Singleton Puppy Syndrome: One Puppy Litter
One doesn’t have to be the loneliest number when it comes to your dog
In this article:
What are singleton puppies? Behaviour problems with singletons Raising singleton puppies One singleton puppy’s story
Singleton puppies are puppies born as the only puppy in their litter. There are complications that can occur, considered single puppy syndrome (also known as single pup syndrome), meaning there are challenges related to their normal development, including behavioural and physical factors. Singleton puppies may face behavioural issues, including a lack of bite inhibition, trouble coping with frustration, sensitivity to touch and difficulties in social situations. Physical issues can include complications related to pregnancy and birth, typically due to the large size of the foetus.
What are singleton puppies?
Have you ever met a dog named Solo, Uno or Only? It may not be just a cute name. The first question I consider asking is whether the dog was the only puppy in their litter. It’s rare, but dogs can give birth to just one pup – called a singleton puppy – and that can actually cause issues for the dog (and their human parents) down the road.
What’s the deal with one puppy litters?
For dogs, like many other species, early experiences are critical for normal social development. The time for true socialisation – during which puppies will learn lessons that directly affect lifelong behaviour – lasts from weeks 3–12. That’s why it is pretty well known that puppies have the best chance for normal social development if they are allowed to be with their littermates for 7–8 weeks at least; it’s not encouraged for puppies to be separated from their littermates before that.
How much do you spend on your pet per year?
In a typical litter of 3–12 puppies, there is constant physical contact. The puppies crawl all over each other, and they are used to the warmth, contact, interruptions and movement that result from being in a pile of dogs. Unlike with Littermate Syndrome, the behaviour problems of singletons are a result of them being alone with little feedback and correction.
Can a dog have only one puppy?
The average litter size is 5–6 puppies. Although it’s far more common for dogs to give birth to a group of pups, having just one puppy is possible, and it does happen. A dog can have a one-puppy litter, but have more puppies in her next litter.
How rare is single-puppy syndrome?
Single puppy litters are rare, although there’s no record of exactly how often it happens. Not all litters are recorded and pet parents often share news of their larger litters – but note that this does not always mean healthier.
Not all puppies who are the only puppy in a litter face the associated behavioural challenges known as single puppy syndrome, especially because many people take steps to prevent it. It is thought that single puppy syndrome is in fact quite rare.
What causes a singleton puppy?
There is no one reason why a dog gives birth to just a single puppy. This can happen if only one puppy starts developing, if the dam’s nutrition is poor, or due to a mistimed mating. Older dams are more likely to produce singleton puppies, and that may be true for very young mothers too. Sometimes there is a single pup because their would-be littermates don’t survive either in utero or the early days after birth. Small dog breeds have smaller litters, so they are more likely to give birth to a singleton puppy.
Behaviour problems with singletons
Littermates are a puppy’s first teachers, one of several reasons why it’s beneficial for puppies to stay with their litter for about two months. As the young dogs play, they use their mouths to tug on their siblings’ ears, tails, paws and loose skin. If one puppy mouths another too hard, the puppy who got hurt will yelp, stop playing and move away.
This teaches puppies that hard bites, even if not intended to cause pain, result in an interruption in play. Singleton puppies and those taken from their litter before the age of five or six weeks often lack proper bite inhibition. Puppies need their littermates’ feedback to learn to control the pressure they exert with their mouths.
The behavioural problems that singleton puppies are prone to are the result of not being raised with littermates in their environment. Common behavioural issues in dogs who were singleton puppies include:
poor bite inhibition
difficulty getting out of trouble calmly and graciously
inability to diffuse social tension
difficulty coping with frustration
poor understanding of social cues
lack of impulse control
touch sensitivity
What should you consider when training a singleton puppy?
Training a singleton puppy may require extra patience because these puppies may become frustrated easily. With that in mind, keep sessions extra short, always start and end each session with an easy skill so the puppy is successful. Practise skills requiring impulse control such as ‘wait’ and ‘stay’ to help your singleton puppy strengthen their self-control.
