Q re Bringing a puppy into a one-dog home

Question: is there a prevailing theory for success introducing a new dog re what sex the new dog should be? Whether male or female, they will definitely be neutered / spayed.

Background: Dec 2011 we got Taylor (50 lb spayed female mutt about 2YO at that time) from a rescue. She was the only dog in the house until 2019 when we got Bella (70 lb spayed female Pit/Lab about 6YO at that time). They got along OK but Taylor didn't have the same playful energy as Bella. A few months ago Taylor's health was failing and we had her euthanized. We would like to get a puppy (to me, that's anything under 2YO) so (1) Bella has a buddy while she's still relatively energetic and (2) we are not dogless in a few years when Bella goes to that big dog park in the sky.

Situation: My sister has a litter of mini golden cava poo pups about 9 weeks old. I'm under heavy fire to bring one home. They are beautiful dogs but a little small for my taste (both parents only about 20 lb). She's got 4 girls and 2 boys available. 

FYI They are near Hagerstown MD if anyone in that area is looking for one of these pups.

I think a lot of that depends on Bella's personality.  For example I don't think Bob could deal with a puppies energy.  I know he tends to like small dogs but is 50/50 on larger dogs.  I think if I got another it would be a Yorkie.  I'm sure most shelters allow a dog greet.  Maybe take Taylor and let her choose?

EDIT - now that I think about it Bob's favorite dog is Mr. Wilson two doors down.  Mr. Wilson is an shiny happy person.

I was not familiar with mini golden cava poo.  OMG, they are adorable.  However, this is a completely different dog than a 70lb Pit. 

The actual puppies:

and Bella:

Do it! i have friends with large breed dogs that interact just fine with cats, ferrets, small dogs, etc. They will figure it out pretty quickly. When we brought home our new puppy, 11# goldendoodle and introduced him to Jen's brothers dog, 60# 1.5 year old crazy goldendoodle, we were worried. The older dog was very gentle and actually let our Bodhi beat the crap out of him, bite him, jump all,over him and never retaliated. IMO, I think they just know. You be a referee for a day or two, keep a close eye on things and it should work out fine.

Really looking for feedback on the male vs female question...

Can't answer the male versus female question, but I can offer a strange bit of advice...

When we went looking for a 2nd dog, we took Steve with us (Steve is our black lab).  We let him interact with the possible adoptee.  He and Xena got along great and just stuck together.  They always got along great from that day on.

So, I'd say let your existing dog help you pick one out!

I can address that specific question of gender in a little while. This article is very comprehensive on the overall topic. 

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I can address that specific question of gender in a little while. This article is very comprehensive on the overall topic. 

Thanks for that article, Doc! I look forward to your insights.

I found this article from The Indoor Pet Initiative from Ohio State. They address the potential for conflict being the lowest with a male and a female, highest with two females.

here

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I found this article from The Indoor Pet Initiative from Ohio State. They address the potential for conflict being the lowest with a male and a female, highest with two females.

here

That figures.

I always recommend that you never try to make the dogs equal, if the hierarchy isn't clear the dogs may have to sort it out themselves. Two female dogs will fight to the death. Maybe not the first or every time, but they're the worst conflicts.

The number one dog should always be the number one dog. She gets to go first through the door, at time for treats, meals, or attention (especially).

Since the female is the leader naturally, introducing a male puppy and supporting your number one in her social status, you're least likely to have conflict.

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I always recommend that you never try to make the dogs equal, if the hierarchy isn't clear the dogs may have to sort it out themselves. Two female dogs will fight to the death. Maybe not the first or every time, but they're the worst conflicts.

The number one dog should always be the number one dog. She gets to go first through the door, at time for treats, meals, or attention (especially).

Since the female is the leader naturally, introducing a male puppy and supporting your number one in her social status, you're least likely to have conflict.

I did this with my childhood dogs and it worked well. My first adult dog was an only dog for most his life but was apparently some sort of super Alpha dog because when he was in situations with other dogs they deferred to him always without any human interference. It was strange, he would get around other dogs in their homes and.....be in charge without complaints.

Our 2 dogs now, The Yeti and The War Potato, don't seem to have any hierarchy from Day one they seem to just see themselves as equals with the humans above them. The Yeti is older and both are giant breed dogs. The Yeti is definitely a nursemaid kind of dog though, he watches everything and always takes care of his "flock"

Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:

I found this article from The Indoor Pet Initiative from Ohio State. They address the potential for conflict being the lowest with a male and a female, highest with two females.

here

That's interesting. We've heard from several breeders not to mix 2 females if you can avoid it.

We ended up bringing a male puppy into our house with our 3 yr old female. She bullied him a little bit when he was young, but he's now 10lbs heavier than her and they basically have an uneasy truce

We've had two males and a female several times with no real drama. Never tried to do two females in the house at the same time. The females have always been in charge, for whatever reason.

We have a 3 year old Male (50lbs) and is past spring got a Female (she's about 35lbs currently, may hit 40, currently 7 months old).  So far we haven't had any real issues, other than our older dog sometimes getting overly playful and running over the puppy.  We crate train both of them, and having separate spaces is really good for behavior. We generally feed them separately as well, and all interactions are supervised.  Our older dog has been really good dealing with the puppy energy, he has been by himself since we got him and we were concerned that introducing a new dog could cause bad behavior, but so far so good.
 

Side note, my wife is a critical care Vet, so has lots of practice dealing with different animal personalities. I think one of the biggest things that has helped is we do lots and lots of training and interaction with both dogs. Sometimes together, but sometimes seperately as well.

Thanks, GRM.  Now I want a mini golden cava poo and 10 minutes ago I didn't even know it existed.  Heck, in GRM land you could substitute <mini golden cava poo> with <obscure car> and it would read the same.

Good thread for me, as in a little bit I'll be picking up a puppy, the son of my current dog...