Adding a third dog. Will the sex matter?

VonVix

I currently have two male neutered dogs and I'm hoping to add another in a couple of months. My current two are the first dogs I have ever owned personally so it'll be the first time I have ever brought a new dog into an environment with existing dogs.

What I'm wondering is, will I be better off getting a male or female if I already have two males?
For example, if I get a female, will I have to be wary of her around them when she comes into her first heat, that even though they are neutered they may fight over her?
If I get another male, could they be more inclined to fight with him because he would be intact?

Does it make a difference? A 50/50 thing?

Is there anything else I should think about when introducing a third dog to our home? I'm trying to get as much information into my head as possible even though I am months away from getting another dog, I want to be better prepared than I was the first time!

DBB

There'll always be people with examples of exceptions, but I think your best bet is a female. She'll be wearing the trousers in no time :-)
Three is, I think, the most difficult dynamic to manage, as the risk of two ganging up against one is very real, and I've seen one of a long-established duo teaming up with the newbie to attack the other long-established dog... Not nice.
Are you specifically looking for a pup? Or a particular breed? Or a particular size?
If you're not hell-bent on these specifics, I think a good route to introducing a third dog to the mix is to foster, and if one of them fits in particularly well, then that's the one for you!

VonVix

DBB wrote: »

There'll always be people with examples of exceptions, but I think your best bet is a female. She'll be wearing the trousers in no time :-)
Three is, I think, the most difficult dynamic to manage, as the risk of two ganging up against one is very real, and I've seen one of a long-established duo teaming up with the newbie to attack the other long-established dog... Not nice.
Are you specifically looking for a pup? Or a particular breed? Or a particular size?
If you're not hell-bent on these specifics, I think a good route to introducing a third dog to the mix is to foster, and if one of them fits in particularly well, then that's the one for you!

A female is what we are wanting as well, but we were thinking that whoever we are drawn to should be the one we go for, however this question has been lingering in my mind.
We are set on a puppy of the same breed as our existing fellas, it is something everyone here can agree on because they tick so many boxes with us. Plus, we find it difficult to agree on a name nevermind a breed lol.

DBB

VonVix wrote: »

A female is what we are wanting as well, but we were thinking that whoever we are drawn to should be the one we go for, however this question has been lingering in my mind.

I think you need to resign yourself to it being whoever your dogs are drawn to :-)
When adding another dog, the resident dog(s) should be the ones to make the choice! And if it's a male, sin a bhfuil! Who are we to dictate :-D

VonVix

DBB wrote: »

I think you need to resign yourself to it being whoever your dogs are drawn to :-)
When adding another dog, the resident dog(s) should be the ones to make the choice! And if it's a male, sin a bhfuil! Who are we to dictate :-D

Never thought of that! Is it often the done thing?

hollytrees

I'd be inclined to go for female also. One thing you could do is have a friends male or female over for sleepover and see how it goes.

I have a male and 2 females. My male does not like most males he meets but gets on fine with the females.

For me personally I regret getting a third dog. I love them all equally but life was a lot easier with two. I find walking them all together very difficult and just feel it harder to give them all enough attention. I find one of the dogs I had first has become much more needy as he doesn't like sharing me with another dog! It all depends on your circumstances but was me 2 was a lot more manageable.

Sorry this isn't to put you off but just wanted to tell you of my experience

VonVix

hollytrees wrote: »

I'd be inclined to go for female also. One thing you could do is have a friends male or female over for sleepover and see how it goes.

I have a male and 2 females. My male does not like most males he meets but gets on fine with the females.

For me personally I regret getting a third dog. I love them all equally but life was a lot easier with two. I find walking them all together very difficult and just feel it harder to give them all enough attention. I find one of the dogs I had first has become much more needy as he doesn't like sharing me with another dog! It all depends on your circumstances but was me 2 was a lot more manageable.

Sorry this isn't to put you off but just wanted to tell you of my experience

We did look after a female dog for a week and they loved her, the feeling wasn't mutual however because she was an older lady and definitely not in the mood for them lol, we had another female dog and they didn't pay that much attention to her, gave her a sniff every now and then but left her alone mostly, probably because she wasn't very interactive, more of a lap dog. We have never had a male in the house though.

I can understand where you're coming from, my other half and I are the main caregivers of our dogs, but we have two others in the house who love our dogs just as much as we do, so we do have spare hands for a third.

And no, it's fine! It's good to get other peoples experiences, that's what I'm here for.

fiounnalbe

I think fostering a dog/pup is really this best way forward to see what suits your other two dogs.

We had 2 male dogs and were interested in adding a 3rd, going on peoples advise we decided a female would go best with them, luckily we ended up fostering first because they just didn't gel with females!! We fostered 4 females, each time with the intent to adopt if it went well and it never did until we fostered a male dog and they all totally clicked immediately, unfortunately that particular dog was already adopted overseas and we just had it until it travelled, but then we requested a male as the next fosterdog and again they clicked immediately and he has been with us ever since In fact we now have 4 male dogs!!

