# Can he recognize littermates?



## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

After finding Titan's pedigree and figuring out exactly where my beautiful boy came from, and realizing his father is in the states now... I got to thinking... scary, I know  But would he recognize his littermates or parents if he saw them today but hadn't seen them since birth, in his father's case, or since he was 8 weeks in his siblings case. Like if we were to meet up, you think he would know? Can they sense something? Smell something? And on that note, do you think that dogs sense their human's familly? Would he be able to sense that my mom was related to me.. just very very intiguing to me.. I realize that there is no definite answer but just curious on thoughts and/or studies done..


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## Gharrissc (May 19, 2012)

I am just guessing here,but I think it greatly depends on how long it's been since they have seen their littermates. Dogs do go on scent memory and I think that pays a big part of it.


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## Nikitta (Nov 10, 2011)

Personally? I doubt it.


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## sddeadeye (Apr 5, 2011)

I don't believe they necessarily can recognize relatives they left in puppyhood. When our Aussie was roughly a year old, we took him back to his breeder's house and he "met" his mother. I don't think he really recognized her at all. Of course he did have a very skittish and fearful personality so that may have contributed to his reaction. However, with dogs he knew he warmed up pretty quickly (i.e. the neighborhood dogs that came by occasionally). His mother, not so much.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

Interesting. I don't know much about the psychie (<--sp) of dogs or what they can actually comprehend but I thought it was an intriguing point to talk about. Like I know when I moved away from home 6 years ago.. any time I would come home, my dogs remembered me.. do you think it's different with us than other animals?


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

I think they can sense something. When Apache was about a year we went to PA to an event that his breeder and about 3 other siblings were at. When we got there they all were so excited and they all greeted each other like they knew each other. We went on a hike and it was really cool all the dogs had such a good time. Of course they were young and probably would have acted the same with strange dogs or not.
Lakota used to visit her brother when she was younger. She was probably only a few months old and that was the first time I ever saw her turn into a gremlin. We also had 2 other sibs join us one day and you could tell they still had a little sibbling rivelry going. Then I brought her to see her parents with the 2 other sibs (the people kept 2 pups) and they couldn't be bothered with her. The sibs played a bit but no big deal. 
I always wonder what goes on in there little heads.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

I do too! ugh, I wish I could read dog's minds! Like this morning, Titan wouldn't eat his food and all I could think is, why can't I just know what's going on in that head of yours?! It would be so much easier to understand!


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I don't know. My dog's have never forgotten their breeder, even years later. Other dogs, I don't know. I think Hogan's littermate remembered him. She utterly despised him.


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## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

I don't think so but who knows?

We saw my boys littermate at a herding event last fall, she was NOT impressed with him at all, didn't want to share the same space with him. LOL


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

How funny! I wish I could reconnect with some of his littermates just to see...


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

wyoung2153 said:


> How funny! I wish I could reconnect with some of his littermates just to see...


When I got Apache, he was the first with a contract. His breeder set up a yahoo group for all the puppy people. It was the coolest thing I ever experienced and I was really greatful because it was almost 10 years since my previous pup so I was definately rusty.
Most of us stayed in touch for several years then things kind of fell apart. I did get the best pup out of that litter health wise.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

kiya said:


> When I got Apache, he was the first with a contract. His breeder set up a yahoo group for all the puppy people. It was the coolest thing I ever experienced and I was really greatful because it was almost 10 years since my previous pup so I was definately rusty.
> Most of us stayed in touch for several years then things kind of fell apart. I did get the best pup out of that litter health wise.


That is pretty awesome. I never had anything like that with Titan. It was a small breeder, I thought was a backyard breeder (didn't know any better at the time), but turns out he knew what he was doing after I did a little research on Titan's pedigree, lol. My roommate at the time bought his brother and lived with me for 4 months after that then moved to the states. She brought him but had to rehome him because her deployment cycle skyrocketted and she was gone all the time. Now we are stationed together again and rooming together which make me sad because I would have taken Brutus in a hearbeat! I moved her only a few weeks after she rehomed him


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

No, I don't think they can recognize parents or littermates. Maybe a bit of a deeper connection if they were never weaned from each other, but in no way the type of connect we have to our parents or siblings. Wiva and her littermate Wanderlei were kept back by my breeder. They trained together most every weekend. Wiva had no interest each time we introduced them to each other. 

I train at my breeder's facility so I see a lot of littermates come in and out. Parents hardly exhibit any kind of "recognition" when they see their offspring and littermates (unless they grew up together) don't recognize each other if they lived apart from each other. Think about it this way, breeders have bred sire to daughter, dam to son, littermates to each other and so on with no issues.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

qbchottu said:


> Think about it this way, breeders have bred sire to daughter, dam to son, littermates to each other and so on with no issues.


Valid. Lol. I guess I never saw it like that. Do you think then it's different with humans and dogs? Like I mentioned previously, I have gone away from home for years and come bak and my childhood dogs recognized me off the bat, listened to me the same, and took right back to me the way it used to be. You think that's just because of our scent that is unique to us? or that they were raised from puppyhood with me?


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## KindnessCounts (Jun 27, 2012)

I would positively say that dogs remember their littermates. I had a male golden that I took to obedience training when he was 6 months old. We stood next to a woman with a golden and she and I started talking about our puppies and that we each got them from the same backyard breeder. Turns out her dog went nose to nose with mine and seemed to really take to each other even though her dog disliked all other dogs. If that is not a connection, I don't know what is.

