We are geting a new pup as a friend for our 15 month old entire gsd (male).
He will be neutered at 18 months but has shown no signs of aggression or dominance over other dogs yet.
Most of his dogy mates are bitches but that's coincidence I think as most of my friends have girls.
So...What sex do you think would be best.
How do dog-dog relationshps manifest themselves? Likewise with dog-bitch.
I have no experieince of more than one dog at a time and do want to get this right as Shiloh (our present dog) is so happy and laidback that I dont want to spoil that either.
I dont have long to make up my mind so I am asking you cos I know I will get honest and knowledgeable answers

Thanks very much for reading my Q

I think you would be better off getting a bitch,much less chance of any confrontational problems.Possibly consider getting the bitch spayed and leave your dog entire.

We got a bitch, she is now completely in charge!
Why are you getting your boy castrated? I may be wrong but feel it depresses them somewhat.
Karen

another vote for bitch, though thats a general statement and very much depends on the dog in question.

be aware neutered or not he might tie with her during a season and so they must be monitored at all times and injuries can result from matings gone ary.

i'd also consider waiting a bit longer till Shiloh (lovely name :)) is fully mature. still if your choosing a breeder and then waiting for a litter that time should have lapsed anyway.

did you have a breed in mind? another gsd?

i would get a bitch, then you shouldn't get any problems in the future. the bitch will end up in charge i'm sure but your dog being amale shouldn't mind that.

I'm not making a recommendation regarding gender but we have two males; one neutered rescue, and one entire male.  My eldest was 4 when our youngest came along.

The age gap was not planned particularly but I have to say it's worked very well for us.  My older dog was old enough to retain all his training, and young enough to enjoy the puppy.  Additionally he was very secure in his relationship with us so was happy to take a back seat for a while whilst we got to grips with puppy training!

I wouldn't suggest getting another til your boy is at least 2 years old.  If it were me I'd wait until he's 3.  You've probably invested a lot of time and effort into training him and it's just starting to pay off.  I wouldn't want to risk losing that yet! 

It may be worth borrowing a 2nd for a holiday - obviously I'm not suggesting you mug your friends for their pets, but perhaps someone would welcome some holiday care?  I've had a few visiting dogs here with us and you might be surprised at how much extra effort it is, and how it can completely change the dynamic of your current dog relationship.  It's a great chance to test drive the situation before committing to another dog.

HTH :)

It is natures way, that in most cases a bitch would be better they can become soul mates. It is usally the bitch that looks after the dog. Even if she is yonger. lol.

Denese

We have two entire males aged 16 and 21 months and they are fantastic together. The older dog was about 16 months old when our 'lodger' moved in; he was slightly cool with me for the first few days but soon got over it and now washes the other lad's face every morning and reminds him who's boss indoors, but outside on a walk it's a very different story! They sleep together, play together, stare out the window at cats and other interlopers, never fight over food or toys but very occasionally get mildly irritated with each other on a water retrieve.

Thanks very much for your advice and opinions.
I must say that most of you think along the same lines as I have been.
Shiloh does prefer bitches, I think, although he gets on with most males too.
He will be 16 months when we get the pup if we are going to go with one of the litters we've been waiting for.
I know many ppl wait until their first dog is older but I have also been told it depends very much on the dog and Shiloh is a very laidback dog.
One of you mentioned the changed dynamics when 2 dogs are involved...that scares me because I love the relationship we have yet there are so many times when I feel he is lonely. I know I am projecting human emotions onto him but he is a completely different dog when we are out or he is with a doggy mate compared to when he is at home with us
Now that we have the sex part dealt with, what traits should I be looking for to ensure this pup is as laid back as Shilo? I dont think a dog with high drive and a quick temper would be a good match for him...or me for that matter!
I know this is the most important thing to look at and I have said this to the breeder when she asked me if I knew what sex I wanted yet as ppl were asking for certain sexes. Temperament and character take priority especially as it will be a second dog and she has to fit in with all of us.
What should I be looking for when I go to choose our pup from the litter.
Shiloh won us over by lying on his back and allowing the rest of the pups to jump on him and play...he was the biggest pup of the litter by far.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my Qs. This really is important to me, that I get the right pup as we wont be getting another dog for a long time, if all goes well!

Ive been reading over ur replies and there are 2 of you with 2 dogs (my first choice) who have a very successful relationship.
This is making me think again. A friend who is very involved in the dog world, has 2 dogs and he is all for me getting another male. I thought I would have to get them both neutered but obviously I am wrong yet again.
I have so much to learn!

