We have two GR girls...one 5months and one 3yr old.
We have been asked if we would take on a 5yr old girl GR due to a Bereavement. (The GR is my pups mum)

Just asking if i am lightly to get any problems having 3 girls,one being mum.  We have always had two girls but never 3 before.

Any Advice please before we make final decision. Thanks.

There seems to be a pre-concieved idea that certain mixes of sex do or dont go well together.  I would say that it all depends on the temperaments of the dogs in question.  I would consider the following:

1. How are your dogs with other bitches normally?
2. Would it be possible to let them meet and have a trial visit in your house to see how they get on?
3. Your 5 month old is still very much a baby, would you still be able to give her the training & time needed?

My sister has 4 ex racer Greyhound bitches, she started with one and then another and so on, they are wonderful together and she has never had a problem.  She was told by her vet that you can't keep multiple bitches together as they would fight.  Another friend of mine has 7 bitches and one male and has no problems either.

Hope it works out for you whatever you decide.

I know that it's a generalisation but certain breeds commonly get along with others and some are more unpredictable.

I could keep two dozen Cavaliers together but would be unlikely that I could push my luck with that many boxers.
The more you have the likelyhood of a couple not getting along increases.

I would think that a trial run with 3 GR should work well - certainly worth a try IMO. 

I wouldn't expect you to have any problems, all the Goldens I have got to know (show breeding) seem to love living in groups.

I'm with barkingmad, I think it all depends on the dogs individual personalities and what breed they are.  If any of the bitches you have now are dominant, and the bitch you want to bring in is dominant, you may have problems.

But saying that, I've got 6 bitches who all live together here quite happily.  5 are Weims and our little one is a Norfolk Terrier.  We don't have any dominance issues as they are all fairly laid back, and seem to be happy living as a group.  I had more trouble with fighting when I had a neutered dog and bitch years ago. 

Its certainly worth giving it a try. :)

Thankyou both tooolz and Barkingmad for your advice.

We are going to talk more to the lady tomorrow about the GR girlie and go from there....we need to make this the right decision for the goldie.

I agree that it all depends on the dogs temperaments to begin with really. We have three Wheaten bitches who all live together (two of which are mother and daughter) we also have 2 entire males (One Wheaten and one Lakeland Terrier - the Lakie has been used at stud) and we have no problems with any of the Wheatens. They all share food and steal each others toys without so much as a cross word. Unfortunately, the Lakie is a bit too hyper active to be with the Wheatens! One hyper Lakie and 4 barmy Wheatens can be bit much and they have to have 'time out' lol. But we never have a problem the rest of the time. And the bitches are brilliant and play together for most of the day. Hope you find they all get along and things work out well for you :)

I'd say it depends on the lines as well as the breed. All but two Golden bitches I've had (the two being from totally different lines) have been absolute nightmares with other bitches and indeed I have sworn I will never, ever own another Golden bitch as they have been so awful to live with and so bad for attacking other bitches. But if you have dogs from a line you already KNOW get on fine then it's a breed where you are unlikely to see problems. After all it's a breed MEANT to be able to get on well together, with large numbers of both sexes having to be close together at shoots etc.

Must depend on the lines my Golden Retriever bitch gets along with any one. She is fab with both male and female  dogs of any breed. She is a joy to own and so laid back, when I first met her I thought the breeder had drugged her. I would give it a try. Introduce the dogs to each other on neutral ground and then take her back to yours if all is going well. I'm sure introduced in the right way you could have a new member of your family and never look back. If you don't try you will never know and may regret it. 

Hi goldie,
I think that it might be a good idea if you had a word with the person putting up this dog for re-homing ans ask if it were possible for you to take it on for say a week.  And then make a decision, after you have seen how the new dog gets on with your dogs in their own home.  Also it will give you a chance to see how well you can cope with the extra dog.  Taking two dogs out for 'walkies' is not too bad, but three could cause you problems.   (Is there room enough in the car for 3 dogs?, How well do the dogs walk together?, Off the lead do they all come back to you when you call them?)  You must make your head rule your heart in this matter, and that is not so easy sometimes.
Best wishes in whatever you decide.

HarryC

If she is used to being on her own as well that may cause problems as she may have had one to one attention which will be diluted.

If your two have  good temperaments and she has as well then it will take a little while for them to bond but as long as you make sure there is plenty of time out space they should integrate well.

Thankyou all for your advice.
A decision has been made for the goldie to go to my friends home,that recently lost their goldie and was going to get a rescue goldie.
So every thing has worked out for the best i think.
We had made the decision to have her if our friends did not.....we still will have her if it does not work out for them.

Thanks again for all your valuble advice.

awww thats lovely news, must be a weight off your mind, all the best xx