M/F combinations?

[ZenGrrrl]

I'm getting ready to add a new B to the family. I already have one 9-year-old male and am wondering if it would be better to get another male or a female. How do B males typically get along with other males? And B females with other females? Or would a M/F combo be the best?

All advice appreciated!

[tanza]

99% of the time you are always safest with M/F combo….

[sharronhurlbut]

That is my suggestion as well, but if you find a very laid back boy, that can work as well.

[MacPack]

M/F that like each other is really great, but neutered M/M is wonderful too, if they are a good match. F/F is a bit more tricky, really must be a good match. A lot depends on the dogs personality.

[LiveWWSD]

I like the M/F combo. Even if you end up with two alpha dogs they are more willing to allow eachother to be alpha in their own way. That certainly is what I run into woth my babies. They are both the boss, but they are willing to put up with eachother and share their absolute power over everything.

[BDawg]

We started with a girl and added a male. It's worked out well for us –but it's always best to have the two dogs meet first to see if they'll hate each other from the get-go or if there's a chance it could work.

I think typically female/female tends to have issues- as others have mentioned. Too many leaders.

[Porthos]

Oh boy, I wish I could say the same here. I have a 5yr old female Tri-Color and when I brought home this Red male Pup, is has been fighting night and day. they are both jealous of each other. She has always been dominate over any animal that came in the door, but he is persistent and does not want to be dominated by her. I try to show the same attention to both of them but they both get mad when I pet the other… Suggestions?

[Quercus]

How old is the pup?

[Porthos]

5 months now… We got him in January

[Quercus]

Has the female actually hurt the pup at all? Drawn blood? Is it mostly noise? Has it been constant since you brought him home, or increased in the last few weeks? Are there instances where what you are seeing may be rough play?

Usually around this age the puppies lose their 'puppy license' for bad behavior; and the adults start to reprimand them for being rude. I try not to interfere too much, because that can make the adult even more defensive, and therefore reprimand the pup harder. One thing that sometimes helps is to 'split' them with your hands or body, rather than pulling them apart. Often if you try to pull two dogs apart by their collars, their aggression immediately increases. But if you physically put yourself inbetween them, their aggression lessens.

A lot of this bickering is normal, particularly when the bitch is older than the puppy, and not to excited about an interloper. It usually tones down as the puppy learns to respect the older dog…but there is often a lot of jawing that has to happen before the puppy gets the message.

Though I have had the situation this year where a bitch just randomly goes after a young puppy...and it is very scary; so scary that the puppy gets defensive and then starts to fight back; and then it can turn into a real fight. I would say this is very abnormal, though...most of the time it is just a matter of settling 'real estate' issues.

[Porthos]

She has drawn blood on his nose… I know it's not funny but he does have a couple of scars on it now... this has been going on since we got him. Here is a link to my youtube and a video that was taken a while back, I have another video that I took last night and will upload it later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHC5U61Zx8c

In this video, the pup is trying to play with the older female. there is also a friends pup trying to play but really just causing a distraction

[JazzysMom]

I know the female is supposed to be the dominant one, but I think at our house, it's the male.

Jazzy is 3 yrs old. Keoki is about 15 mos.

Keoki pushes Jazz around - he's always posturing over her, {you know, standing very close to her head/shoulder, standing very tall and stiff, holding his head up} and as he is quite a bit taller, he can do a good job of that – and sometimes literally pushing her in the opposite direction that she had been headed.
He attacks her "in play" all day long, and it gets so rough many times a day that she is yelping but he won't let go of her neck. He d-r-a-g-s her across the floors.

I do intervene, but it's getting harder and harder. He used to be very good at letting go when I firmly said, "Keoki!!! ENOUGH!!" But now I have to use my hands to grasp under his neck very hard until he lets go.
Jazz has had a few little scabs around her neck and shoulders.

Part of the problem is I just think he needs more of a workout, but the weather has been so crappy they don't want to get out in it, and neither do I.

I plan to do some more intensive work with him, but haven't time to do much of anything other than the basics until at least next week.
The weather may also be beginning to warm up a smidge, so hopefully we'll start getting in some good exercise.

Right now, he's just mean and rough.

[Quercus]

The video looks like pretty normal basenji stuff. She was better when you weren't right there petting her. The more you say 'oh, pretty girl' etc, while she is growling, you are reinforcing that behavior….she thinks 'oh, he must think I am doing the right thing, because he is saying nice things to me'. The most I will say to the growling dog in this situation is 'oh, you are okay, give it a rest'...but not in a praising voice...just quiet recognition of their torture

She wants him to get off of her, and he isn't getting the message. Eventually, he will. She is giving him a TON of warning before she snaps, and that is ideal.

For the most part I would just stay out of it. If you feel like you must intervene (and I can understand that), I would just walk over and pick up the puppy, carry him somewhere elseand redirect his attention (play a game with him, or give him something to do). That way you are telling him 'when she makes this noise, it means leave her alone'

They are both behaving appropriately for their age in this video, IMO.

[Quercus]

<_>

Not always…sometimes they are just the loudest complainers, and the crankiest It makes them look like the leaders, but often those types don't actually have the confidence to be the leader._

[tanza]

@Quercus:

The video looks like pretty normal basenji stuff. She was better when you weren't right there petting her. The more you say 'oh, pretty girl' etc, while she is growling, you are reinforcing that behavior….she thinks 'oh, he must think I am doing the right thing, because he is saying nice things to me'. The most I will say to the growling dog in this situation is 'oh, you are okay, give it a rest'...but not in a praising voice...just quiet recognition of their torture

She wants him to get off of her, and he isn't getting the message. Eventually, he will. She is giving him a TON of warning before she snaps, and that is ideal.

For the most part I would just stay out of it. If you feel like you must intervene (and I can understand that), I would just walk over and pick up the puppy, carry him somewhere elseand redirect his attention (play a game with him, or give him something to do). That way you are telling him 'when she makes this noise, it means leave her alone'

They are both behaving appropriately for their age in this video, IMO.

Well said, looks perfectly normal to me too….

[JazzysMom]

@Quercus:

<_>

Not always…sometimes they are just the loudest complainers, and the crankiest It makes them look like the leaders, but often those types don't actually have the confidence to be the leader._

_

You may be right. She is MIGHTY BITCHY and oh! girl! she has a foul-mouth, LOL, knows ALL the Basenji cuss words, and the most confrontational when she sees another dog. Could be all bluster, and maybe he knows it!_

[tanza]

That would be Kristii in my house…. foul mouth.. totally... to the point she "spits" when yelling at the other dogs, who by the way totally ignore her... gggg and it is all bluster with her... she knows she is bottom of the ladder... but cusses all the same... especially at the boys.... and while on lead she would/is confrontational... if she were loose and another dog looked at her crooked... she be gone in a flash...

[MacPack]

I watched the video, Sheba is incredibly patient! That pup is due for some manners, and I imagine she is just the girl to teach him. As Andrea said, his "puppy license" has expired at 5 months. Humans think puppies are fun, adult dogs often think they are a pain! She has "let him live" to 5 months, she probably likes him.

Anne in Tampa

[tanza]

Well put Anne…. she is incredibly patient.... and for sure the truth... "she has let him live this long"!

People are never ever ready for the "noise" that can come from the Adults with puppies....

[Porthos]

ok, the reason I was telling her "Pretty Girl" was because that has always been the only way to get her to "talk" and that is what I was trying to do, but I definitely agree that I was in the wrong at that point. He is very persistent when it comes to aggravating her. I have noticed that sometimes she will back down, is she losing her dominance? and one last question, should I intervene when she fights him to take the toy that he is playing with?