IF Ginger had a friend..

[AdoreMyDogs]

I have always heard that generally you should get the opposite gender. It does depend on the dog of course, but generally speaking, it's best to get a male next since you have a female. It all boils down to the natural hierarchy and social structure of a dog.

I need to get out to see Ginger soon. Maybe this weekend?

[Sirrahsim]

I'm about to PM you Leslie

[lute]

A lot of people say to get the oposite sex of the dog you already have. Female dogs are called bitches for a reason. Although I am a firm believer that you can bring either sex into the household. It's the individual dog. I've had a ton of rescues of both sexes and haven't had an issue with either. I have a feeling you are asking these "IF" questions for a reason and I can't wait to see what happends.

[WELOVESPUPPIES]

I think taking Ginger to the park for socialization and seeing who she likes best is a great idea. I agree that it comes down to individual dogs. I have 2 males and 1 female, Duke and Champ(f), and Chopper. Duke is almost 8, Champ is almost 6 and Chopper is almost 1. We definitely have a large difference in size here from 58-60 pounds to 3.5 pounds. Our dogs all get along great. But I know my dogs and I knew when getting the third one it really did not matter the sex as my other two had already established their order in the household and in the natural order of things the puppy would learn his. But neither of my large dogs are aggressively dominate in any way so I did not have to concern myself with females fighting or males going at each other or well lets say one of the big ones eating the small one. Duke, however, does not get along with my MILs dog at all. She is an aggressive dominate even though she lives in an only dog household. She loves Champ and she loves to play with Chopper but her and Duke just clash as they are both the dominate dog but they are opposite sexes. I say start getting her around other dogs and you will see her true personality whether she is submissive or the asserter and that will help you when looking to add another to your household.

[gemini9961]

I have 2 females and 1 male. Sadie is 6, Maggie will be 5 in June and Grant is 4. Weight ranging 7-8 pounds to 50 pounds. Sadie has made it clear she is the alpha although Maggie likes to challenge her. Grant just chills out, he allows the girls to wrestle all over him and chew on him. I can take the girls with me when I visit family but not Grant. My aunt has a male cocker and my parents have a male mixed breed and the 3 of them together is a nightmare. Heck even 2 of them together is bad. Grant seems to be okay with them but if they give Grant any crap he will fight back. So my experience is that I have had more trouble integrating the males vs the females. Each situation is going to be different.

[pitc9]

Growing up we had 2 females and they would rip each other to pieces once a summer. It was horrible... and just because of that I have 1 of each.

If another female comes in my yard Sierra will attack them, but she'll let a male in the yard no problem (tramp!! ) But I can take her to the dog park and she loves everyone!

As it's been said, females tend to be dominant and ...well... bitches!
But I have to agree that every dog is different and taking her to the dog park and seeing who she gets along with would be the best thing in the world!!!

Assuming since you were looking in your local news paper for puppies (the thread you posted yesterday) it might be easier to check out local shelters where you'd be able to have the new dog and Ginger meet first before bringing them home.

[bckrazy]

What matters most is your individual situation, as everyone has said. : )

Does the gender of the dog make a difference to Ginger? Does the size make a difference to her? What about you... what do you want in a dog? What size do you prefer, and what size do you feel you could best handle? What personality? What energy level? Make a list of what you want, and what you need in a dog.

Personally, I have not adopted a dog over 2-3 years old... but, the great thing about adopting an adult dog, particularly one in a foster home, is that you can accurately judge their temperament. I don't see any reason for a dog that is 5-6 or older to have any more issues than if they were 2-3.

IMHO, if what you want in a dog is mostly regarding their individual temperament, the best place to look is in rescue. You can literally find the perfect dog, for your situation, without much searching at all. I did, within a few days. Not to mention, you will be giving a home to a dog in need of one, which feels really good. The best advice I can give you is to research, plan ahead, take your time, be realistic about what you can handle in a dog, and make sure you are FULLY prepared to handle another dog; personally, I feel that 2 dogs is at least 3x the work, but totally worth it for me.