Hello
I just wondered if planning to have more than one dog, does it really matter if both dogs are of the same breed or different breeds?

I prefer same breed as then activity, sociability levels, etc. are the same, and also playing with each other they are likely to be similar weight and manner.

Of course if you choose breeds of similar size, and activity sociability levels then same would apply.

With some very dog dominant breeds a friend of a very easy going breed of opposite sex may be a good match too.

Most problematical matches are those where the breeds are of very differing size temperament and activity.

My own preference is for all same breed.  Must be as I have 6.

I have big and small together but with that mix comes the responsibility to supervise their interactions.
Big can smash into small with dire consequences...having said that adults and young of the same breed need watched too. My worst injury was mother breaking her six month daughters leg in play.

My closest bond was between a 20+ kg boxer and a 7 kg Cavalier..a life long friendship.

It can work with mixed breeds I have a 42kg gsd , fcr 26kg and a tiny pomxchi. As toolx said you do need to watch their interactions though. I don't leave small with the other two if I go out she has the kitchen to herself. Also any games I watch closely. Tbh the biggest problem now is the 3 year old fcr when she tries to play with the little one she is too boisterous for safety. Funnily my now 7 year old gsd lays down to play with little one . When the two big ones are playing its fine but if little one tries to join in I have to watch them carefully.
I would happily have mixed breeds again but it is possibly more work than similar breeds if they are similar in age .ie not really elderly and a pup

btw what were you considering, just nosey :)

I had SBT's with a GSD, which worked very very well, although there was a size difference, the robustness of the SBT's meant they were more than able to hold their own in play.
I then had a TM with the same SBT's, and although they were all great friends, I feel the SBT's were left a bit frustrated as the TM didn't have the same desire to play as they did,despite their looning about in an effort to get him to, when he did join in though, they had a ball.

I agree gsd and sbt they paly in a similar way, rough and vocal. You have a point I missed my fcr who is only 3 is up for playing all the time. Gsd who is now & would rather lay around watching the world go by. He doesn't want to play as often as fcr does and its a bit sad seeing her asking for a game and he says no. Difference in age is also a factor

I agree with others, the same sort of energy levels/mindset helps :) I have three different breeds ranging from 16kg-32kg, they are all very active breeds but even taking into consideration the fact that that they are individuals, the difference in breed characteristics is very apparent, but they compliment each other well. We have four of the same breed as well and they're all quite different. I enjoy having a mix n match type pack :) as long as they're respectful of each other I think less compatible breeds could do fine too!

I'm currently house sitting for a pair of GSDs, one is aged 4 and the other is about 4 months. I like that they're the same breed as they play together in the same way. They are Nando's best friends and all three play in exactly the same manner, where as when Mack (one of the GSDs) met a Labrador x the other day, he was too rough to play with it.

I've got two different breeds and a friend has 4 cross breeds and 2 pedigrees, all get on.
Depends on the dogs and their personalities.

I have always had different breeds at the same time (collie and papillon, whippet and papillon then added a kelpie) with no real problems.  However when I tried just 2 papillons it didn´t work.  It really is just a personality thing.  The 2 paps just didn´t work but one of the same paps is now living with the whippet again and no problems at all.

I was really answering from the perspective of management (walking needs etc) not whether dogs get on as such, as you can have dogs that do and don't whatever the breed.

Having lived with Bassets for over 40 years, when faced with the loss of the last of my bloodline, after a lot of thought, I made the decision to switch to something a little lighter, and taller.   It's not Bassets that suffer with back troubles - but THEIR HUMANS.    As I'd had first-hand experienced with Whippets (my neighbour), eventually I made the decision to buy a little Whippet bitch.   I suppose this is a case of them all being different, but suffice to say stubborn I knew about, fast and stubborn..... NOT.    Nevertheless, once through the puppy stuff, she settled down and is basically fine now.   However, in the meantime, we lost the last of our line, sadly, and rather than buy another Whippet (I have never only had one dog apart from the first, for 10 months before our second Basset .....) I simply couldn't live without a Basset around.   So we now have a Whippet, and a Basset.   Hum.   Obviously the difference is more than apparent when exercising them!

