[Mozi]

Dear all,

I have had my Rex now for close to three months.

I am amazed at the level of love I developed for him. And my life feels much happier. We have a great bond and all is going well

He will be 11 months Xmas day

My questions:

When is it the best time to introduce another puppy given my circumstances?

Better to get a female or a male taking into account that he is intact? If I dont want to breed will I need to neuter him and spay her if I get a female?

What about getting another male and have them both intact? Is that an issue?

Finally, as he develops sexual maturity and if I dont ant to breed him, is it best that he is neutered at say 2-3 years old?

Many thanks for your inputs

Mozi

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

Dear all,

I have had my Rex now for close to three months.

I am amazed at the level of love I developed for him. And my life feels much happier. We have a great bond and all is going well

He will be 11 months Xmas day

My questions:

When is it the best time to introduce another puppy given my circumstances?

Better to get a female or a male taking into account that he is intact? If I dont want to breed will I need to neuter him and spay her if I get a female?

What about getting another male and have them both intact? Is that an issue?

Finally, as he develops sexual maturity and if I dont ant to breed him, is it best that he is neutered at say 2-3 years old?

Many thanks for your input

Mozi

I

Best time to introduce a puppy in my opinion is when your first dog is a well mannered young adult. If you very much want a second GSD- in your situation, what I would do is: when your male is 18 months or so and becoming the dog you want him to be, look for a female pup. I would neuter him before you bring her home or once you bring her home but well before she ever has a heat.

It is probably easier to get him through surgery recuperation without a puppy jumping on him so the simplest thing would be to neuter him and then bring home a female pup.

That is the way to least likely conflict or issues between your dogs.

Can you have two intact males, yes, but why if there is an option of adding a female instead with greatly reduces your risk of conflict. Before considering two males I'd first want to know who your one male is as an adult. He may change between now and adulthood. If he reaches adulthood intact and seems to be able to continue to be social with other males then you know something important about him. I'd also ask his breeder what the males are like with each other, and I'd ask the same of the breeder of the new pup if you were going to get a male. But bottom line is I feel that's an unnecessary risk when male/female pairs can get along so much better.

Can you keep him intact and get a female and keep her intact? Hmm. That depends hugely on who you are and what set up you have for your dogs. For the average person, I think it's a really bad idea. The average household is not set up to prevent accidental breeding. So back to my first recommendation- neuter him, bring home female pup, let her have a heat or 2 then spay her. Least possible chance of conflict or accidental breeding

 

[Kazel]

I'd wait until he's about 3 personally and where you want training wise. If you are going to neuter I'd do it around 2-3 and then probably a bit before you get the new puppy so he's fully adjusted and you know how he is post neuter.

Personally I'd recommend getting a female to help avoid the risk of same sex aggression. But do be careful in picking your breeder. Dog aggression is starting to become more and more common. With females anymore it sometime seems like when they'll develop same sex aggression not if. (Obviously not true but it's alarming how many GSDs I've been seeing lately with people dealing with serious dog aggression in general and SSA). One of my friends who worked as a vet tech doesn't like GSDs because of how many awful ones she's been exposed to.

 

[Katsugsd]

Personally, if you were planning to neuter him at 2-3, I would wait until then, or near then to get your puppy if it were a girl. My breeder knew, roughly, when the females in her lines went into season. Hopefully the breeder you choose does too.


If you wanted to keep him intact, I agree with Thecowboysgirl - being intact with another male will depend on the male. Katsu's littermate lives with an older intact male and he is also intact (there is a 8-9 year difference, though) and there are no issues. If you were to get a female and wanted to wait past her first/second heat, I would be prepared to make arrangements to have your male relocated for the duration of her heat cycle.


I did the opposite - had an intact female and got a male puppy. She went into season when he was 13 weeks (thank goodness) and is scheduled to be spayed mid January.


Best of luck with whatever you choose!

 

[Jax08]

My male is 5 years and I just got a puppy. It all depends on your dogs and what you do with them. Personally, I would not do less than 5 years apart again.

 

[Mozi]

Thank you guys for the clear answers.

So a wider age gap is also ok as I understand from Jax08's answer?

Say when he is 5 also or there is a downside to an age gap?

Also, if he stays intact, before getting the other puppy, say throughout the first 3-4 years of his life, does he need to mate? Or can they basically not have sex but not go crazy and be a monk for those years!?!

Thanks!

 

[Malibu]

I agree with around 3 - 5 age because having 2 young dogs is FANTASTIC, having 2 dogs on the other side of life is a BUMBER.

Having a dog to come home to is great if you get what I mean.

Sex wise I really feel it depends on your males disposition. Which if you wait at least a few years you will have a better understanding if you even can get another GSD or which way to go.

 

[crittersitter]

I got my last GSD puppy last spring. My other GSD had just turned 2yo. I opted for a male to go with my female. I also had 3 old GSDs (am now down to just one oldster). I have to keep them separate a lot so they don't bother my old guy. I've found that the Shane and Emma are a perfect match now that he is almost 1 yo and she's almost 3 yo. They play like crazy and have a blast. Emma was spayed at about 18 months and I plan on letting Shane grow until at least until 2 yo before thinking about neutering him. I would not get another puppy just yet if I were you because you will really have your hands full. Maybe in another year?

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

Thank you guys for the clear answers.

So a wider age gap is also ok as I understand from Jax08's answer?

Say when he is 5 also or there is a downside to an age gap?

Also, if he stays intact, before getting the other puppy, say throughout the first 3-4 years of his life, does he need to mate? Or can they basically not have sex but not go crazy and be a monk for those years!?! /forum/images/smilies/smile.gif

Thanks!

I think 5 yr age gap might be ideal...less chance of everyone having senior vet expenses at once and /or passing too close to each other for the human hearts to bear.

But depending on the dog, any time after 2 when you have your dependable trained adult, will do.

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

And no, he does not need to mate. Nor should he for no other reason than that

 

[Thecowboysgirl]

My male is 5 years and I just got a puppy. It all depends on your dogs and what you do with them. Personally, I would not do less than 5 years apart again.

Did you get a male or female pup? Just curious