That said, perhaps later in life, they might not have recognized each other. But throughout the class, they were buddies.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

Yes definitely, but depends somewhat on the gender, breed and individual dog. My breeder whelped and raised Wiva till she was 9 months old. Still each weekend that we went to training, Wiva would go batty for him. She has now been with me for about 8 months and I'm noticing that her affection for him has been dwindling more and more. She still _loves_ him, but I know that I am her primary person now. I think most dogs have an excellent ability to recognize and maintain a bond to those that were essential members of their pack at one time. We bred them to form deep bonds to us, not to other dogs. 

My breeder has raised generations of litters and he has told me that the female pups tend to always recognize him, even when they are much older. The males tend to be a little more scatterbrained p) and don't show the same type of familiarity. 

I think breed has to do with it as well. For example, I think hard, mastiff type breeds tend to have trouble forming and keeping bonds to multiple people. I have seen this with hard-headed GSDs as well. Some dogs just have issues forming bonds with multiple people. I know a girl with a Boerboel that she had to rehome. He lives elsewhere and has bonded somewhat to his new owner, but still, if she comes back to visit him, he will kill anything that comes within 10ft of her. 

In my own pack, Whiskey is probably the worst about forming bonds to people. If you look up "aloof" in the dictionary, his picture will be next to it! :crazy: He is very much a dog's dog. He feeds off the excitement of other dogs, loves to play with them and really enjoys puppies especially. If I rehomed one of the girls, he would definitely grieve. 

He was an absolute PITA to bond with! I got him at 6 months and he barely acknowledged me until 2-3 months later. Now we have an ironclad bond and he loves me VERY deeply, but he really could care less about most people. Even people he lived with and grew up with. Besides me, he likes my mom best, but if he didn't see her for a few weeks, I really doubt that he would recognize or care if he met her. He tends to not even _look_ at a new person until he gets 4-5 meetings with them. Interestingly, he loves children and will immediately go up to them to play, but he will not bond easily.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

KindnessCounts said:


> I would positively say that dogs remember their littermates. I had a male golden that I took to obedience training when he was 6 months old. We stood next to a woman with a golden and she and I started talking about our puppies and that we each got them from the same backyard breeder. Turns out her dog went nose to nose with mine and seemed to really take to each other even though her dog disliked all other dogs. If that is not a connection, I don't know what is.
> 
> That said, perhaps later in life, they might not have recognized each other. But throughout the class, they were buddies.


Was that truly a connection? Were there other Goldens in the class? How much socialization did the littermate get? Reason I ask is that many GSDs that I train with have only seen other GSDs. My own dogs will go nuts if they see a different breed, since they are almost exclusively around GSDs only. My dogs tend to make friends with their own breed first, so that could play a part as well. 

Other thing I would say is that the dogs were from the same litter so temperament/personality would be similar. That could be why they formed a friendship easier as well. They vibe and operate on the same wavelength.

And I agree, a few months later could mean that they still recognize each other in some way. But I assumed that wyoung2153 asked about several years out, in which case I don't think they would be any actual recognition.


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

qbchottu said:


> :crazy: He is very much a dog's dog. He feeds off the excitement of other dogs, loves to play with them and really enjoys puppies especially. If I rehomed one of the girls, he would definitely grieve.


It's funny because since I have had Titan, he has never been a dog's dog. Ever. Sure they are interesting and he always always wants to sniff them.. but after the initial sniff. They mean nothing. Even the Boerboel puppy I had. We had her for 3 months and he acted no different when she left.. I think he was more affectionate to me when she left.. she may have taught him a thing or 2 about that. Titan is not at all a cuddle me dog. Oh goodness I feel bad for people who just want to love on him. He just wants to play play play. and if you aren't a daily part of his life, he doesn't want anything to do with you unless you throw a stick for him.  That could be a very good reason why my BF and him do not agree on eachother. Dan has so much love to give him and Titan wants none!  it makes me laugh.. he gets all irritated when he tries to pet him and Titan just walks away. I am about the only one that he wants to get attention from and it's like 5 minutes of pet me time in the morning and when I get home from work and that's really it.. haha.



qbchottu said:


> I assumed that wyoung2153 asked about several years out, in which case I don't think they would be any actual recognition.


I was talking years. I would assume meeting up with littermates within the first year it would be natural for them to remember.


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## qbchottu (Jul 10, 2011)

wyoung2153 said:


> That could be a very good reason why my BF and him do not agree on eachother. Dan has so much love to give him and Titan wants none!  it makes me laugh.. he gets all irritated when he tries to pet him and Titan just walks away. I am about the only one that he wants to get attention from and it's like 5 minutes of pet me time in the morning and when I get home from work and that's really it.. haha.


hahah 
I always joke that GSDs are a godsend to narcissists! They don't care about anyone but their person! 

Oh btw, I told Izaro's handler about Titan. He was really surprised that Izaro even had any litters in Germany and even more surprised that you imported him over here. He had most of his breedings in Italy and Scandinavia I believe. He thought it was very cool to have a SAR son!


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## wyoung2153 (Feb 28, 2010)

qbchottu said:


> hahah
> I always joke that GSDs are a godsend to narcissists! They don't care about anyone but their person!
> 
> Oh btw, I told Izaro's handler about Titan. He was really surprised that Izaro even had any litters in Germany and even more surprised that you imported him over here. He had most of his breedings in Italy and Scandinavia I believe. He thought it was very cool to have a SAR son!


Yes I'm sure that's it. Dan in insistant that Titan hates him, no matter how many times I try to explain GSDs. haha. That and if Dan plays with him Titan loves him so I try to play that card as well "go play with him!" He doesn't need to know that sticks are his crack and doesn't care who throws them. Haha.

That's awesome!!! I'm curious though how he got him from Germany? Like how'd he get to America? You can definitely PM me that if you don't wanna post it here. Lol.


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