3 or 4 dogs?

[BengalBangle]

Speculative:

Say, I have 2 dogs, both rescues around 3 years old, different breeds,
Both are female. Both are 2 years old, but unsealed.
Owner looks at 8 week old female. Deposit for adoption.
New owner is getting 4th dog, by rescue.
Do they get girls, boys, or mixed?

I just wouldn’t get the fourth dog.
Two dogs is enough, three is definitely enough. Four is too crowded, especially when one is a young puppy. Why bring that stress to your existing two rescues?

Three rescue dogs and a puppy are a disaster waiting to happen.

Three young female dogs are potentially a disaster waiting to happen. Female dogs, if they turn against each other, can fight to the death or serious injury. The relationship can rarely be fixed once they have had a serious fight.

You cannot predict what impact a puppy and a further rescue will have on the existing household dogs. They need to be put first.

If the owner is around full time, gives the dogs full attention, has space to separate them, feed and train them separately and is a hugely experienced dog owner, there's slightly less risk. One would hope however that no experienced dog owner would willing put their dogs or bring new dogs into such a setup

Unless the owner has extensive experience of owning more than two dogs, I wouldn’t. Two is very different to three and definitely to four.

And those two rescues are probably incredibly bonded to each other which will add a further complication.

I have five (four girls, one dickhead) and the sheer amount of time, dedication and training I had to put into them was insane. And they were all owned from puppies, so it was easier and it is still a nightmare at times.

Crazy expensive to own 2+ dogs and do everything correctly.

To simply answer the question: get a boy. The 2 girl are happy with each other. A 3rd has potential to upset the balance and things can turn nasty very quickly.

But why get a 3rd & 4th dog? My advice, enjoy the 2 you already have.

If you must get another dog ,get a male .
Make sure you can train them all to a good standard.

Are the 2 rescues you already have calm and well trained/ socialised? What breeds are the dogs you plan to mix?

I wouldn't add a puppy and a new rescue into the mix at the same time, give your existing dogs time to adapt to one new arrival at a time and it will also give you chance to give a new dog or puppy the time and attention it deserves and assess how they are all coping/ will cope with further changes.