Have you raised two male pups together?

[redhen]

I was also afraid of having 2 males...but to be honest..my female was tougher on him then my other male. Even when he was real young..my male had more patience with him..(let him crawl all over him etc..) but NEVER my female. She would turn around and snap and growl at him and he'd cry (cause she hurt his feelings..) I was like..jeez! you'd have made a horrible mother Daisy Mae!

But i think its because shes the alpha dog...
then when my pup got older and his scent changed (they know a pup scent is different than an adult dogs) my male stepped up his place in the pack with the pup...it was never anything bad...just like i said...he'd hold him down with his paw and stand over him and give little growl warnings...(its been months since any of that happend..because the pup learned his place in the pack young and hasent challenged it..)
So far so good.

..I do have to get the pup fixed soon though..

 

[Brindlebtch]

From my understanding GSD males will be OK together.

You already have plans to separate them to work with the puppy for bonding activities, so the pup will bond to you, too.

If there are any altercations that look like actual harm might be done step in and let them know you are unhappy with BOTH of them, not just one. But I bet Jax will figure out a baby brother is good fun after the initial jealousy wears off. Shoot, he might be such a magnanimous kind of guy that he never gets jealous! That is what I would expect out of my genius puppy!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Re what I underlined ...

You can't be certain of this. Someone I've trained with for years got a female pup, and had a female adult in the home. The pup turned out to be very alpha, and very toy driven. The adult got too close to a toy one day and ended up with over 40 stitches, and they'd never had much more than a growl between them prior to this.

A lot depends on the level of agression of both the lines and the individuals, and the social perspective of each. Even one alpha and one very submissive can still have an accident.

A male and a female pair would be much safer, esp. with large breeds.

I'm not saying two males or two females can't get a long, but I am saying that a same-sex pair of house dogs ups your chances of problems.

Thats weird..i was always told to never get 2 females...
they have ALOT more fighting issues than 2 males..from my understanding..
thats in fact why i didnt get another female..i was warned about it.
again, i think you are right..it mainly depends on the dogs temperment...

 

[Brindlebtch]

From what I understand, GSD b!tch fights are far worse than the dog fights. I have heard this several times from GSD people.

With Amstaffs you generally want 1 male and 2 females. At least that has been my experience. We might find out soon how to work it with 2 males and 1 female.

 

[ducks4you]

Quote:
I suspect that this is right. I have raised two females--now 2 1/2 yrs. old and 2 yrs.old (next month). The eldest is the dominant and work oriented, the younger is more like a puppy, BUT, she is a very good watchdog with a great bark. They are both bonded to me. DH hates it when he's petting one of them and I get up to do...ANYTHING, because they both watch me like a hawk to see if it's time to take care of the other animals. They will jump off of or over DH to keep up with me, even if I'm moving from one room to another. My Vet keeps rescue Samoiyeds and has had 3-7 dogs at any one time. She doesn't believe that gender makes a difference in her dogs at all. Hope this helps.

 

[Bec]

The OP asked for previous experience. In my previous experience, I have never had a problem with 2 males...ever...period. I have 3 males, my Mom has 3 males, my aunt has 3 males, my brother has 2 males. No one has problems nor have they ever.

wombat- I should have said "shouldn't have a problem" I am very well aware that there could be problems with ANY 2 dogs regardless of what sex they are. This is why it is important to do your research, like gritsar is, BEFORE you jump in! The chances of having a problem when bringing in a puppy vs an adult/young adult are far less.

I strongly feel that research and knowledge of the lines and breed are very important. For example My brother has a boxer who is from some of the top show lines on the east coast and he can't be trusted with any other male dog. He flips his wig and goes after any males. If they had researched his lineage before, they would see that aggression problems are common from the english bred dogs. The dog's father had a problem with it..to me that is a warning sign. They are aware of the problem and recognize that they most likely won't be able to get another dog as long as they have him. They have and older pitbull, the 2 have no problems, it is other males out side of the house.


So Gritsar, I think you are on the right track and if you pick a puppy that will go well with Jax, you will have a happy household.

 

[ChickenToes]

This very issue has been bugging me for awhile. I have been researching getting a second dog, I have a 17 month old female bloodhound. Most of the web sites and dog forums I looked at recommended having 1 female and 1 male dog, they said that was the best pairing. Two females tend to fight, and 2 males tend to fight.

I would think it depended on each individual dog though. I would rather get another female, I am not typically fond of male dogs.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
That's us, in reverse. Definitely prefer a second male, especially in the GSDs.
Since I have plenty of time to spend with them, together and individually, I can step in quickly if there are any problems.
We intend for them to have their own belongings - crate, toys, food dishes and their own individual play and training time with us.
It won't be just me trying to raise two GSDs. DH is as involved in training and caring for Jax as I am; we take turns.
The only problem I can foresee is that Jax is not aware that there are other dogs in this world. He's been with us, cats, cows and chickens. Another dog will be a totally new experience for him.

 

[Brindlebtch]

Two genius dogs!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Not possible! I think they broke the mold after Jax.