• IME, all of my female dogs got along well with both sexes, until they were 2. Then, I had to keep 2 females separate, forever. It's funny, my males were the same way, all changed when they were 2

    I only kept 2 females if I realized they may have to be separated - was I willing to do the extra work if I did?

    No matter how I tried to get 2 dogs to live peacefully together, if 2 dogs hated each other, they hated each other and I could not trust them to be together.

    It really helped to neuter a dog, but that certainly was not a for sure thing.
    The way I looked at it, I didn't ask the resident dog their opinion on getting the other, so I couldn't see them living together peacefully if they were thrown into the situation.

    I had better luck with my kids. The rule was "You don't have to like each other, BUT you have to act like you do." It doesn't work with dogs.


  • @Rugosa said in Two Female Basenjis??:

    I had better luck with my kids. The rule was "You don't have to like each other, BUT you have to act like you do." It doesn't work with dogs.

    I would say it can work, but takes patience and vigilance and probably you won't want them to be alone unsupervised. Most dogs can control themselves if it's in their best interest to do so, but catching a potential action before it occurs requires constant observation and most of us don't have the time or inclination.

    I agree, it isn't fair to the resident dog to introduce a newcomer they didn't sign on for, but sometimes initial dislike can be changed to tolerance, if not friendship. Once two females have had a real fight, however, it can be a game changer......and two years old is typically when the hormones start kicking in. My one female decided at that point that she didn't like other females, and after a preliminary sniff, she didn't much like neutered males, either! She was, however, very flirtatious with intact boys. 😉


  • Having lived with Rottie bitches who never had issues (praise G-d for an alpha bitch who kept the pack in line... she literally would knock over and lie on the offender). Then I get Sayblee and I learn what dog aggression really is.

    I tell people if you add another dog, and they hate each other, are you really prepared to handle running 2 packs? If not, maybe not a good idea.

    LOL @ Vickie. Yeah we have a bit more control of the human ones... they understand consequences better.


  • I would have 2 Basenji males together before I would have 2 Basenji females. They don't call them bitches for nothing.
    -Joanne


  • Here goes what many will call a stupid question (the only stupid question is the one that you don't ask) but, isn't a male dog called a Sire? Or is that only if they've been bred? And a female is called a dam? Does she have to be bred before considered a dam? I just dislike the fact that we call the female canines "bitches" but we don't call the male canines "bastards". Of course, in humans, a "bastard" is supposedly a child without a Father but yet, every child has a Father, it's just rather the "Father" is present in the child's life or not. BUT! When you get into the fact that a woman picked a "sperm donor" from a sperm bank, they "have" a Father but they don't have a "known" Father so that the child could try to find their "Father". Yes, maybe the female is married & her husband is not fertile so they decide to use a donor from a sperm bank, but the husband is typically called Father or Dad. I'm not trying to start any arguments but I wish we'd refer to female dogs as "females" or "dams" & males are called just that, males, in conversations. I'm really curious about the dam & sire thing! That's all I want to know about....is a sire a male dog who has been bred? And a dam is a female that's been bred?


  • Sire and dam is like saying "dad and mom". You could also say "by" and "out of". ie "This puppy is by Mike and out of Lucy".

    Bitch simply means female dog and males are refereed to as "dogs". At a dog show the genders are separated into classes. Non-champion animals are referred to as "class animals" so if you entered a girl in a show that wasn't a champion yet she would be a "class bitch" and the males are "class dogs".

    The word bitch has been made into an insult unfortunately. I work at a vet and referred to an intact female as a bitch and got reprimanded. It's a shame because it is the correct term! It's not a "bad word" in the dog fancy.


  • @Nancy-Berry When looking at pedigrees or talking about the pedigree of a puppy, the Father of a puppy is called the Sire and the Mother is called the Dam. For example, my C-Me's Sire is DC Klassic's Tri-Riffic Tuff Stuff and the Dam is CH Stallian-Tanza Tri The Obvious


  • The insulting version of the word dates to the 1400s and derives from the term for a female dog, which is older. I'm guessing dogs in Medieval England were not usually the companions they are today, so the term was probably analogous to calling a woman a sow or a cow today, with the implication being uncleanliness and aggression.

    My guess is that when the dog fancy was gaining steam, the upper-class folks who were showing dogs weren't inclined to even acknowledge the vulgar version of the term, so they went with it!

    See http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=bitch


  • Baba ... I agree except the "unclean and aggressive." I suspect it was more about aggression and willingness to breed and fight during heat. But regardless of why, a female unspayed dog is a bitch... that is the right word.

    @CrazySenji .. unreal. Your vet needs some educations. It's like having a doctor call it your "wee wee"... come on folks, be an example. Hopefully otherwise your job is good. 🙂


  • Ladies, Thank You for clearing that up for me! I've just heard it used at times & didn't really understand "why" & now I know!! I was just a question that's been in my mind for years! Thanks again!


  • @DebraDownSouth Good Grief Deb ~ I laughed so hard at this I almost choked!! "It's like having a doctor call it your "wee wee" but you are correct!! (still giggling here)! 🙂

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