# Do female pups get along with other female dogs?



## marshall (Sep 20, 2012)

Hello group, I have another active post but this is a different question about which sex to get? I have a great pyreneese female who is four years old. From your experience what are the issues of adding a female vs male to our house hold? I had been looking for a male but just wanted your take on how two females would get along or there will automatically be issues. Thank you very much for your help.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

It's not a guarantee that you will have issues but two females have a higher likelihood of having issues at some point down the line. Some girls get along just fine but if they don't, it's going to be higher intensity dislike for each other. Especially with breeds that tend to be same-sex aggressive anyways.

I have three girls right now and it's a constant juggling act to keep them from killing each other. I will never do two girls again...


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

sashadog said:


> It's not a guarantee that you will have issues but two females have a higher likelihood of having issues at some point down the line. Some girls get along just fine but if they don't, it's going to be higher intensity dislike for each other. Especially with breeds that tend to be same-sex aggressive anyways.
> 
> I have three girls right now and it's a constant juggling act to keep them from killing each other. I will never do two girls again...


I agree. Seek a male. It's too hard to fix and too easy to prevent, same-sex issues (should they arise).


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

msvette2u said:


> I agree. Seek a male. It's too hard to fix and too easy to prevent, same-sex issues (should they arise).


Way too easy to prevent! I am envious sometimes of people getting a second dog and being able to choose to not have two females  Oh well... lesson learned the hard way I guess.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Females fight to drive each other out, males fight for hierarchy. (remember Middle School?)
I have a tiny little female who would never allow another female in "her" pack or if I were to try, it would require tons of management.


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## marshall (Sep 20, 2012)

Group thank you very much for your input. Unfortionately from my posting time until the time I got my first answer I located a breeder I think is awesome. The possible bad news is they had only two females left. I raised my concern with the breeder about two females in the family and the breeder thought it would work out fine. Just as long as I show my great pyreneese lots of love while introducing the new puppy to the family. My current family dog is the most pleasant personality of any dog I have ever owned. While on the phone with the breeder and learning about the new puppys family history it was hard to not respect the puppy family tree as well as knowing I have a great breader. I pulled the trigger on the puppy although it is a female and we will pick it up tonight. Hopefully my future will not be full of female doggy drama.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

hopefully once your new pup matures there wont be a problem.. female/female fights are the WORST.. just be prepared. its possible they will get along great at maturity, or they wont.


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

marshall said:


> Group thank you very much for your input. Unfortionately from my posting time until the time I got my first answer I located a breeder I think is awesome. The possible bad news is they had only two females left. I raised my concern with the breeder about two females in the family and the breeder thought it would work out fine. Just as long as I show my great pyreneese lots of love while introducing the new puppy to the family. My current family dog is the most pleasant personality of any dog I have ever owned. While on the phone with the breeder and learning about the new puppys family history it was hard to not respect the puppy family tree as well as knowing I have a great breeder. I pulled the trigger on the puppy although it is a female and we will pick it up tonight. Hopefully my future will not be full of female doggy drama.


Did you meet the breeder and the dogs in person or just on the phone? In case of the latter I worry about your instant decision and the breeder saying that it would work out fine. Has he/she met your Pyrenese or just want to sell the pups? Did you check references? Is the breeder willing to take the pup back in case it doesn't work? Lots of love to your Pyrenese is not all you will need. But ... you can be lucky and have things work fine.
:fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed::fingerscrossed:


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Great Pyrenees are notoriously dog-aggressive, especially with the same sex. If you like this breeder, please wait until they have a male available. The two girls may get along while the pup is young, but once she reaches maturity, you may see stress and strife, which may lead to bloody battles. Females are especially bad in this respect--while males can sort out pack order and be done with it, females will kill each other.

If you insist on keeping a female Pyr and a female GSD in the same household, make sure both are spayed, and don't wait until 18 months to do it. Make sure both dogs respect and obey you. Don't ever make them compete for your attention or affection, and always separate them when you are gone. If they start fighting, you will have to keep them separated ALL the time.