I don't think there is a written rule with what sex dogs will get on together. Each to their own, so my advice would be definitely foster first and see what the dynamics are before making a permanent decision you might regret!

VonVix

fiounnalbe wrote: »

I think fostering a dog/pup is really this best way forward to see what suits your other two dogs.

We had 2 male dogs and were interested in adding a 3rd, going on peoples advise we decided a female would go best with them, luckily we ended up fostering first because they just didn't gel with females!! We fostered 4 females, each time with the intent to adopt if it went well and it never did until we fostered a male dog and they all totally clicked immediately, unfortunately that particular dog was already adopted overseas and we just had it until it travelled, but then we requested a male as the next fosterdog and again they clicked immediately and he has been with us ever since In fact we now have 4 male dogs!!

I don't think there is a written rule with what sex dogs will get on together. Each to their own, so my advice would be definitely foster first and see what the dynamics are before making a permanent decision you might regret!

Unfortunately we're a bit of a stickler for the particular breed we have (it suits us in many ways, size/intelligence/activity). I would definitely be open to a different breed/fostering but it's only big dogs we are drawn to aside from our current guys, but I don't think the wall in my garden would be secure enough for a large sized dog nor do I think the owner of the house would be too happy about us having the likes of a GSD roaming around lol.

Aside from that, we also have cats, so we feel best in the position to take on a puppy rather than an adult dog.

I know I must sound rigid, but a third dog is something we have been discussing since last year and we have only seriously gotten the ball rolling on it since February or so.

Pretzill

I'm another with three dogs - in this case it was male and female joined by a male - we previously had male, female, female until our elder girl past.

Three dogs are a lot more work than two, particularly if the third is a puppy - he/she will normally gravitate to one of the older dogs which is fine if the other one isn't put out. But also the extra work that comes with puppy and them annoying the other dogs who might be unsettled with the introduction.

I would consider the age of the other two in the choice of a third - we made the decision to get a third because we know the elder guy hasn't a lot of time left but in effect he needs more than a pup when it comes to our attention so it was hard work. I don't know if the gender of the dog really matters - we had two female 1 male - the older female was great at teaching the new arrival - now 2 male and 1 female and the female has sort of set herself apart from the two males.

Walking three dogs on my own now is out because elder dog needs a very slow pace whilst the other two want to race onward! Means I come back home with sore shoulders! So I walk the youngest two together and elder I guy goes with the OH - I do think there's always the chance that one out of three isn't getting the same attention according to needs. Or there is a possibility this may happen. I love all my dogs but two for me is the perfect balance. Especially if they are close in age and can keep up with each other.

fiounnalbe

What breed is that you are looking for Vonvix? Is it a popular enough breed that it is possible a pup or cross breed pup of it may pop up in a rescue that you can foster at some stage?

I know you are really set on a certain breed and adding a 3rd dog sooner rather than later, but I don't think you can put a time limit on finding a dog that suits both you and your current dogs. As pretzill above points out having a 3rd dog is hard and there are a lot of different issues to overcome. These are all issues that are made a hell of a lot worse when your own two current dogs don't get on with the newcomer or are unhappy about the newcomer, I know from previous experiences with foster dogs, but when you find the right one and they all gel, it's so much easier!

Obviously it is completely your decision, it's just food for thought!

DBB

VonVix wrote: »

Never thought of that! Is it often the done thing?

Sorry, I didn't spot this til now! Do you mean is it the done thing to allow your dogs make the decision?
If so, yes, in a manner of speaking! Obviously, the decision is ultimately yours, but I would be inclined to prioritise your dogs' preference even if, for some reason, the new dog wouldn't necessarily have been the one that you'd have picked!
I'd echo too the tip that three dogs is much harder than two, for all sorts of reasons. Harder to walk on your own, harder to fit in the car, harder to get someone to mind them etc. I had three dogs for quite some time, life is quite a lot easier with just the two!

VonVix

DBB wrote: »

Sorry, I didn't spot this til now! Do you mean is it the done thing to allow your dogs make the decision?
If so, yes, in a manner of speaking! Obviously, the decision is ultimately yours, but I would be inclined to prioritise your dogs' preference even if, for some reason, the new dog wouldn't necessarily have been the one that you'd have picked!
I'd echo too the tip that three dogs is much harder than two, for all sorts of reasons. Harder to walk on your own, harder to fit in the car, harder to get someone to mind them etc. I had three dogs for quite some time, life is quite a lot easier with just the two!

