Third Dog ?

If you are wondering what is the right dog for you, this is the place to be. In this introductory forum we talk about topics such as breed vs. mix, size, age, grooming, breeders, shelters, rescues as well as requirements for exercise, space and care. No question is too silly here. This particular forum is for getting and giving helpful, nice advice. It is definitely not a forum for criticizing someone else's opinion, knowledge or advice. This forum is all about tail wagging and learning.

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Nare

Woo-woo- whineybutt

Barked: Wed Feb 20, '13 6:39pm PST


	So Nare and Arkane are both males.. And I would kinda like my next dog to be a male too lol..! What're the chances of SSA popping up ? Nare is ok-- still have to wait for Arkane to grow and then I guess I'll know about him. Assuming that I bring a 3rd male in and he is raised with 2 males.. What is the likely hood of him developing SSA? Next dog's breed isn't totally decided yet.. I could end up getting another cute rescue pup. But if I go to a breeder the breeds I have in mind are.. Great Dane, Doberman and Kai Ken I hear a lot about SSA on the Dobie forums.. Not so much on Great Danes and Kai tend to be finicky sometimes. Thanks

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Ava & Nix

Suburban Farm- Dogs

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 11:16am PST


	I'd be lying if I said I was experienced in SSA... lol... But, other than I know I'll never own two female Border Collies under the same roof, I don't know how helpful an opinion would be, but I would think SSA would be more of a concern between two males if a female was brought in to the mix. When it comes to all males, I don't see it being as big a problem. Then again, it probably depends on the breed, as you know some breeds are especially prone to SSA. When I was doing a bit of research on the matter before getting Nix, I was told from others' experiences that "Males will have scuffles, but forgive each other afterwards; while females can look at each other the wrong way and they'll forever from that moment on want to kill each other." Overall I was told that having multiple males IS safer than having multiple females, or also one female with multiple males. Edited by author Thu Feb 21, '13 11:21am PST

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Savannah- Blue Belle

A Heart of Gold!

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 11:31am PST


	I am seriously thinking about a 5th dog. I have one male and three females. My last rescue should have been a male, because my two "little" girls about the same age and size do not like each other Not quite as bad as the post above - they don't try to kill each other...but they do bear watching, 'cos issues can occur. My male is a nice, calm boy and I don't expect I will have problems with him, if I bring in another younger (or older) and smaller male. What I am saying, I guess...is be prepared. You might have a quieter life if you just opted for a female this time out.

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Savannah- Blue Belle

A Heart of Gold!

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 11:40am PST


	oh, reread Ava's post...that makes a lot of sense too. Don't want to start a love triangle...

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Nare

Woo-woo- whineybutt

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 1:05pm PST


	Well, Savvy. I was hoping to work my way up to 5 at some point. We'll see what I can manage. In my mind I was thinking 4 males and one female lol! Nare likes males more. And I think Arkane is growing up to be just like him lol.. Always initiate play with males, will settle with a female if thats all there is. Arkane isn't animated in puppy class at ALL because there are 7 females.. and he is the only male.. But will try to play with every male we walk past in the store. My friend has a female labrador (pictured in Nare's pic!). Tilly is Nare's only female play buddy and they've been together since Nare was a pup. I think he sees her more as a mum though. BUT. I've just recently started taking Arkane to Tilly's house and when we watch a movie Nare will migrate to outside. Tilly isn't big on the pup-- shes like 10 years old and likes to sit on Nare. So I think Nare is getting a bit jealous cause she isn't all his. He gets extralovins and we leave the puppy inside so Tills and Nare can have alone time. Ava it is funny, because humans are just the same. Males will get in a fight and can shake it off.. Females are out for blood. We have 3 male cats and 1 female cat.. She is the trouble maker but the males provoke her sometimes. I love Kiwi to death but sometimes I feel like she is too much estrogen. I honestly never thought of SSA or problems with BCs. I would think they would rather chase a ball than fight.

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Bunny

Black dogs rock!

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 3:05pm PST


	I have heard that as well that SSA aggression is more common between females. I think it is also very breed dependent. That said, my 3rd dog is going to have to be female. I want a bigger dog and Bunny does not like bigger male dogs. However,vhe loves females. Princesse doesn't like any other dog so too bad for her Seriously, the breeder I am in touch with knows that any dog in this house is going to have to let Princesse think she is the boss

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UCH Onyx TT

Do you even- lift?