The safest bet is definately a bitch. Mixed sex pairs are usually the easiest. Although some people do have 2 dogs together without a problem, there is a slightly increased risk that they may not get on quite so well, particularly as they will be close in age.

riziax,
I know what you mean about being lonely, No! it just isn't a human emotion. It is thought that only humans have these feelings because we can talk and say so. When I had my Zack and left him with a house sitter while on holiday, after 3days he stopped eating and was very weak and ill by the time we returned home, we had only gone for a week in Spain. There was panick as he could not stand. He had pined.
We then decided to get him a soul mate. This was the answer and he has never looked back. He has a lot larger Sammie family now.
He was the only dog until 1year ago, the others are bitches. But! the male I have was born here, so they have been together since Josh was born. Zack is very very laid back. Years ago I had a male sammie then got another, it was fine untill the pup got to approx 10-12 months then there were a couple of fights, once this happens it usally continues. A male thing. lol. My dogs live with in the home none are spayed/neuterd as I personally would only have this done for health reasons.
It will work with a bitch it is a gamble with a dog. It does not always work if one is neuterd. You will only hear of the succsessful ones on here.
There is a lot that end up in rescue.
Just be mindful.

Denese

> It will work with a bitch it is a gamble with a dog. It does not always work if one is neuterd. You will only hear of the succsessful ones on here.

I'm not so sure that's entirely accurate - many regular posters are willing to share the good and bad experiences.  The difference might be that some on here are very dog savvy and may be better able to manage their dogs behaviours?  Nothing is a given.

To the OP: breed, personality and gender can make a difference.  If you have one neutered or speyed whilst both dogs are living together it can upset the balance at home.  If you are definately having this done then it may be worth delaying a 2nd dog until your boy is settled again.

We met a recently neutered dog on a walk a while ago and it was quite clear that my friends bitch wasn't quite sure what he was!!  Cute - but confused - as he hadn't quite noticed the change yet either :)

> and I have said this to the breeder when she asked me if I knew what sex I wanted yet as ppl were asking for certain sexes. Temperament and character take priority especially as it will be a second dog and she has to fit in with all of us.
>

if you've chosen a good breeder they should be able to steer you to the pup that suits your lifestyle best.

thanks all of you.
I leave in about 6 hrs to drive to the kennels.
Looks like I am finally going to do it...pick a pup, another family member who will hopefully be with us for a long time.
Hope I get it right for all our sakes

Ill let you know who it is tomorrow

well, good luck to your and your family, in my experience two dogs can be an extremely happy choice all round!

dont know if i have missed something, but i note this hasnt been mentioned.
does your relative know you are buying them a dog?
i ask, as it's usually ill-advised to buy pets as presents, for the obvious reasons the person may not be interested, prepared, or suited.
im guessing this isnt the case in your example?
but ive sene many animals end up in rescue this way, and many owners struggle with pups that became adults that cant cope with.

> does your relative know you are buying them a dog?

The OP is buying the puppy as a companion for their own dog

lol  its not a 'present'.. dog.. its in addition to the 'present' (resident) dog ;-)

Ah

i read this: "what sex is best for new friend for present dog"

and "a freind"

and put 2 and 2 together and made 5 - Doh!

sorry folks

sorry Rizia 

I read it that way too at first :-)

Me too :-)

lmao!!!!! My bad!
I didn't see it that way but that really is one of my faults...ambiguous headlines but it comes from being a journalist...sorry 'bout that!

Well here's an update on the pup front.
We (my younger son and I) went to choose our pup.
There were 9 bitches and 3 boys.
Now, you would think I would be spoilt for choice since I had gone to procure a nice little bitch but Nooo!
I am actually embarrassed to say this but I chose one of the boys!
The blue boy.
I was told he was one of the more laid back pups and although the breeder would have benefited greatly by me choosing a bitch as she had had a glut of them over the past year and many of her clients were waiting for boys, she did say he had the best character for what I wanted and so we are now a family of5 males and 1 female...1 partner, 2 sons, 2 dogs and l'il ol' me!
Picking him up next weekend and we are still thinking of names. If it had been a bitch, which is what I was expecting, she had her name chosen but now I have come down to, thru desperation, 1-Casanova, Nova for short, 2-Rogan.
Any ideas would be gratefully accepted.

Congratulations on choosing your pup

> 2-Rogan.

In our house Rogan would become Josh very quickly, our thoughts often turn to curry...  :)