We have a male Staffie 4yrs old, a gentleman, and his daughter 15 months old (spayed) a slightly feisty girl. after moving to a larger house we are looking to get another dog.

We would like to get another Staffie (a girl puppy) but are wondering if anybody has any veiws on this, the 15month old demands attention now what would she be like with and girl around, would she mother it or would it be a rival.

If having a Staffie is out of the question, would another breed be acceptable to them, say a girl Jack Russel.

Any advice would be helpful.

Can't speak on staffies specifically, but I would say make sure you've got both dogs you have trained as much as you want them to be first - remember that things such as recall and leash training need separate walks!

I've made the mistake twice now of getting another dog before I'd finished training recall in my others, so now I have four dogs, two with very good recall but still need work, one with atrocious recall, and one with half-and-half - very good till there's another dog or people.  And of course to deal with that I'm looking at four separate walks!

On top of that, the two needing most work also need individual training on the lead - so that's 3 walks twice a day, if I don't worry about the recall.  Had I trained each dog properly before getting the next it'd be a lot easier.

Do you see where I'm going? :D  I'm not trying to discourage you from having another dog - just to discourage you from making the same mistakes as I have.  I wouldn't swap my four for the world, and despite them being blummin hard work because of the training issues, I honestly can't imagine having less than four now!

personally I would wait a little longer until the youngest one is a little older.  I made the mistake of getting my two boys within about a year of each other, which like the OP says, I then fell into difficulties with training.  Next year one will be 5 and the other 4 and it is only now that I am thinking of getting a pup. 

You could end up having to split the girls up.  A lot of Staff owners find that at maturity the same sex will tend to fight, and once a fight gets going it could get very nasty.

i would definately think she would see her as a rival, not a daughter!

It's not unusual for them to even see their daughters as rivals!

I agree that Staffies in particular can be a little hit and miss with each other,  one male and one female is usually the best to have together with this particular breed.

Your 15 month feisty girl is still most probably not mature enough to be a mothering figure to a Staffie pup, though in many breeds at this age they are and as already stated there may be problems between the two later on. :-(

I know you have said that you want another dog as you have moved to a bigger house, but the size of house should not dictate how many dogs we have, some of us with bigger houses could have 10-20 in that case. :-D And those of us with smaller could only have a Chihuahua. :-D

I only ask as you may have my mother syndrome:rolleyes:  where once a puppy has outgrown it's puppyness and training you then ache for another pup and end up with a pack like my mothers, (I think she misses all of her children ;-) )  Her dogs are perfectly trained and extremely well cared for they are her life, but the youngest is now three and we are all dreading her getting itchy puppy fingers again. Some people just love babies of any species.

So think about why you really want another pup, when you still have one not fully mature yet, whether you have the time and energy to handle 3, and personally I would not get another Staffie if you do, just incase. :-)

Hello Fellow Stafford owner. "waves"

I have two Stafford girls Sal will be 5 in Nov and Tess was 3 in June. I would suggest waiting a while before getting another pup of any breed. At 15 months your girl is not settled enough, and if you consider her fiesty yourself then the answer is clear leave it a while.
I got Tess when Sal was 21 months and she was and still is an angel, totally laid back, dog friendy, confident and "easy"

But if Tess had been the "first" then even now at 3 years and 4 months  I would not be considering another dog.  I would describe Tess in the same way, an angel, confident, totaly laid back, dog friendy and "easy" okay not fiesty, but she can be OTT and bossy.

It may be better if you wait for you girl to mature into herself before adding another to your family. Staffs in my opinion only really mature at 3 + so waiting a little time can only for the better.  Let your girl be herself and grow up.

And remember with Staffs it only take a little to rock the boat so unless you are prepared for the worst ie your girl not getting on with a new arrival and 13+ years of keeping doors closed, individual walks, and never  the twain meeting etc then think carefuly. Better to wait a year or more than heartbreak.

Oh and not convinced a JackRussell would be that much of an easier option than a Stafford, both Terriers and JR are known to be a little fiesty themselves on occasion. 

Karen

hi i got me puppy when my dog was only 14 months and i did not have any problems at all, however i do think it depends on the breed and the level of obedience you have. we made sure del was fully obedient before getting another. has your staffie been around many puppys to see how she reacts with them.

The problem is unlikely to be the staff bitch with the pup but when they grow up.

but if she gets used to it as a puppy surelly they will be fine when she is grown up.

If only it were that easy, Stanyer ... !

M.

i guess its just cos i have never had problems with any dogs i have ever had i just think they would have been fine.

If you have never had two bitches fall out then you have been lucky

there has always been a big age gap between our bitches so they have been fine.

Breed as well as a decent age gap can make all the difference

Nope because then with dogs who like to be in charge the other will be viewed as a rival.