Boy Or Girl ?

[teddy]

Hi all !

For some time we have been thinking about getting our little four legged son ( Teddy 9 Months ) a playmate.
However we cant decide on a bitch or dog, And since you guys seem to have formed a wealth of knowledge we would love to hear your thoughts.
Teddy is a Black and White, and we have our hearts set on a Blue.
Many Thanks
Agata.                    

[*Jay*]

I think you would be better off waiting until Teddy is at least 18 months old before introducing a new puppy. This will allow Teddy time to mature physically and mentally and will also enable him to be trained to a high standard. My two youngest are only 5 months apart and I found that the eldests training took a few steps back when dallas arrived. I then found myself trying to train two dogs who were at different stages and it was hard work. Vegas was only 7 1/2 months at the time and still had so much to learn......hindsights a great thing :wink: They do get along very well the majority of the time but when they squabble, you will normally find me and Brook hiding in another room  

Whatever you decide to do, when the time comes to decide what sex to get, you will need to bear in mind a couple of things.  Is Teddy neutered? If he is, then adding a bitch would be no problem but if he is still entire, you will need to make arrangements to keep them seperate when she is in season.  This could mean having a family member or friend taking Teddy in or kennelling one of them.  Having two entire males can also work but ideally what you want is a puppy whose temperament and personality compliment Teddy's. If Teddy is very confident and bolshy, you would want to get a puppy who was more laid back. The puppy's breeder would be able to help you with this aspect.

I'm sure there will be other members along shortly to give their advise.                    

[Shirley]

Hi Agata

Dont' know when you're planning to intorduce a new addition but most people will recommend waiting until Teddy is 18-24 months as there is less chance of conflicts between the two dogs with a good age gap.

As to whether you get a boy or a girl, the information that I've been given is that as long as there's a big enough age gap, either combination can work very well.  We were going to get a girl as we were offered the chance to rehome an older pup, but that fell through.  We then thought about it and decided on a boy pup - the main reason being that, if we got a bitch we'd have had her spayed and that would have made her coat  less manageable.

It goes without saying though, that everyone is different and what suits one person doesn't suit another.  It's down to personal choice, I think.                    

[Luvlylady]

i prefer bitches because they dont run in search of mate's , alot of people say males are more freindly but i dont think i could cope with a cocker more freindly then mine    its up to you really i dont think theres much difference , what ever you get you will love good luck                    

[PennyB]

I agree with waiting especially as your cocker has still got more growing to do. The adolescent thing in dogs can be more hard work than the puppy stage in that everything you thought they'd learnt they now forget.

As far as boy or girl then there are pros and cons. I found that getting a boy was the best thing in our house as Ruby was quite a dominant bossy girl and Wilf compliments that by being laid back and easy going.                    

[bluesmum]

Hi Agata

I posted on here too in Feb when Blue was 10 months old about us adding another cocker to the family and was advised as you have been to wait till Blue was at least 18 months old.

I have taken the advise given and decided to wait and I'm so glad that I did because I didn't realize that as well trained as Blue was, I definately wasn't prepared for the adolescent period which brought a few problems  with it that now thankfully seem to be righting themselves

What I am trying to say is that had I gone ahead and got cocker number two then I wonder if I could have coped as Blue has taken up so much time to get him through this period, and I would rather wait till he settles down so that when we do get our puppy we will be able to devote the time to him that he will need.                    

[teddy]

Thank you all for your advise.
We were not planning to get a new puppy just yet, but when we do you will be the first to know  :wink:                    

[Georgie]

It's up to you, but I'd reccomend waiting until Teddy's older than he is now.