I'd always recommend two, or more! of the same breed.   Not only do you know a thing or two about the first one, by the time most are ready for a second dog, but in terms of temperament, care and EXERCISING two, it's always better with the same breed.

Your decision.

how's  the back mamabas lol . Need to have a basset with long legs !! I felt the same way when training my pom x. Gsd so much easier :)

I see people mentionning play styles and I'd like to submit my observation that different play styles can be complementary.  My sister's herding breed and my lab were best friends.  She thought they were playing chase and tag, he thought he was herding and it worked out wonderfully.  :)  If you already have good knowledge of your dog's likes and play styles (which can vary from the breed type average) then adding in another of a different breed could work very well.  I have noticed my current Lab seems to love the rough play of two of his GSD friends.

I only ever have had one dog and no matter the breed mix I don't see how, in my situation, I would be able to manage the exercise needs of dogs too different in age.  For me, I would consider age difference as well as breed difference.

Depends on the breed but play styles aside, it's worth bearing in mind that some breeds have a predisposition towards same-sex aggression, particularly with dogs of the same size - my dobes are one of them but there are others.

Also having dogs of similar type and personality can cause clashes - the only vaguely significant trouble I have with my mix here is my two collies, because they are both intense but in different ways: Willow is very submissive and Phoebe a loner, but both go OTT with it and can end up in a vicious circle of grumping and appeasement because both struggle to break away once they get started.  Otherwise, with two collies, a lab and the rest crossbreeds, I don't have problems - Willow plays with three of the others and in a different way with each of them.

>I don't see how, in my situation, I would be able to manage the exercise needs of dogs too different in age.  For me, I would consider age difference as well as breed difference.

All of mien so far have taken eh same exercise virtually to the day they died. 

My 14 3/4 year old still does up to an hour brisk road walk no bother.

With my first oldie all I did was only take her for the shorter of my walks once she was near the end (last weeks) and then continue with the others.

Other than that I have never done separate walks.

Same with a pup I either take a short route and drop pup home, or carry pup part of the way if still small.

I don't see how, in my situation, I would be able to manage the exercise needs of dogs too different in age.  For me, I would consider age difference as well as breed difference.

All of mien so far have taken eh same exercise virtually to the day they died. 

My 14 3/4 year old still does up to an hour brisk road walk no bother.

With my first oldie all I did was only take her for the shorter of my walks once she was near the end (last weeks) and then continue with the others.

Other than that I have never done separate walks.

Same with a pup I either take a short route and drop pup home, or carry pup part of the way if still small.

Brainless is quoting me so maybe I'll just explain I don't see how I would manage a four hour cross country ski in a bush place that takes me a half hour drive to reach with a mature dog that can do that in the cold and a young puppy or an old dog that can no longer do that.  Heck, when my labs were wee puppies I'd take them out for their little short outings and then back out I'd go alone so I could get a decent run myself. 

Everybody needs to think about how their own lifestyle fits any dog, single dog too.

> >I don't see how, in my situation, I would be able to manage the exercise needs of dogs too different in age.  For me, I would consider age difference as well as breed difference.

Missed this earlier!  Age can cause problems this way but IME, it's physical health that makes more of a difference.

My second walk is the wonkies walk - two 8yr olds and a 10yr old, and they can all only do 20 minutes but it's entirely down to medical problems for all three.  Paige and River would run for hours if I let them still, but it would do a fair bit of damage.

So you could get two dogs of equal age and ability and still end up having to do two walks - indeed I had exactly that with the two oldies I've lost this year: they grew up together, two and a half months between them, yet Opi was still doing 45-60 minute walks up until her last few weeks, whereas Remy had been doing 10 minutes max for months before he died because of various joint problems and a slipped disc.

I reckon two of each breed you want, plus throw in a very small terrier to keep them all in line. Best of all worlds. 

I don't see how, in my situation, I would be able to manage the exercise needs of dogs too different in age.  For me, I would consider age difference as well as breed difference.

As we started to have 'oldies' so we had to do two strings when it came to exercise.   The oldies first, shorter distance, followed by the rest - as long as they needed.

I've always had at least 1 GSD along with the Bassets, and they've always got on amazingly well.