Any advice on choosing a new dog?

[HighDesertSpice]

Hello:

 

I've heard that the best bc companion is another bc, 1 year younger or older, and opposite gender. Your thoughts? Your experience?

[Kat's Dogs]

I think that with the right training, anything can work out just fine.

Some people have all males, all kinds of ages, other all females - all kinds of ages. Some people have both male and females of all ages. All those can work.

 

But, I have three females - ages 10, 6, and 2. 2 females was great, 3 works. But there were many places in raising the youngest that things could have easily turned nasty between the three - now thank goodness, all is good. But, I have no way to know if it would be different having a male, or an adopted older dog. I KNOW that things would have been worse if the girls were not spayed.

 

Age doesn't matter in my opinion to much - except I don't recommend having 2 pups of the same age (especially the same litter) unless you have the time to really devote to them. And for older dogs, having a very old dog and bringing in a new puppy can be good, but risky. Sometimes it can bring out the best of the older dog, other times (again, without the training and supervision especially) the younger dog is just an annoyance. A lot of people bring in a new pup (if they get a puppy, but the same is true for any new untrained dog really) when the youngest dog they have is about 4 - about the time the dog is really mature and very well trained, and the owner is ready for another dog! So I guess I am saying anything YOU want can work if you are ready for it. Age from 2 years on doesn't seem to matter as much. Gender probably does matter, but again - anything you want can work.

 

That really wasn't much help was it?

[Root Beer]

I definitely recommend another Border Collie as a second dog.

 

Speedy has always gotten along well with our mutts, but he is really benefiting from having another Border Collie in our household. We also have a foster Border Collie and the three of them are a sub-pack in our group!

 

Now that I have two Border Collies, I never want to have less than two of them! I could go with two Border Collies and a mutt, but I definitely like the dynamics that I see between the Border Collies.

 

Of course, so much of it depends on your dog!

[andie71]

Your question about gender is an interesting one and I think there are a lot of differing opinions on it.

 

I have bc named Cody and I'm interested in getting another dog. I have a real soft spot for bcs, similar to my soft spot for owning an Alfa Romeo one day Anyway, I've been vascillating between getting a border collie, golden retriever or flat coated retriever. But, I keep coming back to a bc. I contacted Cody's breeder in the Fall and discussed with her my desire to get a second dog. She has a working farm and breeds bcs (among her numerous other professions). She had 2 litters in March, one rough coat and the other smooth. I'm also partial to males dogs (I'm not sure why). To make a long story short, while she was excited about the fact that I wanted a second dog, she refused to sell me a male. Her reasoning was that 2 non-working males border collies is not recommended. Since I can't argue with her because 1) I can't make a principled arguement for a male dog, and 2) she wasn't going to sell me a male dog regardless, I decided to respect her knowledge and experience. However, she said that a 3rd dog the gender wouldn't matter.

 

I don't know if this is true. Maybe having 2 males or 2 females that are working dogs does change the circumstances. I did speak to another breeder who I was interested in and while she was not adamently opposed to the idea of 2 male, non-working bcs, she did recommend getting a female. I'm back to the predicament of either getting a female pup with Cody's breeder, getting a male but waiting 6 months for a male, or not getting one at all. I reckon that Cody's breeder could just sell me a dog and not care about the dynamic. But the fact that she is opposed to selling me a male tells me she rather optimize the chance of a good sibling relationship than make a sale. She is holding the last female for me for another week. There are still several boys left.

[Maralynn]

When I looked for dog #2, I considered what type of dog would be the most likely to get along with my 1st dog who had a few issues. I had a female who is a soft dog and a bit aprehensive. She does not like pushy dogs. So I got a 20 m/o male BC with a mellow personality.

 

The two dogs have gotten along great after Missy got over her initial trepidation. It took a couple of months for them to be really comfortable with each other. But they now get along like old pals. They don't really play with each other besides the occassional chase game, but both are always ready to go do things with me.

[HighDesertSpice]

When I looked for dog #2, I considered what type of dog would be the most likely to get along with my 1st dog who had a few issues. I had a female who is a soft dog and a bit aprehensive. She does not like pushy dogs. So I got a 20 m/o male BC with a mellow personality.

 

The two dogs have gotten along great after Missy got over her initial trepidation. It took a couple of months for them to be really comfortable with each other. But they now get along like old pals. They don't really play with each other besides the occassional chase game, but both are always ready to go do things with me.

 

Hi Maralynn:

Your dog sounds like mine. She also does not like pushy dogs and is a bit apprehensive. Actually Patricia McConnell had suggested the mix I described at the top of this thread. Good ideas. I'm going to mull them over.

[HighDesertSpice]

Hi Kat:

'Sounds like you'd be able to make anything work . My little girl tries to be the big missy among misses, so I'm hesitant to get another female, thinking we'd be in for some contests.

[HighDesertSpice]

Your question about gender is an interesting one and I think there are a lot of differing opinions on it.

 

I have bc named Cody and I'm interested in getting another dog. I have a real soft spot for bcs, similar to my soft spot for owning an Alfa Romeo one day Anyway, I've been vascillating between getting a border collie, golden retriever or flat coated retriever. But, I keep coming back to a bc. I contacted Cody's breeder in the Fall and discussed with her my desire to get a second dog. She has a working farm and breeds bcs (among her numerous other professions). She had 2 litters in March, one rough coat and the other smooth. I'm also partial to males dogs (I'm not sure why). To make a long story short, while she was excited about the fact that I wanted a second dog, she refused to sell me a male. Her reasoning was that 2 non-working males border collies is not recommended. Since I can't argue with her because 1) I can't make a principled arguement for a male dog, and 2) she wasn't going to sell me a male dog regardless, I decided to respect her knowledge and experience. However, she said that a 3rd dog the gender wouldn't matter.

 

I don't know if this is true. Maybe having 2 males or 2 females that are working dogs does change the circumstances. I did speak to another breeder who I was interested in and while she was not adamently opposed to the idea of 2 male, non-working bcs, she did recommend getting a female. I'm back to the predicament of either getting a female pup with Cody's breeder, getting a male but waiting 6 months for a male, or not getting one at all. I reckon that Cody's breeder could just sell me a dog and not care about the dynamic. But the fact that she is opposed to selling me a male tells me she rather optimize the chance of a good sibling relationship than make a sale. She is holding the last female for me for another week. There are still several boys left.

 

That's interesting in that it confirms the opposite gender theory. But the folks who hold to this don't explain it. I do know that my BC will get into contests with other girls, but seems to be very accepting of other males, particularly if they are close to her size. She'll avoid the big and gregarious ones, unless they're the absolutely sanguine types like my big galute of a Golden. He's gone hoarse scolding her though