now at 5 1/2 months of age and get along if I could get them together. He lives about 15 minutes away from me and his owners are older people who aren't well. The husband has cancer and the wife suffered a stroke recently. She's supposed to be coming home from the hospital this weekend but I'm not sure if she'll be home to stay or not. They're selling off their cattle and they've also got miniature horses. Their son has been going over morning and night to do chores and takes Tipper out with him then, but the pup's having to spend the rest of the day tied right now. Night time he gets to be inside with the man keeping him company, but I think the man spends a lot of his day resting and so the pup stays out then. I was thinking it would be nice to bring him over for some play time with his brother and sister if he'd get along with them (and my other dogs). He's been an only dog since they got him and I've got 6 here.

[Guest TheRuffMuttGang]

I'll let you know when Kate packs Tex up to come visit!

[sea4th]

Several years ago, I bred a litter. Those pups are not going on six years old. I kept one, sold the rest. Satchmo, the only boy, is the one I kept. One girl went to a home where she excelled in flyball and continues to kick butt, BTW. Another girl went to an active family/

 

The owner of the flyball dog, and I have communicated often through the years, and at one point in time, I mentioned to her that if I could get Satchmo into a home where someone could devote the time he needed, I was sure he'd blossom. She often said that if she could, she'd take him on.

 

Well, that happened in May of this year. Her dog was never really fond of strange dogs entering the house, much less staying and it took her a long time to warm up to those dogs. When Satchmo came in, there was an immediate connection.

 

I don't for a minute believe that they remembered each other, but there certainly appeared to be some sort of connection, a familiarity. Since then, I took back another of the pups, Abbey, who was stressing because her owner went back to work. Abbey is now with her two siblings and has become part of the pack.

 

I saw Satchmo, who was very much my boy, a couple of months later, and he was a bit confused. He knew he liked me for some reason, but apparently didn't know why -- and that was only after a few months. So years, I doubt if there would be a memory left, but there was certainly recognition of familiarity.

[bcnewe2]

I think smells are familar and they associate them with past memories. So maybe not actually remembering the pup but the smell?

[Kyrasmom]

I don't know about siblings. We had a return a while back of a one year old placed as a pup and I have his two brothers. They didn't like him much and didn't appear to even be familiar with him, in fact the two brothers distinctly packed up to keep him at a distance the first few weeks.

 

BUT I did bring home the Mom to one of my other dogs and he was absolutely in heaven when he saw her. I don't know how great her recollection was but he was, and still is, in complete puppy awe of her. All 90+ pounds of him.

 

Maria