Same Age, Same Sex.. Can It Ever Work?

[wolfie333]

Ok well, i know the recommendation is usually to get dogs of different age/sex or size to ensure they get along, but would love to hear this theory proved wrong by anyone with experience in this area.

The story is I have a male mastiffx about 1 year old and have taken on a foster dog of pretty much the same description. Except that one has had the best of everything and is loved to death and the other seems to have never had a good meal or a good friend The dogs met at the pound both are very dog friendly and they got along like long lost brothers, seriously it was like they knew each other (it is remotely possible that they could be littermates, they are so similar ) and not a hair was raised in aggression.

Is it possible that this comradeship will last or is it bound to cause friction at some point? What should i look out for and what should i if there are any signs of real aggression? I hope that me being a strong leader will be enough but any advice would be greatly appreciated as any trouble with such big dogs would not be much fun i imagine

[wolfie333]

(this is the spoiled one )

[claireybell]

They are lovely looking dogs! I have a one year old cocker and a 7 month old beagle X cocker. Both are female and we've only had one problem to date. They were both given a treat and when the baby finished her's she decided she wanted the cocker's. Well she got told by my cocker and it was the first time ever that I had heard my cocker growl. They soon got over it though. Most people say its a recipe for disaster but so far so good.

[Vickie]

yep, it can work.

My boys are 5 months apart in age, same breed & size. They are 11 now.

My girls are 2 years apart, same breed, & size.

I had a couple of very minor issues with the boys when they were younger, but really I put it down to my bad management & lack of knowledge. Never had an issue with the girls.

[Kaz]

I wouldn't expect trouble. It is very likely that if they are great mates now, they will continue to be so.

Last week I had my three males and two foster males. The two youngest were staffy types and around the same age and the two oldest are both great danes and close in age as well. If there is no tension at the first meeting, I figure all will go well.

My youngest, the staffy, is going through that difficult age and trying to assert himself. I have been careful to pull him into line and it seems to have worked.

Edited November 18, 2008 by Kaz

[dogdude]

I think alot can be dependant on breed and nature. My experience is mainly with bull breeds, and if they were them, I would advise against it. I had a few bad learning experiences with different dogs, until I woke up. Some of them took over twelve months to show any problems, and would appear the best of mates in between trying to fight to the death.

No experience with Mastiff types though.

[Akayla]

It usually isnt till about two years of age that problems arise as this is when they hit maturity and they like to know where they stand. I have dogs that get along great and I know dogs that tried to kill each other and some that succeeded in doing so. Its about the personality of the dogs (are they too simillar) and will they compete. How they behave away from home is not how they will behave on their own turf. But the recommended action is to introduce on nuetral and then let them bring home their new friend.

If you think about the belief that it is natural for females to compete with other females, males with males. Then the reason for the age gap is because when one hits that "maturity point" and they try to assert their dominance a pup will likely submit to its elder. Also they are not competing for the same amount of food, exercise, toys ect.

Personally I dont think it matters what line of thinking you follow as IMO any dog can take a dislike to another or fall out with them. My advice would be that if the worse does happen be ready to create seperate runs and divide your time. If you dont think you could handle this (and remember that leaves you with rehoming the dog) then dont get the same sex and age.

Again I think it comes down to the individual dogs, plenty of breeders do it and so do I.

[poodlefan]

Yes, it can work. Not every dog is going to have issues with others, especially if both understand who ranks where in pack order.

Things might change as the foster dog improves in health and confidence - but they might not.

Not every helpful am I. You'd not choose two dogs the same in age, size and gender if you wanted to minimise the risk of conflict but plenty of DOLers have this situation and it works for them.

[cassie]

I have two similar sized males - a Bernese and a Saint. They are three years apart and get on beautifully It definitely can work

[RubyStar]

My story is kind of similar. I have an almost 2 year old Labrador girl who I've had since a pup, and recently adopted a rescue Labrador girl approx. 2 years of age as well. They get on like a house on fire! Play together, occasionally lay together, eat together and inspect each others bowls for leftovers once the other has finished! So no aggression when it comes to food. Only thing is the rescue girl is very posessive and pushes my other girl out the way if she is getting any human contact! But the other girl seems to let her I try to combat this by giving the possessive girl no attention when she pushes the other away, but still early days to tell if this is gonna work or not. Had no real issues with them so far apart from that!

[Guest]

yep it sure can work, as long as you have a good pack structure and your the leader, then either are not fighting for the dominate spot as you have it,

[Aphra]

It can work, but it does depend on the dogs. My male Neo and my male Mastiff X live happily together. My male Anatolian and my two cross-breed working dogs (both desexed males) also co-exist happily. They are all old enough that if there were going to be issues, they'd have shown up by now. If there is a fight, it is always started by my female Neo.

If they like each other now, and are both generally dog friendly then you don't have to anticipate problems. But because they are both big dogs, (and I think one of them is part Neo?) you don't want to make it easy for them to argue, so I'd suggest you supervise feeding time; eating bones and things that are likely to trigger resource guarding.

I think the ability of dogs to co-exist happily isn't about gender but about compatibility and temperament. Two reactive dogs of similar rank will be more likely to fight than two laid-back dogs, or a very dominant dog with a very submissive dog, regardless of gender.

[Scarlet]

I've done a little bit of fostering and I always looked for a male as I have a dominant female who prefers males and it has been my understanding that this mix is often best .

But I once had 3 (rough collie, labrador and kelpie cross) male entire dogs who got along famously. The top dog was the older but the other two were approx the same age.

[poochmad]

Well, I hope two dogs of the same sex can work, as today we're picking up a same sex rescue dog as a companion for our 6 month old.

My thoughts are that the rescue dog is older and more confident and will automatically slip into the top dog role as our dog has a submissive nature.

[Rain]

I think the ability of dogs to co-exist happily isn't about gender but about compatibility and temperament. Two reactive dogs of similar rank will be more likely to fight than two laid-back dogs, or a very dominant dog with a very submissive dog, regardless of gender.

Well said Aphra.

[Dogs4Fun]

I had two male Cairn terriers together. The first was 3 when we got the second.

Yes they had occasional "words", bit no more than I would expect from any grouping of dogs.

I think a lot depends on the dogs' temperaments and the way the pack structure is managed. Is the leadership from the humans good?