New puppy in '08

[Aussies Rock]

I got the OK from my wife to get another Aussie. I have been talking with many breeders to find just the right qualities we want in our dog. Now it comes down to male or female. I've had breeders tell me to stay away from two females together but I'm not sure if I want a male. Maddie gets along with everybody, her play buddies are mostly all female (BC's and Belgian Sheep dogs). Can I get some input from the forum?

[crim]

When I was about to take another dog, people told me not to take another female: they would become enemies.

Well, is still took another female. They are now best friends, Ginga (6 months) respects Vilma (4 years) so anything hasn't happened. Vilma loves to play with the puppy, but she also have clear rules, she doesn't accept every kind of behavior from Ginga.

So, we had luck. But unfortunately there are also sad cases.

[blunder paws]

Can i ask y u wouldn't get a male? I have a male and a female and they get along fine.:D

[melissa2007]

I prefer females myself, I thought that maybe having more than one female would cause problems but I decided to get another female anyway and there is no issue, as long as they know your boss and are well behaved you should have no problem

[agilityk9trainer]

It depends on your training abilities, your current dog and the new pup. I know many all female performance dog households that run beautifully. I have three males, and it's certainly work. But, if you keep good control and a watchful eye, you should be fine.

Just curious why you perfer a female? I've always prefered males as I find them easier to train (especially when neutered).

[Aussies Rock]

I don't know. Maddie and Jessie, Maddie’s cousin, are both female Aussies and they get along great. I've heard that the female dogs bond with the male handler better, but I don't know from personal experience. Are males more aggressive? Anyway, a male would not be off the table if I could find the right mix of attributes. He would be neutered for sure, does this change their personality?
Is it usually a better chance for a good fit being m/f?

[melissa2007]

Im not sure why I prefer females, perhaps its because I think there more loyal and more intelligent, I understand that is an ignorant remark but I guess I was brought up that way, I love males to don't get me wrong and they are intelligent, I just prefer females because I think they do have a diffrent disposition and character than males.

[skunkstripe]

I hear all the time too that you're better off with two of the opposite sex than the same sex, but then I also hear from people all the time that have two males or two females and they have no problems. So maybe it is just one of those myths? http://www.geocities.com/mymixedbreeddog/smileys/oops/dontknow.gif

[melissa2007]

I actually watched a dog whisperer episode just lately where a women was adopting a boxer and Ceasar was to pick a out the new dog, actually I have seen 2 episodes where he did this for a family and in all those episodes he always adoptes a dog of the oppisite sex for the family if they already have a dog, he insists that opposite sexes get along better than same sex, perhaps they dog get along better when opposite sex but same sex get along great to.

[sheplovr]

Why not another female?? I have 4 that get along together, it is all how you raise and train them to respect you as their leader and bosss. Females for me is a choice when anybody asks maybe because I am closer to them, they seem to bond better than males. They are just a little bit more aluff and on their own kinda way. Females tag after me constantly and I always suggest them to people with a family and children if I am asked to. Just a personal preference for people to be able to handle two girls especially. No problem if you work with them, give equal time with each and use firm and positive methods of training them, they will be like sisters. :)

[Aussies Rock]

So thats up in the air. How about when to get the puppy, 8 weeks or 10? I've heard both from different breeders.

[melissa2007]

ANything over 8 weeks is fine, IMO

[applesmom]

I've lived with a houseful of 3 intact males and 3 intact females for years and never had any problems. Any male dog of sound temperament and proper training will always respect a female even if she's a bossy bitch.;)

However I've had friends that had just two females and as they matured they wound up having to keep them separated to avoid horrible fights. I've also seen cases of 2 males in the same household that would fight, but with the males it was usually more noise and wet fur than an actual fight.

The best way to assure compatibility is to have one male and one female! As long as at least one of them altered of course!:)

[Aussiepaws]

From the experience my friend had with three females I would have to say that you're better off getting a male unless you get a really submissive female as your second dog.

Most breeders I've talked to said if you wanted to have two .. two males get along a whole lot better than even dogs of the opposite sex. I can attest to that having had two neutured males for 13-1/2 years. I wouldn't hesitate a moment to get another male. Thus said ... I adore my Cadence who is now 2 years old and definitely has moved to alpha of the pack.

Given my experience with the Aussies in my life in general I think the males are a bit easier to live with. They're more laid back and a little less temperamental. Of course my female Cadence tends to have lots of attitude.

[Aussiepaws]

I would say my bond with my males has been quite strong. Neutering will not change the dog's personality at all. I found Zephyr to be a very focused dog and probably the easiest to train of all three. Odin has a bit of an independent streak but has always been very bonded to me.