Well, I mean is it often allowed by a breeder to bring your own dog, of course it would depend on the breeder, but it's just something I've never really heard nor thought of! I'd like to consider doing it as their opinion is important to me lol.

fiounnalbe wrote: »

What breed is that you are looking for Vonvix? Is it a popular enough breed that it is possible a pup or cross breed pup of it may pop up in a rescue that you can foster at some stage?

I know you are really set on a certain breed and adding a 3rd dog sooner rather than later, but I don't think you can put a time limit on finding a dog that suits both you and your current dogs. As pretzill above points out having a 3rd dog is hard and there are a lot of different issues to overcome. These are all issues that are made a hell of a lot worse when your own two current dogs don't get on with the newcomer or are unhappy about the newcomer, I know from previous experiences with foster dogs, but when you find the right one and they all gel, it's so much easier!

Obviously it is completely your decision, it's just food for thought!

A sheltie. They aren't the most common from what I have gathered. Sure you can get in contact with someone regards getting a puppy but more often than not you're going to have to wait a while for one, it'll be at least September before I have the opportunity. We have been pretty lucky when it comes to visitor dogs, they've never had a bad reaction, but yeah! I get you. I am in no rush to add a third, but I am working my way towards it happening. It has just felt right for the last few months.

I'd go down the rescue route when it comes to a sheltie, but I've never seen one in such a position.

Pretzill wrote: »

I'm another with three dogs - in this case it was male and female joined by a male - we previously had male, female, female until our elder girl past.

Three dogs are a lot more work than two, particularly if the third is a puppy - he/she will normally gravitate to one of the older dogs which is fine if the other one isn't put out. But also the extra work that comes with puppy and them annoying the other dogs who might be unsettled with the introduction.

I would consider the age of the other two in the choice of a third - we made the decision to get a third because we know the elder guy hasn't a lot of time left but in effect he needs more than a pup when it comes to our attention so it was hard work. I don't know if the gender of the dog really matters - we had two female 1 male - the older female was great at teaching the new arrival - now 2 male and 1 female and the female has sort of set herself apart from the two males.

Walking three dogs on my own now is out because elder dog needs a very slow pace whilst the other two want to race onward! Means I come back home with sore shoulders! So I walk the youngest two together and elder I guy goes with the OH - I do think there's always the chance that one out of three isn't getting the same attention according to needs. Or there is a possibility this may happen. I love all my dogs but two for me is the perfect balance. Especially if they are close in age and can keep up with each other.

They are both two years old and quite different. One is very playful on walks and lazy at home, the other isn't very playful but he is a very high energy dog.

We're planning to have things set up such a way that the puppy won't be around the adult dogs constantly, I wouldn't want the puppy upset if the dogs weren't around, I'd like her to be able to function by herself, if that makes sense! And jeez, I'm already using she's and her's whenever I talk about getting another dog!

DBB

VonVix wrote: »

Well, I mean is it often allowed by a breeder to bring your own dog, of course it would depend on the breeder, but it's just something I've never really heard nor thought of! I'd like to consider doing it as their opinion is important to me lol.

Ah, it's not until the past few posts that I realise this is going to be a pup from a breeder.
To he honest, it's not going to be all that telling for you to bring your dogs to meet the pup on the breeder's premises... A decent breeder probably shouldn't allow strange dogs access to their unvaccinated pups!
In any case, you won't really be able to tell if they all genuinely get on via such a meeting. Many adult dogs will give pups a fool's pardon, so it's not unusual for adult dogs to get on fine with a pup. It's when sexual maturity comes along that the real relationships happen, or at least, it's now that the poop can start to hit the fan!
I was thinking more along the lines of you introducing an adult dog to the mix, in which case anything I've said up to this point is more salient than when buying a new puppy :-)

VonVix

DBB wrote: »

Ah, it's not until the past few posts that I realise this is going to be a pup from a breeder.
To he honest, it's not going to be all that telling for you to bring your dogs to meet the pup on the breeder's premises... A decent breeder probably shouldn't allow strange dogs access to their unvaccinated pups!
In any case, you won't really be able to tell if they all genuinely get on via such a meeting. Many adult dogs will give pups a fool's pardon, so it's not unusual for adult dogs to get on fine with a pup. It's when sexual maturity comes along that the real relationships happen, or at least, it's now that the poop can start to hit the fan!
I was thinking more along the lines of you introducing an adult dog to the mix, in which case anything I've said up to this point is more salient than when buying a new puppy :-)

Yeah, I get you.

That's good to know regards maturity and whatnot. The thing with introducing an adult dog straight away is that if I found one and introduced him/her to them it probably would freak them out to be around a dog if it is so full on the moment they meet.

hollytrees

Vonvix, best of luck with the new addition. It's totally different story when you have other people to give the dogs attention.

VonVix

hollytrees wrote: »

Vonvix, best of luck with the new addition. It's totally different story when you have other people to give the dogs attention.

Thank you!