Female V Male

[BellaJane]

Hi there all,
We have a female 2 1/2 year old love of our lives named Bella. We have considered getting a puppy as we would love to have two and hope she would like a furry companion. We have heard really conflicting stories about what is better male or female, some say two females is a bad choice. However, I love having a female dog and would love two.
Also, our breeder was a backyard breeder and is no longer doing it anymore.
We have perused the breeders online and have been unsuccessful in finding one near to the Los Angeles area. We firmly believe in meeting any puppy we decide to take home and essentially letting it " pick" us. Hopefully they would be agreeable to meeting Bella too.
Anyone know and breeders near to LA or surroundings...?
thanks much,
Raquel

[Quercus]

Having two females is a bad choice No, really, in Basenjis it is often very difficult to find two girls who are compatible...it does happen....but is kind of hit and miss. Of the five bitches that have lived here...only two have formed a friendship that has lasted thru all kinds of challenges. The rest had to be separated for short or long periods, that usually ended with permanant separation.

[renaultf1]

I think I read on here somewhere that one of the breeders said with 2 females..."it works until it doesn't." I would say, add a male.

That said...I have 3 basenjis (2 females - 1 - 6mo & 1 - 4yo, and 1 - 4yo male). I have no grand illusion that the girls will work permanently and that they will always be able to be together...I knew that long before I ever added Aaliyah. And in my case, my 2 girls are related (Aaliyah is Ruby's grand daughter). Some days when I watch Ruby take Aaliyah (6 mo) to school for some misdeed, I think that separation day may be sooner than I think.

If you go with 2 girls, you need to have a plan for what happens if it doesn't work - and for my situation, that doesn't include returning a dog or selling or giving a dog away. For me, I have another floor (and a basement that can be finished off if need be)...so one can live upstairs and one can live downstairs. If/when the day comes that the girls need to be separated, I plan on adding another boy...so each girl will have a playmate, and then I will run 2 packs.

[AC~Akeyla]

I'm sooo glad to read these threads because we are going to get a playmate for our 6month old female, Akeyla. So adding a male to our pack sounds like a plan.

On another note, does anyone have a 6 month old B? Just curious about how much Akeyla should weigh?

[lvoss]

I agree with Andrea, in most cases, opposite sex pairs work best. I also think that you will find most breeders will pick which puppy matches your household best instead of just letting you pick any pup. The breeder will have spent hours observing the pups and will have a good feel for some of the traits that aren't always apparent in the visit that you will make while the pup is growing.

There is a list of breeders on the BCOA website, http://www.basenji.org/PUBLIC/BreederDirectory.htm

If you would like you can contact me privately and I can provide you with more information. My mom is in Irvine and has 4 basenjis and is active in the basenji community in Southern California. To contact me privately, go to my profile and then to my website and use the contact us button.

[renaultf1]

I'm sooo glad to read these threads because we are going to get a playmate for our 6month old female, Akeyla. So adding a male to our pack sounds like a plan.

On another note, does anyone have a 6 month old B? Just curious about how much Akeyla should weigh?

Aaliyah just was at the vet last Friday...the day she turned 6mos. She was 15.6lbs. She is still a little smaller than her other siblings (visually, I don't know what they weigh).

[agilebasenji]

BellaJane, why do you think you'd rather a female?

[Rita Jean]

We were at the vet on 06.04.09 made Jaycee 5 months and 8 days. Jaycee weight was a little over 19 lbs by there scale. Our baby scale said 20 lbs.

Rita Jean

[AC~Akeyla]

Well, Akeyla is small at 13lbs (she will be 6 months on the 25th). However, the vet said today that she looks good and healthy. Akeyla has a pretty small head too.

[YodelDogs]

Having multiple females can be tricky but getting a puppy of the opposite sex is no guarantee everything will work out well either. The personalities and temperaments of both animals involved must be considered.

How does Bella respond to strange dogs when she meets them? If she has any dog aggression at all then getting another female, or a dog aggressive male, is not a good idea. If Bella meets a strange dog and is really friendly then you may be able to have a second female in the house. Beware that some dogs are friendly until they get on their own home turf. Attitudes can change then.

Finding just the right female puppy would be tough. Check out breeders carefully. Can they keep all their females together or not? If so then, in my opinion, you have a better chance of getting a puppy with that kind of temperament.