Any problems owning two young bitches?

[CrazyDogLady3]

Hi,
I've got 3 dogs - 2 older (castrated) males (one I had from a puppy, one adult rescue) and one young (18 months) female who I've had from a puppy. I've unexpectedly ended up with a young (11 months) female foster who was going to be put to sleep and I planned to do some basic training & socialising and find a good home for.
She's just fit in perfectly - it's really surprised me as on paper she should be a bit of a nightmare but all the dogs love her and she has just fallen into place. I'm considering keeping her but have been warned in the past about having 2 bitches of similar age and wanted to know if anyone had had any problems (or successes) with this? Currently neither is spayed as I believe in letting them get a couple of seasons under their belt before spaying when possible.
If it's relevent we do dog sports (for fun) so all my dogs get plenty of 1 on 1 time and I try and do individual walks a couple of times a week and group walks the rest of the time.
Thanks!

The older bitch is half as old again as the younger, it’s not like taking on two 8 week old puppies (which I’d never advise). If the girls have been ok sharing your home this far, and you really like the young one, I wouldn’t foresee any problems. Has the young one had a heat yet? May wobble a bit then, but you have had her long enough to be able to read her pretty well alongside the other bitch. How lovely that she’s slotted in so well, and you wont be just a temporary home! Keep us posted!

Ive always experienced more same sex aggression from adult females than males.

How long have you had her? Are you still in the honeymoon period or has she been there long enough for her true personality to come out?

I think it really depends on the personalities of the dogs. My bitches are three years apart in age and have only fallen out when one was in season. But my eldest is incredibly submissive (for want of a better description), so when the youngest tried it on, she just ignored her. I think two 'dominant' personalities might be trouble.

I do know someone who had littermate sisters, who lived happily together their entire lives.

Until both dogs are mature adults, it’s impossible to know
If they are matched as adults in terms of strength of personality, conflict is quite likely

They can get more aggressive when in season / towards the eno of it. Especially if one is experiencing a phantom pregnancy and nesting behaviour. But a lot would depend on the individual dogs temperament, if one is very submissive it's probably better.

As you are doing K9 sports, speak to people around you who have multiple dog households. Lots of experience you can tap into!

If you don't mind asking:
How long have you had her? And what were the reasons for PTS- behaviour or health? If you don't mind sharing.

Thanks everyone for the advice so far. In answer to some of the questions -
Younger one has not had a heat yet - older girl has and was quite an early bloomer but not particularly hormonal with it there were no obvious behavioural changes.
It's been just over a week and a half - we're out of the first few days where they do no wrong 🤣 and her behaviour is changing as she gets more confident but this is in a positive way so far. My older girl does not have a dominant personality in the slightest - I've got close friends dogs who do and she's more than happy for them to be in charge so even if puppy did have a 'strong personality' it wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

Everyone I know is biased and on the keep her train 🤣 no known health issues - she 'bit' a toddler in the home. I was wary to mention this because Mumsnet can be harsh of dogs who have any kind of bite history but it sounds like the child was allowed to harass her and it was a warning nip based on the tiny injury as opposed to any real aggression. I've seen absolutely no nippy behaviour even when put under stress, equally there are no young children in my life and we're already muzzle training in case it was to be needed around them in the future.

@CrazyDogLady3 I took on a 7 month old dog with a bite history. He was the softest, most trustworthy dog I have owned. He went through a lot of painful vet treatments and never once so much as grumbled.

Sounds like your dog was mis-managed rather than aggressive.

Looking at it practically - can you afford a 4th dog? Do you have the time and energy to dedicate to her training? Do you really want another?

It's very easy to let your heart rule your head at times.

At 18 months your younger dog isn’t an adult and is unlikely to be fully trained. I wouldn’t want to take on another hormonal youngster at this time. Not unless you can dedicate a LOT of time to training and walking and playing with each separately.

My rescue boy came to be at 18 months with a bite history and similarly is the most loving softest dog who has never shown a hint of aggression - often these dogs just aren't in the right homes.
All are good questions - I'm fortunate that I do have the time and genuinely love training and working with my dogs so as long as she fits in to our current activities a 4th dog isn't a problem or inconvenience. My free time is already consumed with dog sports so the extra doesn't make a huge difference