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Adding a second....male or female?

vgaffney83

Well-known member
OK quick background. We have a 15 mo. old neutered Blen. named "Lucky Day". He is the light of our lives and we are thinking of getting a second puppy.

I'm wondering if because I already have a male I automatically should be considering a female. Lucky at this point, posesses no typical male dominant behaviors. He squats like a girl to pee, he doesn't mark anything, etc. My husband is leaning towards another male. Is this completely out of the question??

Your thoughts and opinions are welcomed.

Thank you.
 
We have 3 male dogs 2 cavaliers and one poodle cross
---Aileen and the gang(Barney---Jazzie---Jake)
 
The last time we had two dogs, I was advised that the second be of the opposite sex because it would avoid any potential dominance issues, just in case. The female will normally defer to a male as pack leader. But some dogs just get along with everyone.
 
Every Cavalier breeder I've talked to has told me it makes no difference really. Now I planned on having neutered dogs regardless of sex so maybe that makes a difference. Max and Rylie are both male and it's far too early to tell but I am not anticipating issues. Max is neutered and Rylie will be when the time comes.
 
I don't think it makes too much difference. :) Two of the same sex can have a bit more friction. Girls tend to be more prone to this than boys, as trainers will confirm. Of my four, Leo and Jaspar will sometimes scrap with each other if not managed well in some particular situations; the girls never bicker; Leo never bickers with the girls, a couple of times very recently, Lily and Jaspar have bickered, not sure why now after three years...

But just to note: male behaviours like leg-lifting or marking aren't 'dominant' behaviours, they are just normal male behaviours. :) Not all males lift legs, and many females mark (my Lily does). These are all quite normal variations. A male is still a male. 'Dominance' is generally terribly misunderstood and most of the time, misinterpreted, sometimes to a point that endangers people or dogs.

This is a really good article on the concept -- what it actually means, and why it generally doesn;t apply to 99% of the situations that people believe it does. (y)

http://www.drsophiayin.com/dominance.php
 
I have two males and two females. We got Oliver first for the reason you were told - that we already had a female dog in the house (a german shepherd). Interestingly, the three older ones never had any issues or bickering until we got Oz. He and Madison are the ones who will get into it if there is ever a problem. The two girls (half sisters) are like velcro to each other and have never had any issues that I'm aware of.
 
I wondered about this as well when I was looking for a companion for my Lucky.

I ended up getting him a brother (Rescue), and they love each other so much. I'd say Sparky is probably the dominant one though since he's often seen dragging Lucky around by the ear ...! (seriously ... I think he wants Lucky to play and Lucky's just not into it ...)
 
My first two were girls and I really wanted the third one to be a girl but the only ones I fell in love with in the litter were 2 boys. I never had any problems with two girls and one boy. They get on like a house on fire and I must say Harley has the mischief and the naughtiness the girls never had and it makes me laugh. When he gets out of hand my two girls put Harley into his place.
 
I truly believe that with Cavaliers, it really doesn't make a difference. Our first is a female, our second & third males. The boys get along amazingly well and play all the time. Our female, Casey, definitely "wears the pants" though! :rolleyes:
 
My first is a boy, and my second is a girl. They get along so well together. I do have to say though that the girl is DEFINATLEY the leader. My boy is so laid back, he just lets her do anything she wants to him. ;)
 
But guess what: that means your male is the lead dog. :lol: Almost always, the dog that is laid back and permits others to behave like this is the top dog. :) But it is more complex than that anyway -- there isn't always a 'top top' dog; especially between a male and female -- and if you own multiple dogs (3+) you regularly see how some dogs can take the lead in certain situations.

That's why I say it is better to remove the concept of 'dominance' from every dog owner's thought processes. Generally it is such a poorly understood concept and well-meaning people so easily end up creating greater problems than they try to resolve using training methods based on assuming that a dog is behaving in a 'dominant' way. I recommend the book Dominance: Fact or Fiction, or this is a good basic post on this confusing issue:

http://beta.dogstardaily.com/blogs/dominance-such-pop-word

:)
 
So true, Karlin. My female who I said "wears the pants" is the silent leader. She is smooth, calm, and collected and the boys wouldn't dare cross her. They respect her too much! They play wild and when she comes over, it's like they step aside and as soon as she's by, they resume. She even lets Ollie hump her, but if I put her food bowl down, they do not even try to go near it but I always have to be in the middle of the boys.
 
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