Companion for GSD

kopfan77

Hi All,

Im hoping for some thoughts and advice please. Currently have a lovely female german shepherd called Ruby. Shes 8 months old and just neutered. I want to get a companion for her and firstly I wondered what others thoughts were on whether I should get as male or female companion.
Also I was wondering on what age/breed/size companion should I get. Ruby is real passive and not at all dominant so the one worry I would have is that she may be too quiet and may ended up slightly bullied.

Thanks

lrushe

Gorgeous girl!! If you're not too pushed on a particular breed I'd say bring Ruby along to a rescue centre and let her pick out her companion. They will have a wide selection of dogs of every shape, size and temperament, one of them is bound to suit Ruby. Plus you have the added advantage that a rescue dog will be spayed / neutered, wormed, vacc'd and temperament tested any dog you adopt and all that for minimal fee

kylith

I've heard that getting a dog of the opposite sex, in your case a male, is best. If two bitches fall out it can get very nasty and people say that they hold grudges, i.e. they will continue to fight so that they have to be kept seperate at all times, or one rehomed. I've heard doggy people say that a dog knows better than to fight with a bitch.

Inexile

your dog is fabulous and agree with Lrushe re going to a rescue. Please dont overlook the greyhounds. I know a woman who has a beautiful GSD and got a lovely male hound as a companion for her and its a great combo.

now for a bit of shameless touting - have a look at www.kerrygreyhounds.ie I do a bit of volunteer work for them and there are always too many hounds and not enough homes.:(

Cherry Blossom

Another vote for a male dog with similar temprament to hers, I wouldn't worry to much about breed or size so a bit of your own personal preferance could come into this aspect

Also second going for a rescue dog, you won't have to deal with all the little puppy issues again and the rescue will have a fair idea of suitability for your circumstances as they should know their personality traits and temprament especially in the case of those that are with foster families.

cjf

Agree with all above only thing I would add is try to get a male who will be similar enough in size or weight!! We rescued a little female as a companion for our lad and she hasnt grown as much as we expected her to so she quite light in comparrison to him and when they are playing it can get all a bit one sided!! She is still the boss and can easily outrun and outsmart him but its just when they playing he can knock her over so easily and she cant do the same to him!! Have seen him play with dogs his own size and it just looks alot more even!! Wouldnt change her for the world and personality wise they are perfect and totally love each other but I do have to keep an eye when they playing in case he gets too rough!

The 2nd dog could actually help improve your girls confidence and bring her out of herself a bit!! Our rescue was so nervous but now she outgoing and affectionate like our other fella!

Irishcrx

Definatly go for the male, I have seen first hand how vicious the bitchs can get. I had a male and house mate had a female, he moved out but brings her down every now and again and I got a German Shepperd female to keep my male company, can't bring the old housemates dog down to the house anymore as the two of them go at it 24/7 when they are together...Had to seperate them last time, two of them fighting in the middle of the room and my male Husky standing in the corner crying because of it...he's such a little softy..

Sittingpretty

kopfan77 wrote: »

Hi All,

Im hoping for some thoughts and advice please. Currently have a lovely female german shepherd called Ruby. Shes 8 months old and just neutered. I want to get a companion for her and firstly I wondered what others thoughts were on whether I should get as male or female companion.
Also I was wondering on what age/breed/size companion should I get. Ruby is real passive and not at all dominant so the one worry I would have is that she may be too quiet and may ended up slightly bullied.

Thanks

She is GORGEOUS, he he looks like she already has a companion lying in the sun there on the ground behind her!

I would second the advice on letting Ruby pick her friend if you intend to go down the rescue route maybe let her meet a few doggies and see which ones she gets along with better

kopfan77

Sittingpretty wrote: »

She is GORGEOUS, he he looks like she already has a companion lying in the sun there on the ground behind her!

I would second the advice on letting Ruby pick her friend if you intend to go down the rescue route maybe let her meet a few doggies and see which ones she gets along with better

Thanks for all the feedback guys. We have two cats also and its funny, herself and the black and white cat which can be seen in the pic, get on like a house on fire, whereas herself and the tabby seem to rub each other up the wrong way completely!!

I had been planning on going the rescue dog route but had a bit of a shocking setback last week from dogsindistress.org. As Ruby is a big robust german shepherd she is an outdoor dog. she has a huge run (almost 50foot x 15foot) which is in a secure garden, an expensive big dog house with all her blankets etc in it and lots and lots of attention from me and my partner (one of us is always home due to shift work)...in my opinion she is a very very happy doggy.
I saw a lovely white gsd on this website looking to be rehomed and applied, however i got an email response saying that they would no even consider my application as they wouldnt leave the gsd sleep outdoors!!
Now, I would consider it cruel on my dog if i made her sleep indoors as if shes in the house for more than an hour or so she starts to pant like mad and rub her eyes cos she doesnt like the warmth or dryness. So i think this is very narrow minded of this organisation in this instance to not even consider a home visit and to just point blank refuse the application. some dogs are clearly indoor dogs and some are more suited to outdoors in my opinion.
What bugged me the most was that they attached a one page word document that they had typed themselves for "my information" pretty much stating that anyone who keeps a dog outdoors is a bad owner, stating that it result in aggressiveness, illness, bad behaviour etc, without even a mention of the source of these studies etc.

.....Anyway rant over.

So, Im not sure I should even consider the rescue option anymore if this is the attitude. I know we could offer an amazing home to any dog and frankly Im gobsmacked at the way I was treated when there are soooo many dogs out there who need good homes!

koneko

Dogs trust seem to be very particular about that. If I kept all my dogs inside all the time they'd go stir crazy, we have a huge garden they run around in and genuinely play with each other. Particularly when it's hot, there are some great shady places in the garden, they hate being inside in that weather.

I'm sure you'll have no problem finding a companion for your GSD! She looks a lot like mine A male is a good fit. I have two bitches and they get along, but purely because the GSD is the boss and the younger one accepted that when she joined us. She is easier going with the males we have, a big flirt too!

Inexile

Some rescues will insist on a dog being an indoor dog as it ensures that the dog really becomes part of the family and not a "yard" dog. Kerry Greyhounds will insist on the dogs being indoors as they dont have a thick enough coat to be housed outdoors. However, not all rescues will on insist on this and it can be depend on the breed. Please dont dismiss all rescues on this experience - keep looking your companion is out there.

boomerang

If you're garden is secure, does she really need the run?

It's just I don't think our rescue would have a huge problem with a companion for Ruby sleeping outside with her, especially seeing as they'd be company for each other. The kennel would have to be well-insulated, sufficiently large for the dog to turn around in, and draught-free. We have a gorgeous white shepherd looking for a home at the moment and he came from a home where he was probably outdoors so he would adjust to your home easily. But we're not very keen on runs. And of course it would depend on the individual dog. Marlowe the sheppy would be happy out, but a dog that's come from an indoor home or that's small and elderly probably wouldn't.

Ruby is drop dead gorgeous by the way, oh my dog, she's a stunner!


I can see where DID are coming from, because the vast majority of Irish people that want a dog to sleep outside really aren't that into their dog and the poor dog just ends up being bored and isolated. I know that's not the case with you. I always think that each home should be judged on its merits.