Adding a 2nd lab to our home. Currently have a soon to be 3 yr. old neutered male.
Interested in another male, but have had people say that's not a good idea.
Should we reconsider and choose a female as his partner/sister to grow with?
Any advice would be helpful.
Thank you.
Male/female makes no difference. It all depends on the temperament of the dogs. There might be some discussion of this in the archives - I seem to recall it being discussed at length...
Have an eight year old male neuterd and added a 3 month old puppy last sumer,,,,pup is now 18 months and not neutered and these two get on perfect they are the best of friends
Never added that specific combo, I have a male and 2 females, but our next will be a male (probably), and I wholeheartedly believe it lies with the temperment of the current dog, how it's been socialized, and making sure that YOU run the house, not the current dog.
I have added a year old unaltered male to a "pack" that already has two unaltered males. This dog also goes out for training for months at a time and comes home to be X-rayed, shown, whatever and put right back in the pack. No problem, although I introduce him back carefully, one dog at a time. In 30 minutes the introductions are complete, and all is peaceful.
That, said, I recently sold a female puppy to a family who already had a neutered male Lab, probably from a backyard breeder- certainly not from a well-known kennel. This Lab had an issue of which the owner did not appreciate the seriousness and I was unaware. He gets along fine with other dogs outside- I met the dog, and he was very friendly, seemed a typical Lab. But because he was attacked by a visiting dog when he was a puppy, he feels threatened by another dog in his home. He attacked the puppy, who had never met an unfriendly dog or person in her life, and therefore had no fear, and she had to be taken to the emergency clinic. Fortunately no permanent damage was done, and we have been able to defuse the situation by habituating him to her in a nonthreatening environment.
So I agree with Nancy that the temperament of the dogs is more important than sex, and it must be clearly established who is in charge- you! Don't leave them alone at first, and read the body language of the adult dog while they are together. The dog I described above was giving plenty of signals that neither the puppy nor her owner was reading.
My current male is so laid back and mellow. He is extremely socialized and is very submissive to other dogs but gets along with them all. Always goes to the dog park, pet stores, etc. Has never had a problem with aggression.
I sense he has a little happy jealousy moments when another dog comes over to me to be petted he manuvers his way in front and claims me. But never, never, has he ever growled, showed his teeth, or any anything.
That's why I thought maybe a female may be the way to go since I am already his PackLeader and Female.
I wanted to throw this out there because I'm not sure what to do although I really wanted another male.