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## marshall (Sep 20, 2012)

*two females*

I only talked on the phone so far, I will meet the puppy's parents this evening when I pick up the pup. They did say they would guarantee against any hip problems. I didn't ask them specifically about returning the pup if it didn't work out with my dog. But "I would think" it would be months down the road before a dislike for each other would pop up. My Pyrenees is only half and the other half Australian shepherd. 

What is the earliest you can safely fix a female pup? My Pyrenees has been fixed since she was young. I have a cat and when she is around me and the dog. I always give equal treatment to both, and they seem very happy. But that is a cat and dog. 

While I was waiting on an answer from the forum. I sent a message to the breeder about what was available. I looked elsewhere on the internet and got different opinions and many said they can get along. I went with that information and ordered the pup. Then came back here and there are so many don't do it's I am really nervous at the moment.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

the majority of dogs I've had have been multiple males. However, when I had my first female gsd, I got a female aussie puppy. My aussie is a big marshmellow, would never hurt a bug My gsd at the time was the "queen bee", She was constanly 'monitoring' my aussie which wasn't her job it was mine

We had a few scuffles, but nothing with blood involved, and it was never the aussie that started it...That gsd has passed on, and when my aussie was 8 years old I got Masi (female gsd)..Honestly they get along great. Masi isn't a 'crap' stirrer and doesn't feel the need to monitor anyone other than me

So 4 years later, the aussie is almost 13 (and still a wild child) Masi is 4. Again , they both get along with each fine. 

So a couple of females CAN work out just fine, you just have to have complimenting temperaments.

For example, if your current dog is a pushy, wanna take charge kinda girl, I would NOT want another female with that same attitude. THAT's when trouble starts..If you've got a go with the flow "marshmellow" (like my aussie),,a pushier dog may be ok, but having a couple of go with the flow types will get along better IMHO.

It sounds like you've made up your mind, puppies are hard to resist..If I were you, I would ask the breeder which female would better suit/get along with the type of temperament you have NOW in your girl. 

Hopefully they are a breeder than can match you well with a dog that will fit into your lifestyle.


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

The people who will tell you to go ahead have NOT experienced female-female aggression...yet.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

marshall said:


> What is the earliest you can safely fix a female pup?


about 6-8 months. Some vets will do it earlier, but there's no real benefit to doing it any earlier than 6 months for a large breed.



> I looked elsewhere on the internet and got different opinions and many said they can get along. I went with that information and ordered the pup. Then came back here and there are so many don't do it's I am really nervous at the moment.


You should be! Aside from the same-sex issue, I am not sure you are buying a pup from the right person. No hip guarantee? What do you mean by "ordered" the pup... like through a website? Have you even seen the pup yet? Met the parents? You want to do all that stuff before any money changes hands, and there should be a hip/health guarantee of some kind. Where did you find this breeder?

Some females dogs get along with each other and some don't. If you have a strong, dominant, bossy female (most Pyrs are that way with other dogs, as are many GSDs and Aussies), you will need a very submissive, mellow, easygoing female to go with her. Two strong, dominant, bossy females are a recipe for disaster.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

any byb breeder will tell you same sex will get along so you spend your money on their pup.... i had 2 females once, ONCE and NEVER again... they got along fine until the 2nd female matured, then it was all out hatred. both were spayed. its not worth the chance to take , as i bet your "breeder" wont take the pup back once it matures if it doesnt work out..... you honestly should be taking your TIME getting a 2nd dog.... and not buying one spur of the moment... do more research, check out breeders that are reputable, and then go from there. a dog is a 15 year commitment, and if you get a dog that doesnt get along with your female pyr you will have 15 years of rotating dogs to keep the piece.. the more time you take to look into a 2nd dog the better you will be.. and you should look at adult dogs, as what you see is what you get- temperment is set as an adult, and there are no surprises. a pup can be fine with your dog and then when it matures it might not be.. if you want a true match then A. go for Male dog and B. think about an adult dog with its temperment already set so that you can see how the 2 dogs get along.. AND TAKE YOUR TIME DONT RUSH IT


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

i also had 2 males and a female, all got along, recently i had 2 females and a male, (one female is 2 and the other was 16 ) they got along fine but i had to keep the old girl separate when i wasnt home as she was fragile, i wasnt worried about same sex aggression as she got along with every female she met, and both mine were fine with each other this go round. its a crap shoot, you just have to be careful


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## marshall (Sep 20, 2012)

*great pyrenees*

My current dog is the friendliest dog I truely have ever seen. I have had her about 4 years and she is a teddy bear. On walks or where ever she goes she is always good. I swear there is not a bad bone in her body. 

