Adding a new Basenji with an already established male.

[adamld83]

Greetings everyone. As the title states we are ready to add another basenji to the mix and would love to hear some thoughts from some who has had similar experiences. We have an almost 4 year old boy and although he has displayed no aggressive behavior we have been warned about combining two males. I should mention that our boy Henry is a particularly sweet dog; he even helped us raise an 8 week male kitten we rescued and they remain best friends to this day. We are not against a female we just always wanted two boys. Any help is appreciated..

[CrazySenji]

Hey there! I have two male basenjis who live happily together. They are two years apart, intact and from the same breeder. My red dog Elliot was two when I got Morgan as a 10wk old puppy. He grumbled a bit but quickly realized that this new creature wanted to play with him and they have been buddies every since. Elliot is a push over and lets Morgan get away with murder. Morgan can be bossy and and a brat but Elliot is a goof and just goes with the flow. They complement each other very well! It is important that your current dog has good manners and knows that you are the boss so when disagreements happen you can end them before they escalate. Occasionally there is a "HE'S TOUCHING ME!! MAKE HIM STOP!" or "THAT'S MY TOY!!" argument and raising my voice ends it. Morgan always apologizes by walking up to me with sad ears and bopping my hand with his nose.

Find a good breeder (or rescue!) that will be willing to work with you and to find the best fit. Are you still in contact with Henry's breeder? That might be a good place to start.

[adamld83]

Thank you for the insights! Yes our boy knows I'm the boss and I think he would do well with male or female...we just need to find the right breeder. Our old breeder unfortunately does not have a litter this year..

[CrazySenji]

Most litters are born by now and a lot are spoken for. Where are you located? I have friends in Ohio who just had a litter.

[Dagodingo]

I had a male when we introduced a female puppy, they got on well. Then the male passed so we had a six year old female and introduced a nine month old male, they get along well.

My best advice would be to introduce them in summer on a nice day, during a long walk. Start by taking you dog for a mile or two, then have the new dog walk along with you for at least a couple more miles before heading home.

That way they will both be tired and used to walking together on neutral ground.

[DebraDownSouth]

It's always riskier, but any time you add another dog, male or female, you have to do it knowing it might not work out and deciding if you can live with keeping them separated. I also worry with same sex if one is dominate how much stress it puts on the other dog, even if they get along. I say that because I have had 3 females (2 at a time, one died, got another female) and it was never a picnic. We'll only get a male. But we have a dog aggressive female, so our situation is different than yours.

If you are wanting a puppy, obviously talk to CrazySenji if you are close enough to Ohio. If not, talk to other breeders near you and see if they have puppies left, home fell through etc:

http://www.basenji.org/joomla/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Dcategory%26layout%3Dblog%26id%3D111%26Itemid%3D94

[tanza]

General rule of thumb, opposite sex is best. However, go to a responsible breeder, talk to them about what you would like....

[adamld83]

Thank you everyone for the informative responses! We are now leaning towards a female but will certainly work with what the breeder recommends as well. I will report back in order to close the loop on this.

[CrazySenji]

Most of my friends who end up getting a second dog from my breeder go for the opposite gender. Well, pretty much everyone! Since you are flexible about the gender that might be the way to go! I knew I wanted two boys (and maybe a third some day!) and the breeder had no problem letting me have two because A) he was my third dog from him and he knew I could handle it.

I can't wait to see pictures when you get that new baby!