Female V Male

[Nemo]

@BellaJane:

hmmm maybe I misspoke…. We actually had much the same experience but just slightly more casual. we were not "picking" the puppy. we were allowed to see which one responded to us and chose us. clearly there are sweet family breeders that do a wonderful job as did ours in helping people find the right dog for them. we had a great experience with a loving family that made secret of the fact that they were doing it just for fun and, no show dogs no fancy titles but well selected dogs with all the testing and no inbreeding. we wanted a pet, and got the most wonderful one we could ever ask for.

I'll clarify my long-winded post in that I was looking for a pet that meshed well with my human/dog family first and a show dog second. My other basenji is not a show dog and I don't view the two any differently. Unless the dog is being campaigned pretty heavily, the amount of time they spend in a show ring is extremely small compared to the amount of time they spend with you at home. I'd also say that every puppy in the litter "responded" to me, as I think most well socialized puppies probably would. Sure, I liked the personality of one puppy more than the others but that one to two hour snapshot is not necessarily a good representation of what that puppy will necessarily be like with you. If a puppy doesn't respond to you in a particular situation it doesn't mean it won't be a good fit (it could be over-tired at particular moment, etc.) When I met with the breeder and talked with her by email, I asked her quite frequently what her thoughts were of the diffferent pups in the litter so I could get a good impression myself of what she thought they were like since she lived with them for practically every hour of their life. That way I could make the most informed decision and feel more comfortable that I was bringing the right puppy home. I wasn't sure how well Nemo would take to a new puppy so I wanted as much info as I could get. Good luck in your search!

[tanza]

Very well put Nemo… thanks for taking the time to share your experience

[moetmum]

@BellaJane:

Hi there all,
We have a female 2 1/2 year old love of our lives named Bella. We have considered getting a puppy as we would love to have two and hope she would like a furry companion. We have heard really conflicting stories about what is better male or female, some say two females is a bad choice. However, I love having a female dog and would love two.
Also, our breeder was a backyard breeder and is no longer doing it anymore.
We have perused the breeders online and have been unsuccessful in finding one near to the Los Angeles area. We firmly believe in meeting any puppy we decide to take home and essentially letting it " pick" us. Hopefully they would be agreeable to meeting Bella too.
Anyone know and breeders near to LA or surroundings…?
thanks much,
Raquel:D

I was in a similar situation only I loved the boys! When my Caspar went over the bridge and left a distraught Moet I decided that we would have another companion for him, Moet and Caspar had a very volatile relationship so we decided that a little girl would be a better choice. That is how we came to have Fiji enter our lives, we were all besotted with her from day 1, you may find yourself in the same position if you take on a boy, I now couldn't choose between boy or girl, they are all great!

I hope you find the perfect match for you and Bella.

[Benkura]

I live with 1 girl & 3 boys. It was originally a dog, then we got the bitch. They get on great. Then we had a litter and kept 2 boys. Well, boy oh boy, the 2 younger boys can't stand my original boy and have to be separated at all times. (they got on OK until the young boys matured). We hope to keep a bitch from our next litter!

[MDSPHOTO]

OK, so two B's of the same sex probably not a good idea, but what about a B female and another breed female? When we get a B we would like her to have a companion and we prefer female dogs. What other breed female might work well with a B?

[lvoss]

In reality, same sex pairs, especially females, can be problematic in any breed.

[Rita Jean]

We have Jaycee female Basenji and Spice female Shiba. Spice is 10 1/2 years old while Jaycee is almost 9 months old. They get along but Spice is so laid back she will play a very short time but when she is done and goes to her bed that's the end. Now if Jaycee gets to close or paws at Spice she will get grumpy no fight or anything but then I am always with them.

I do think if we were to ever get another female with Jaycee it would be a puppy Shiba and sometimes good to get them close to age so grow together. Now that I said that it may not happen. I think it depends on people and dogs that counts for a lot of it.

I also know that two females when they come in season are not always the happiest with each other.

I wish good luck and let us know.

Rita Jean

[crystalncody]

I agree that there could be problems regardless of the breed. We have two males, one B and one non-B mix. Most of the time they get along great, but we have rough patches. We are going through one right now involving jealousy over human affection and also dominance. We spend a lot of time separating them. So in my experience, breed doesn't make much difference. You may want to take into account the temperament of the individual dogs.

[MDSPHOTO]

Thanks for the feedback. My experience has been mostly with Dalmatians. We've had girls that get along great and male/females, including a mother/son combo that always had to be separated. I think it just depends on the luck of the draw.

[lvoss]

The tmeperament and personalities of the dogs weighs heavily into whether things will work out.