Dear Dr. John,

Our family recently purchased two German Shepherd puppies from the same litter. We took them to a new vet and I am seeking your opinion on something that this vet was shaming us about. The two puppies play hard and at times almost get nasty with one another but that seems to be slowing down and otherwise they are coming along fine. They are also doing typical things like chewing everything in sight and want to play with our cat although she wants nothing to do with them. The vet said they might have littermate syndrome. She also said the breeder should have never sold us two littermates. Furthermore, she said the pups should be separated so they don’t get obsessed with each other. Should we be concerned? We are sending them to the breeder for two weeks of training since she does that well. Your thoughts?

— W.M.

Dear W.M.,

I am sorry that a veterinarian made you feel shamed for giving a home to two puppies even if they are from the same litter, not that there is anything wrong with that. Littermate syndrome is a term used when two puppies from the same litter are raised together and there are challenges with training and socialization because the pups are highly dependent on one another. To me, this is a training issue and can be avoided.

Here are the things to look for: Are the pups unusually scared of anything they are not familiar with such as people or other dogs? Do they get out of sorts when separated from each other? The ways to prevent problems is to take them out with other dogs and people as much as possible. Also, take the time to train each pup separately with basic commands and give them some individual time with members of the family. Let them sleep apart in separate quarters. Watch for overt aggression.

I have seen many littermates raised well in different homes throughout my career and it is more likely than not that all will be fine. I am also of the opinion that your breeder will know what to do when she spends time training them. Choose a veterinarian that you can talk with and not one that makes you feel badly. Good luck.

Dr. John de Jong is President of the World Veterinary Association. He owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic and can be reached at 781-899-9994.