Hi All

I am wanting some advice please i have already got a 3 year old westie called Hamish that you have probably heard lots about, i am thinking of getting another puppy and am trying to decided whether to get another boy or a girl, he is still entire so i know that if i get a bitch she will need to be spayed once 6 months old as i have already enquired at my vets and they say that she can be spayed before her first season, they said he can be left entire because once she is spayed he will have no interest in her anyway, they also said that a boy and girl pairing is the better choice to make as they usually live more in harmony with each other, i have always longed for another boy but am considering what sex would be better for Hamish, he is a lovely friendly boy and is well tempered.
He suffers badly from skin trouble so i am going to go to a show breeder this time so hopefully the new pup will not inherit this terrible condition, his skin is a lot better now (touch wood) and i thought another dog would be good for him as it will give him company.
I would like to hear from other westie owners or other breeds that have introduced another pup when there dog is older to see how they took to the new arrival and also are the males still entire or did they have them castrated 1st.

Thanks in advance
Helen and Hamish

Back in Australia my mum has 2 westies. Boy and a girl.
They get allong well, although the boy is a cranky old sod.

I know he cant stand other males, any breed, unless theyre much much bigger than him - I think he gets intimidated. But he loves the girls.

He also loves donkeys his best friend is a donkey.

Sorry, Im not much help.

We got our new girl when our 2 boys were nearly 3 years old. The Yankee tolerated her and my Cav loathed her and went into a major sulk! After a few days they all calmed down and now they are both fine with her. (They don't like each other anymore but that's a whole other nightmare!!) I get the impression you should be mostly ok with a 3 year age gap though. Don't suppose you live in north London? I'm looking for Westies for my grooming course!! :-)

Hi

Thanks for your reply, no sorry i live in Portsmouth, Hampshire if i was nearer to you i would have been more than happy to help.

Hi Helen,  Don't know if "fourpaws" isabout at the moment, but you could pm. her, she has westies and all boys, so who better to give you some advice, I know boys can live together o.k. as long as there are no bitches in the house.

Even if ur bitch is spayed ur male will still try to mount her... I have 4 bostons 2 males 1 intact and 2 females. I know intact males will try to mount altered males because they don't give off the same testosterone and basically smell like a female --  maybe the reason why my intact male always tried to mount my friends altered male and not their intact one Lol :D hope that made sense. My intact male still mounts my female and they are both spayed now.

Personally I think it is up to you and what you want, I myself prefer the males...How is your dog with other males to females? Just remember when you get a knew puppy don't pay all the attention to the knew one because that can cause problems, make sure you still give ur boy all the same attention and treat this lil one as below him till you see what their pecking order is.

Hi All

I was just concerned that entire males could not live together without fighting as i spoke to a breeder yesterday who said Hamish would feel less threatened if i brought a bitch into the house than a male this is what got me thinking, she said that it all depends who is the top dog and if the pup is more dominant than Hamish that will mean there will be some trouble!!
I always dreamed of having 2 boys but i am concerned that i may need to get Hamish castrated 1st before even thinking about introducing another young boy, i have spoken to fourpaws privately and she said all her boys are fine 2 are entire and 2 have been castrated but they all know the pecking order and live together okay.
Is it better to have both males castrated or just the 1, and if so should i get Hamish done 1st before introducing another pup?

Thanks again
Helen

Hi Helen,

having two same sex dogs doesn't need to spell disaster - I've had two entire males living with an entire bitch at the same time and one entire male living with two entire bitches - no problems with either combination :)

Personally for the average domestic household I always recommend one of either sex as this is the least likely to ever be problematic (providing one, pref bitch, is neutered of course).

If you do feel that your heart's desire is another male, I wouldn't recommend doing a pre-emptive strike on Hamish's bits    Until you get your new puppy and it has reached the adolescent stage and beyond there's no way of assessing which (if any of them) will be top dog :)

Regards, Teri