[Dixie]

A friend has a 3 year old female she needs to find a new home for and I have a 2 year old female.  I have a large fenced yard but it is not sectioned/divided. Do adult females usually get along when they haven't grown up together?  Neither are spayed.

If I do take her, how should I go about introducing them?
Thanks

 

[samsonsmom]

As with everything, there are exceptions to any rule, but I don't believe it usually is good to have 2 females together. I was always told that & followed this rule that you are better off with a male/female partnering. That's what I did when I adopted Tia for my Buck and will do when we get a companion for Samson. I have heard some awful stories of females doing the "fight to the death", but then I have known people that have really never had a problem. Have they ever been around each other for any period of time? If so, how do they get along? You might want to try to introduce them & see how it works with no commitment, but your female is definitely going to want to be the "alpha" & if the other female already feels she is, there could be problems. Course, I'm no expert & there are a few people on here that know way more than me.. I wish you luck with whatever you decide...

 

[BurningRiver]

I have three females with no issues. I do need to qualify that statement by saying that one is a 12 month old puppy and it is still yet to be seen of whether or not there will be issues when she hits the age of two and starts finding her pack ranking as an adult bitch. (I've also put *years* into their formal training and prepping them for showing in the Obedience and Conformation rings. This means that my girls are much more "tuned into me" than many other's dogs are to them. If a quarrell erupts, it's always been between a bitch that doesn't live in my home and one of my bitches, and all it took to stop it was me yelling "HEY!!" at the top of my voice.)

Two of my bitches are spayed and the only one that has been left intact is my puppy bitch (because I'm showing her). There is some thought that fights are much more likely because of quarrells over breeding rights, but I think it's been largely unproven. Many breeders have multiple intact bitches in their homes with no problems at all.

Also, as Willow said, opposite sex pairings are optimal, but much more important is the individual personality of the dog (ie: two alpha wannabe bitches = recipe for disaster). You are much more likely to have a dog and bitch get along than two bitches or two dogs.

Having said that, if you're not planning on showing them, health testing them and breeding them, you should probably consider spaying them, simply because it's healthier for them in the long run. As entire bitches age, they run the risk of contracting deadly pyometra and incidences of mammary cancer is much, much higher with each season that the bitch is allowed to have. (Not to mention, no worries of messy, stinky seasons, and having to guard your bitch to ensure that unwanted breedings do not occur.) Pyometra is especially alarming to me, simply because it can manifest itself in the form of "closed pyometra" which shows no visible signs, usually none before it's too late for the bitch.  

The reasons above are why my two eldest bitches (6 years old and 4 years old) are altered.

As for introducing them, this is best done on what is called "neutral territory", or a territory on which neither dog considers to be "theirs". This can be done at the park, or in a new neighborhood, etc. It should also be done on leashes (that is, as long as neither is leash aggressive), and their body language should be closely monitored. (ie: Look for signs of posturing, stare downs, dominance, etc and be ready to act if it turns ugly.)

Good luck - I hope this helps!

 

[Dixie]

Thanks to both of you.

 

[monkeypuppies]

We have two females and they are like sisters.  They are a year apart and from different breeders.  We were told to introduce them on neutral ground and we've never had any issues.  They eat, sleep and do everything else together with no problems.

 

[Dixie]

We tried the neutral ground.  We were moving back to our house in the country & neither of them had been there before. Fortunately I took them to the barn and had them in adjoining stalls - the new female was vicious.  She was attacking the wood separating them.  We had them both on a tight lead, but it was very frightening.  My dog just wanted to play & didn't know what to think.    

I took my dog back to the other house til I could find a home for this one & she kept getting out of the fenced yard, 5 ft. chain link - she didn't jump over - she more or less climbed up the chain link.  It took me a couple of weeks to find a home for the new dog, but in the meantime I had to keep her in a closed stall on a lead.  She had never had any basic training & was practically impossible to handle. When I was walking her she attacked our small female mixed breed puppy.  It didn't get hurt because I was able to shorten her lead & push the puppy away with my foot.  She's in a good home now with a male & she is doing fine.   Anyway, lesson learned.