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 3:43pm PST


	I was under the impression that one female at a time with the rest being males was a pretty safe bet. I think in most situations, the only time the males might get nasty with each other over the female would be while she was in heat. And like others have said, fights between males tend to be less severe than fights between females. That said, I don't think a three male household would be out of the question in your situation either. Sounds like both your boys would be fine with another male (although it would be ideal to wait until Arkane was mature, just to be sure), so it would mostly hinge on the third dog's preferences. From what I've seen/heard, socialization only goes so far in preventing DA/SSA. Even growing up with other males won't necessarily keep a dog genetically predisposed to SSA from becoming same sex aggressive. So if your next breed was one prone to SSA, a female might be a better choice. Edited by author Thu Feb 21, '13 4:03pm PST

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Kagra

Lover girl

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 4:31pm PST


	I have 3 females and 2 males and am always bringing in fosters (only the ones we have for a really long time end up on dogster). We have not had any issues with SSA and have had a bunch of different breeds in my house so I cannot offer much help there. The only issue we have ever had was between my female chi, Pookie (bless her soul) and other dogs (both male and female although she mainly went after Josie). Pookie had some bad habits when we adopted her and was very protective of my mother. Usually we would have nipped the issue in the butt however Pookie was 14 yrs old with a baseball size liver tumor when we adopted her so training was out of the question... In my experience it really depends on the dog, I have been given some dogs to foster where I have refused because I could tell it was not going to work out...others I have taken even though the shelter was saying I shouldn't take them because they dont like other animals but when observing the dog you could tell it would be fine (Kagra was one of the dogs labeled as SSA by the shelter who lived in my house with many other females and had no issues)

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Tiller- (Skansen's- Ira in the M

I DO Exist...To- Drive You Batty

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 4:40pm PST


	I've had three males forever I think you know the existing dogs....once Arkane matures, you will know the dynamics and from there make your decisions. On basic theory, three males is not a problem if the two males aren't. If there IS friction, however, bringing in an even non SSA breed may open up a can of worms. I had a GSD and Giant together, Onion and Philo, who were sort of joined at the hip. I did bring in a male Cocker, but I don't think I would have brought in another large breed, just because those two were so "teamed." Highly cautionary....safe better than sorry....but that would be another thing I would be keen to. If some sense of competition came between the two, and how their friendship would have adjusted? They never were anything but bestest friends, but sometimes three is a crowd, or at least challenges existing dynamics. Edited by author Thu Feb 21, '13 4:46pm PST

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Mulder

Spooky Mulder

Barked: Thu Feb 21, '13 5:01pm PST


	For this case, I'm gonna call it as a "know thy dog" situation. Certainly you can live with a 3 male household. Could everyone, with everything breed? HECK no. Personally, I would stay away from primitives like the Kai... not necessarily because of tendencies towards DA (which honestly I don't know enough about the breed, but if they are anything like all the other primitives, DO prone towards it), so much as once they have it in their mind that hey ARE going to be this way... you aren't going to break them of it. Plenty of breeds can be managed, can be taught to play nicely when they have to. But a breed like that, forget it, if its in the mind its done. Think Akita, you're not going to change his mind about anything... so why even gamble with it. Dobie or a Dane? Sure, why not. You would need to careful with the selection of your Dobie, which of course you would need to be anyway, but especially so to select someone breeding for that ultra agreeable "gentlemen" temperament that so many WANT, but do not always have. That said, you do have two GSD mixes to start with, a breed who is totally workable in this regard and who honestly I wouldn't worry about in terms of that dynamic. My worry would be selecting the RIGHT dog to bring into the mix once you are ready, and so long as you are careful with your selection, shouldn't cause you too much grief. My pack is 2 males 1 female, 2 altered and one unaltered. All three get along fine for the most part, and its interesting to note that all three actually keep each other in check. There are times, for instance, where either Mulder or Ridley grates too hard on the other's nerves, and want to snark... but even before I can lift a finger, Sally is between them putting BOTH in their place Silly little dog, I knew she was good for something

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