Cadence is extremely independent. She is a quick learner but we call her our ADD ... focused isn't a word in her vocabulary.

As for the age of your puppy. Some breeders will let them go to their new homes a 8 weeks but a lot of them are holding them till they're about 10.
The older the puppy the faster you'll get him or her housebroken.

[agilityk9trainer]

Aussiesrock,

My preference is to let the pups stay with the litter until 10 weeks. It's pretty much the accepted time frame for pups from performance litters these days. However, I wouldn't hesitate to get a good pup from a litter that leaves at 8 weeks. It's just not a deal breaker. So, if possible see if the breeder will keep the pups together for 10 weeks, but if not, 8 is fine. However, don't accept anything less than eight.

[Aussies Rock]

Thanks. I found a breeder and a litter that I'm interested in. She keeps the pups till 10 weeks. We decided to go with a male. The blood lines look very good and the breeder has been very helpful and forthcoming on any information I request. We filled out the three page questionnaire to apply for the waiting list and I have e-mailed and received replies from people who have gotten dogs here. They have a blood line that has conformation and herding and very good on health. Now I just have to wait and see what happens. The female will be ready in late January early February so I won’t even know if they have a dog that fits our needs till what, April or March? It’s a short 1500 mile drive to pick him up, if we get to. They will send him by air but I want to meet the parents and the breeder.

[skunkstripe]

That sounds about as good as it gets, hope it works out for you.

[agilityk9trainer]

Keep us updated as plans progress. it's very exciting for you!!

[Aussiepaws]

Great news about finding a good breeder and one that is upfront about health issues. Lately this breed has had a lot of trouble with epilespy in some bloodlines and cancer. Please update us on the new puppy.

[Aussies Rock]

Well, the bitch was inseminated on Saturday. :cheers:
They will watch for changes and get an ultrasound the first part of February. I guess I just have to wait it out. I hope it all works as planned. It would be quite a disappointment to get all excited about this match and not have it pan out.
The breeder has been more than great. She has answered all my questions and then some.

[agilityk9trainer]

Keep us posted!

[MoJo]

Yes, please do keep us posted! Cant wait to hear the good news.

[Aussies Rock]

Well they did the ultrasound on Saturday morning and the breeder told me the vet didnt see any puppies. She said she went out to her car for a cry before contacting me. She also called her sister, a vet in another state. Her sister told her that the portable ultrasound the vet used is very low res and maybe it was not fine enough to see the small pups. She told her not to give up hope and to use a string to measure the mom dogs girth then measure again in a week, etc. to see if she was growing. What a blow on a Sat. afternoon. Very disapointing, but I guess there is still hope, do ya think?

[mermaid2708]

oh that was sad news to hear...but where there is hope as they say. fingers crossed for you...do keep us posted

[applesmom]

From what you've said about this breeder she most likely has a vet that is well experienced in breeding matters and reading ultra sounds.

There's always the possibility that an error was made but I wouldn't count on it.

Even though AI has come a long way it's still not uncommon for it to lead to dissapointment.

Hang in there. Only 5 months and they can try again. Hopefully this time they'll go the "natural" route.:)

[agilityk9trainer]

Im sorry. That is disappointing, but it doesn't mean you won't get a pup. It will just be delayed. Again, keep us posted.

[AnimalHouse]

I have 2 Females and one male. And I have no Known issues really. Falise is a Pest to ANY new dog she meets in the house, But ok Outside the house. So, if your girl has no preference. I don't see a issue with either! :-)

[colliemommy]

hello :)
when we were looking for a friend for our lovely boy dylan ,we were told the same ,dont put two girls together :( how ever i do know of lots of people who have two girls ,who live very happy together .:rolleyes: i now have one of each , i didnt think i would have boy ,as i allways loved girls ,but i can say now, if i do have another dog , after haveing one of each i really wouldnt now what to pick next time , however i have to say they are very diffrent the boys and the girls ;)

[applesmom]

It's not that all females will not get along! Most do! However it sometimes happens that two females will develop a hatred towards each other, usually around maturity.

On the rare occasions when this happens there is nothing that can be done to change it. The fights are completely without warning and the damage is horrendous. They will fight to the death if given the opportunity and must be kept apart for the rest of their lives.

Strangely enough; in many of these situations neither dog is actually dog aggressive and they get along fine with other females.

With male dogs, there is usually quite a bit of posturing beforehand and the fights are usually more noise and wet fur. These dogs can usually remain together and future fights can be prevented with proper management and common sense.

Please note: These generalities apply only to normally non-dog aggressive dogs! A dog aggressive dog of either sex would be an entirely different story.