Use positive reinforcement, reward them for taking treats gently, and keep your hand open and flat with a treat in your palm, so they learn to take treats nicely. Give them further practice using their mouth appropriately by playing fetch and tug, asking them to drop the toy as part of the game. Training a singleton puppy is much like training any other puppy, but they are more likely to need extra practice with some skills.
Raising a singleton puppy
If you find out that your dog is a singleton puppy early – anytime before they head to your home – there will be particular areas to focus on. Be sure to work on teaching bite inhibition, and handle your puppy frequently to avoid issues with touch sensitivity. Any gentle, regular handling is likely to help, teaching them to be comfortable when touching around their paws, tail and face. Interrupt their feeding by pushing them gently off the mother so they must reattach to the nipple. This helps them get them used to life’s little frustrations. Have the puppy spend time with other puppies of the same age that are healthy and vaccinated.
If possible, you may consider raising the singleton puppy with another litter. Getting to spend a lot of time with another litter allows a singleton puppy to have a more typical experience when young. There can be challenges with this, including rejection by the littermates or dam if present, be sure to check the health (including worming status) of your puppy and the other littermates, and seek veterinary guidance to ensure any socialising is as safe as possible. Even if only possible after 12 weeks, this can provide puppies with the foundation for more normal, healthy social behaviour as adults in many contexts.
Do singleton puppies have health issues?
The singleton puppy survival rate is lower than that for puppies born with littermates. One issue before birth is that a single puppy often doesn’t produce enough hormones to induce labour in the mother, so the pregnancy extends too long.
That can lead to a loss of oxygen and nutrients to the puppy. Singleton puppies often grow too big for a safe natural birth. Your vet will likely need to perform a caesarian section on a dam pregnant with a single puppy, due to their larger size, which can be dangerous for a natural birth and to avoid a late birth. Research about health problems after birth in puppies without littermates is sparse and there is not enough to say definitively whether there are patterns of health issues in singletons. A single puppy can pose a high risk pregnancy to the dam, be sure to speak to your vet to plan ahead accordingly.
One singleton puppy’s story
A while ago, I met a two-year-old singleton Irish Water Spaniel. He was overly confident, had no frustration tolerance, little self-control and almost no impulse control. His issues with frustration and control contributed to lead aggression with other dogs. His pet parent, who bred him, was able to turn his behaviour around, but it was a huge project.
The next litter from the same female was also a solo puppy without behavioural problems, although she was a little large for the breed, which is not unusual for singleton puppies. Her pet parent did everything right with her second singleton puppy. She raised her with a Labrador litter that was only a few days apart in age than the solo puppy, and followed advice. She elected to spay her breeding female after the second singleton, as there was too high a risk of a singleton pregnancy happening again.
This second singleton puppy, benefiting from all the pet parent did to help her, was not behaviorally challenged like many singleton puppies are. The singleton turned out completely normal from a behavioural perspective, despite an unusual beginning, and this is an amazing accomplishment.
If you find yourself with a singleton pup, work on teaching bite inhibition early on, handle the puppy often to discourage touch sensitivity, help the puppy experience interruptions and frustration, and most importantly encourage the puppy to spend time with other healthy puppies of the same age as much as safely possible in those first 12 weeks. You can speak to your vet about how to implement this in a controlled way.
Frequently asked questions
Is it normal for a dog to have one puppy?
It is unusual for a dog to have one puppy. Considering the challenges faced by singleton pups and their dams, it is fair to assume that having a litter of only a single puppy is not normal.
Are singleton puppies bigger?
Sometimes singleton puppies are bigger, mainly because they get all the nutrition meant to be shared with other puppies. However, if health or nutrition deficiencies led to one puppy, their size may not be affected.
Should you adopt a singleton puppy?
Adopting a singleton puppy is a challenge and should only be considered by someone who is well aware of the potential difficulties. You would need to accept that the puppy is less likely to develop into a dog with normal behaviour compared with other dogs who had littermates.