She is the only dog I have ever had that I would totally trust with the kids playing with no monitoring. She is very inergetic and loves to run and play but alway with a smile. 

If I said no hip guarantee, I was way wrong. The breeder will gladfully take it back if I ever had hip trouble. They want me to be happy with our new addition. The breeder ordered the mother directly from Germany and she was what he called "I believe" a v rating and he said only 10% get that rating in germany. 

If I scrbbled my notes correctly the pups mother is the daughter of a world champ.. Sorry can't go into details at the moment because that is all I scribbled down.

I believe the breeder said the father won two world awards of some sort in 2006 and 2008 for obedience. As far as the breeder new he had the only v rated dog in colorado. 

He also mention that 16 of the pups he has bread have went on to become award winning dogs. I am not 100% on the details but I was highly impressed after talking with him and his wife. 

I will learn more tonight when I pick up the pup and find out where he said I can go to learn more about its pedigree.

My exact facts could be off with members of the pup chain, but I guess the point is there is a long line of winners in the pups family tree.

He said when he started he looked for the best dogs to start breeding for temperment and didn't breed for the prettiest dog, even though they are beautiful but he bred obedience.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

marshall said:


> My current dog is the friendliest dog I truely have ever seen. I have had her about 4 years and she is a teddy bear. On walks or where ever she goes she is always good. I swear there is not a bad bone in her body.
> 
> She is the only dog I have ever had that I would totally trust with the kids playing with no monitoring. She is very inergetic and loves to run and play but alway with a smile.


That's all well and good, but how is she with other dogs that come onto her home territory?

As to the breeder... sounds like they imported some titled, V-rated dogs from Germany and are breeding them. A lot of people do that, and it doesn't necessarily mean they are great breeders. What is the breeder's kennel name and how did you find them?


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## marshall (Sep 20, 2012)

I bet you guys hate talking to amatures. "ME". I learend in college the only stupid question is the one not ask. 

These people are so nice, I am so happy with there service. I contacted them after all the no no no's I got here about having two females. They are going to mark me down for a male in next litter. Their new litter is currently 1 week old. So in 7 weeks we will be gitting a male and all will be good. I am sooooo excited. I didn't realize what a mess two females could cause. 

I have only had one pup at a time in my 47 years. This forum has helped steer me away from the pup I was going to get yesterday and also educated me on female/female doggie relationships and the hip troubles dog owners face. 

I can not say enough good about these folks, they are just plain nice people. I am expecting a wonderful pup from them and am no longer looking for any other. I hope they don't mind me giving there name but the link I found them at is.
German Shepherd Puppies For Sale (Full AKC Registration) | Colorado Springs | eBay Classifieds (Kijiji) | 23457346

and 

their name is Alpenmac-German-Shepherds

My doggie chase is over and I am thrilled to have found these people. Thanks for all your input.


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## Freestep (May 1, 2011)

Looks like they've only been breeding for two years, and in that time, they've produced 7 litters. They advertise their litters on eBay, and I cannot find pedigrees posted anywhere.

I don't know the breeder in question, so I will have to withold judgment, but the things above raise red flags for me. I am sure they are very nice people, but again, it doesn't necessarily make them great breeders.

I am glad you decided to get a male pup instead of a female.


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I may be wrong, but this looks like the pair
SG Ulu vom Alyeska - German Shepherd Dog

Irco von Reeboch - German Shepherd Dog

Nice dogs, but what do I know? I don't know anything about the combo tho..


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## BlackthornGSD (Feb 25, 2010)

Most of my adult (unspayed) females are fine with younger girls until about the time they hit their 2nd birthday. Then the younger females are browbeaten into submissive posturing on a regular basis. I end up having to separate the girls when the younger one decides she's not going to take it anymore.

