Second dog

[MagicThanks]

We have a gorgeous one year old mixed breed dog (cavalier, springer, poodle - possibly others!) He’s a neutered male and we’ve had him since he was 10 weeks old.

In a years time we are thinking of getting a second dog - front runner is a golden retriever but no final decisions have been made.

My question is - is it better to get one sex over the other? And any other tips for introducing a second dog, probably a puppy but possibly an older rescue (tricky as we have kids).

thanks!

Depends on your existing dog I think.

We had a lovely, very sweet , male lab and our vet told us to get a bitch over a male, and a younger one. She thought our existing dog might be bullied by another male, and we wanted a younger dog to keep him engaged.

We got a one year old bitch, via private rehome, and we had the opportunity to let them meet, walk, and spend a couple of days in our home before we committed. They became inseparable.

I find a lot of rehoming agencies are reluctant to add a second dog, which is a shame, but it worked well for us.

I’ve heard that it’s best to get the opposite sex when they’re neutered.
Our dog loves other dogs generally but it’s hard to say if he would be the same with a dog in his home.

Do you have dog visitors at all? Before we got dog2, we did have friends drop by with their dogs from time to time and he was always fine with them.

So if, you have a friend with a bitch, have them visit to see if he’s territorial. Probably meet outside on a walk , then return to your house , at least the first time.

My boy was pretty much what I expected of a lab ; he was everybody’s pal.

We did make a point of keeping them apart at meal times , but they soon got comfy sticking their heads in each others dishes 😁

He has dog friends for walks but having a dog visit at home is a great idea.

Years ago I had a male lab he was built like a brick outhouse but soft as butter and still had his testicles till the day he passed
We introduced a male German shepherd puppy when the lab was about 4 and they got on great
The German shepherd was neutered when he was about 1
This was years ago before we new better to neuter at an older age
They lived happily all their lives together

Currently I have a bitch cardi corgi cross and a male cardi
The bitch was 2 1/2 when we introduced them and was spayed the male is still whole but booked in
They also get on great although he went through a humping stage and she got rather snappy at him till he learnt not to they play together wonderfully

I think it depends on the dogs personality a lot of the time and whether you intend to keep two whole males which could lead to problems