I have a 1 year old Jackabee, half Jack Russell, half beagle. He’s neutered, a freakin’ genius and is, frankly, a pussy. He’s the world’s worst watchdog and when we were at my in law’s for Thanksgiving he let 2 tiny toy dogs bully him into a corner until he cried.
We’re getting a basset hound probably this weekend, also 1 year old. All things being equal, would it be better to get another male or a female? Neither are fixed, but will be ASAP, if that makes a difference.
My thinking on a boy is from what I’ve read about bassets (I’m no expert and have never had a basset so correct me if I’m mistaken) boys are more into their humans and they’re more affectionate. They’re also more laid back. I am concerned, though, that the new dog and our current dog will fight each other for Alpha status. Currently our dog recognizes (read: worships) MrPanda as Alpha. He’ll also take orders from me and PandaKid (he’s technically PandaKid’s dog) but he glommed onto MrPanda as soon as we got him.
Would 2 opposite sex dogs be less likely to fight for Alpha status or is a girl just as likely to come in and kick some ass? Are female bassets more independent and less cuddly or is this just a myth?
I’ve taken in a lot of dogs over the years, having anywhere from 2 to 7 at any given time and the only time I noticed gender making a difference was when I had two unneutered males. They fought like hell, as in furniture flipped over and the walls splattered with blood. Even the alpha female who was bigger than both of them couldn’t get them to stop, so she’d run and get me to break it up.
I never noticed any difference in how affectionate dogs are by gender.
Basset hounds are horribly stubborn. I had a basset x and I pet sit one. They are STUBBORN!
My neutered male was fine with other dogs, the one I watch is a neutered male and he isn’t so nice with other dogs.
If possible, allow them your dog to spend time one on one with the other dogs in consideration, and see how they do. I think gender will make faaar less of a difference than individual personality.
Neutering makes all the difference. We have 2 Yorkies , 7 years old and 6 lbs., and a rescued pit mix 3 yrs and 100 lbs. They all get along great , after the break in period, and all are neutered.
Actually during the break in period it was fighting between the yorkies that happened and the pit broke up the fight each time. If the yorkies were neutered earlier in their lives it would of went even easier. We did it after we got the pit when the yorkies were about 5.
If you have the option to do this, I think this is the best idea. I mean, the dogs are gonna be roommates for life, ideally; might as well make sure they like each other from the get-go!
Bassett hounds are hounds, and as such (generalisation alert) have been bred to co-exist peacably with other dogs, hunting and living in a pack and generally tractable. My answer would be different if you were talking about a breed bred to work independently and autonomously.
Of course, there are many incredibly social and easy-going pit bulls and Rottweilers, and very dog-aggressive Golden retrievers or basset hounds. So all the best answers are going to include the caveat “it depends on both dogs, and how well you understand them.”
That said - opposite-sex pairings are generally much easier. The bitch WILL be the boss and the dog will be OK with that.
I agree that personality matters more than gender, and that it would be a good idea to let the dogs meet first. I’ve owned many dogs over the years and only once had a problem with two not getting along: Dog A hated Dog B, and it never got any better.
A dog trainer once told me that male dogs protect the owner and female dogs protect the house. Don’t know if there’s any truth to that, but it was an interesting theory.
Very true in my experience! I had a spayed female and neutered male and the bitch was the more dominant of the two. I think it had more to do with the fact that she was older and had been here longer. She was pushy about being first with treats, and I had to feed them at different times, otherwise she would eat both dogs’ food. Still, they got along fine and their interactions with each other were pretty friendly. They accepted each other as house mates very well. I agree that if both animals are fixed, it really doesn’t make much of a difference.
I had a spayed female and neutered male and the bitch was the more dominant of the two. I think it had more to do with the fact that she was older and had been here longer. She was pushy about being first with treats, and I had to feed them at different times, otherwise she would eat both dogs’ food. Still, they got along fine and their interactions with each other were pretty friendly. They accepted each other as house mates very well. I agree that if both animals are fixed, it really doesn’t make much of a difference.