If the older dog was spayed early, she may never have a problem with a younger female--especially if she is also spayed. However, you just never know until you see how they start to interact with each other. So, in general, it's a safer "bet" to get a 2nd dog of opposite gender from your first dog.

Looks like the Alpenmac kennel has dogs from some very nice Belgian and German working bloodlines. You might want to talk to them about picking out a puppy who will be a good match for you as far as drive and energy levels.

Their stud dog Irco shows up with OFA clear elbows but no info on his hips. Wonder if they did the "a" stamp on hips?


Best of luck with your future puppy--should be a handsome dog.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

i would run and not look back... but thats just me.... tons of red flags, especially since reputable breeders do not post on kijji/craigslist/ebay lol...... 7 litters in 2 years? yikes that poor momma dog(s)... thats WAY too many litters for someone breeding for 2 years especially with dogs they supposedly imported.... it takes years to get a breeding program right, not 2 years.... honestly you are going to do what you want, but you are really going way to fast and making fast decisions.... (and good to go with a male ) you dont know what your dog is like with a strange dog on its property..

i just dont get why people have to rush into things.. especially dogs... why not take your time? it took me almost 2 years to find the right temperment dog to add to my house with my male dog.... i wanted to make sure they got along, and most important was temperment, i made sure i looked at every dog/puppy under the sun since my male is iffy with other dogs, and i made sure to not rush into anything.. yeah i wanted another dog asap, but i knew it would be a 15 year commitment to whatever i got, so i made sure i took my time to find the right temperment, and the slowness and taking my time paid off 10fold...

we are only trying to help you as we have all been there before, so we know what we are talking about... please slow down and do your research....


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

It feels like you made a hurried decision. I am worried that, no matter how nice they sound, they make all these guarantees over the phone. Did they email you the contract for you to read through? It sounds like they tell you what you want to hear. Many breeders make promises but once you come back with a troubled or crippled dog, you will find nobody home.
Why would a breeder sell a female pup to a home with a Pyrenese female? 
Have you had your Pyrenese exposed to adult females?
By the way, spaying doesn't always make females more gentle; the estrogen is taken away which makes the testosterone levels more prominent and out of balance. It can make them even more aggressive sometimes. Happened with my Malinois in the past.
Please do not think that we are putting you down. I am sure many of us speak from experience after having learned the hard way ( I did) and it is to help protect you from a mismatch disaster


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

actually if you read marshall's posts, she is now getting a MALE, and her current dog is a pyr/aussie cross, from the way they described their current dog, she sounds alot like my aussies Friendly, go with the flow, happy girl.

Just wanted to add that.

And Marshall, if your happy with your decision, I'm happy with your decision, good luck with your new puppy, we insist on pictures when the time comes.


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## mebully21 (Nov 18, 2011)

i am glad she is getting a male good luck with your new pup


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## msvette2u (Mar 20, 2006)

JakodaCD OA said:


> actually if you read marshall's posts, she is now getting a MALE, and her current dog is a pyr/aussie cross, from the way they described their current dog, she sounds alot like my aussies Friendly, go with the flow, happy girl.
> 
> Just wanted to add that.
> 
> And Marshall, if your happy with your decision, I'm happy with your decision, good luck with your new puppy, we insist on pictures when the time comes.


:thumbup: 
That's one potential bullet dodged!


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## marshall (Sep 20, 2012)

JakodaCD OA said:


> I may be wrong, but this looks like the pair
> SG Ulu vom Alyeska - German Shepherd Dog
> 
> Irco von Reeboch - German Shepherd Dog
> ...


 
Thank you so much for the links. I believe that is the parents also as far as I can tell. I am still trying to get around the pedigree page you provided. But I sure do thank you for the links.


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## Rabbitt (Mar 16, 2020)

Stumbled on this great post while researching whether to get a female or male to join our little pack (4 yo female GSD and 10 yo male Chihuahua mix). Great information so thanks! And any updates from this, I know it was years ago but want to find out how the new puppy worked out for Marshall!

And BTW based on the comments, we will definitely look for a male GSD puppy. I always thought my Clementine would want a sister but I don't need dog angst in my house.


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

This thread is from 2012 and the OP has not been active since 2013, so I don't think there will be any updates.


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