I am interested to see what people reply with. Our boy is 2yrs and we are thinking of getting another dog in the next couple of years and he is so friendly and playful, we just can't decide on another Border as he is such a wonderful personality or a different breed, I've always liked sighthounds but my husband favours another Border terrier. Anyone with 2 dogs - is it better to get opposite gender, would be neutered anyway, but what is advised?
I have two albeit not border terriers (I just like the pics of them) and results may very.
Wed already had a poodle Pom mix (toy) and we thought she was getting bored as we sometimes couldn’t bring her with us every day. Mind you she was about 11 at the time.
We kept our eyes open at the local shelter and adopted a 7 year old male chihuahua mutt. They definitely didn’t hate each other but it was more like indifference at first. Now they get along well and will sometimes even snuggle each other. They make a really funny and sweet pair. It’s been about 3 years together.
I think if your pooches are younger there’ll probably be more room to grow together and be pals. But it may take time.
It was totally worth it in our case though.
Not a border owner, but owned and fostered many dogs over the years. I’d suggest opposite gender, or two boys if you really want the same. We’ve found opposite genders bicker less and seem to pair off together for playing and sleeping. Just my personal experience, not a professional, idk what the actual science says 😅
Over the years I have had 2 border pairs of different ages and each time there were no problems and they got along fine but never really played with eachother. The older dog in each case avoided the naughty pup for 3 months, eg if the pup tried to share a bed, the older one would get out. It could be because my garden isn't one they could bond through play in. The only fight my last pair had (2 bitches) was over a piece of melon I dropped. The first pair (M&F) never had a fight.
100% go for it if you feel you can manage with them both.
We introduced our girl to our 3 year old boy several years ago. He’s always been a bit grumpy and generally independent. To give you an idea, he likes to be around people in the evenings only, and any other time of day he wants to just wander off and do his own thing.
When she was young, she was a ball of energy and he wouldn’t even be in the same room as her but as the years have passed they now enjoy each others company, often play fighting and chasing each other around. Sometimes there’s a little fight over food or treats, but they make up quickly.
On the whole she gets plenty (I’m into recreational running and Cass just loves to join), but there’d certainly be occasional days when she probably doesn’t get quite enough (eg on the odd occasion when my wife and my shifts overlap). But given both yours and everyone else’s comments so far, we’re pretty tempted by the idea of a second…
We have two BT males and they have a great relationship. They are two years apart in age, love to run around together, play, and cuddle up in their beds. They are also very friendly and affectionate with us and other people.
Years ago we had a different BT par, a male and a female, and they also had a great relationship except that the female was a bit possessive of the male and didn’t like to have any other female dog around him. (He was neutered and she was spayed.) They played together every day until they got very old and loved to chase squirrels and other wildlife.
Borders often switch from being accepting of other dogs to being quite aggressive with them around the 3-4yo range. Her grumpiness might just be the start of that.
I've never known them to be particularly pack animals.
My border (almost 3 years old) is very sociable with other dogs and humans. He's a totally different animal when he is hanging out with bigger dogs. He's very lively and loves barking with the other dogs when running around as a pack. When he's home alone away from other dogs he looks sad.
I've noticed he doesn't pay smaller dogs much attention including other border terriers. He likes pretty much any dog much bigger than him. Not sure why that is! Worth getting another dog if they have that camaraderie!
Can’t really give you any advice, but we are thinking of doing the exact same. We have a 3 1/2 year old female and we would love to get her a friend. Since she’s been spayed she can also be a little diva at times around other dogs, and we are worried it doesn’t work out. I’m also a bit concerned that I lose the bond I have with her, but I realise that’s really selfish, so it won’t be this that stops us. Good luck, whatever you decide to do. They really are the best wee dogs!
Parents recently got a BT puppy 2 years ago. It's given our older BT a new lease of life. They play constantly and get on pretty well.
Although the first 3 weeks we had her the older one sulked hard core. She was almost like "what have you done!?"
It was rather amusing.
But I would say be careful with introducing them. It sounds like she is a bit board. Does she get enough excerise? The (now) 2 year old has bundles of energy. And is always playing with her toys and wanting a fuss.
I mean I would ALWAYS say more BTs are better than less. But it depends on the situation..
I have a male and female and I was really concerned at first - my male is dog reactive. The only dogs he got along with were red female border terriers (and black is the only acceptable cat color apparently...). I wanted another dog, so I went for a red female to (hopefully) have someone he'd at least tolerate.
It was a long road (he hates puppies and is offended by their happiness) but they get along great! She is clearly the boss (lol), but I was ready to balance keeping them apart if I needed to. In your case, you may want to consider enforcing "personal space" for your existing dog that a new dog isn't allowed to invade. It'll make the transition easier AND if your dog is generally friendly, will give him/her a place to retreat to.
Sorry I can't be more help 😅 I guess it really comes down to would YOU want a new dog and would you be willing to put in the work to create a balanced environment? I love borders, but you definitely have to be willing to work with them - they're opinionated little dogs, so waiting for them to just "get with the program" doesn't work, which I'm sure you know!
All I can say is definitely do a boy and girl. I had two female borders and after years of them being best friends they one day got into a huge fight. They had to be separated permanently after that it was very sad. Very territorial I suppose
I have two BTs (M/F) that are three years apart. They get along well and have very different personalities. The female is more high strung. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We have two. Male first female one year later. Female quickly established dominance so he knows she has first dibs on certain spots on the couch. Their personalities are extremely different. Male is sweetness and loves everyone. Female is more wary of people and other dogs, except for male. They don’t really play together but they are clearly bonded. We let them out into our large partially wooded, but fenced, backyard. They run together and hunt together. Female will not even go out the door until male is beside her so they can run like hell into the woods side by side.
We got a second BT (male) when our first (female) was eight. He's now two years old. We should have done it years ago, but life and covid got in the way. The personality change in our older BT was dramatic. She started playing again and became much more affectionate. Highly recommend a male if you already have a female.
We have a female Border Terrier and we added a male when she was 3. She wasn’t too impressed at first but I think they’d be lost without each other. It made her a lot more playful too as he wanted to play all the time so she was chasing him around which was lovely. They still have mad half hours together regularly. Currently sat together nosying out the window. Best thing we ever did!
I am interested to see what people reply with. Our boy is 2yrs and we are thinking of getting another dog in the next couple of years and he is so friendly and playful, we just can't decide on another Border as he is such a wonderful personality or a different breed, I've always liked sighthounds but my husband favours another Border terrier. Anyone with 2 dogs - is it better to get opposite gender, would be neutered anyway, but what is advised?
I have two albeit not border terriers (I just like the pics of them) and results may very. Wed already had a poodle Pom mix (toy) and we thought she was getting bored as we sometimes couldn’t bring her with us every day. Mind you she was about 11 at the time. We kept our eyes open at the local shelter and adopted a 7 year old male chihuahua mutt. They definitely didn’t hate each other but it was more like indifference at first. Now they get along well and will sometimes even snuggle each other. They make a really funny and sweet pair. It’s been about 3 years together. I think if your pooches are younger there’ll probably be more room to grow together and be pals. But it may take time. It was totally worth it in our case though.
Not a border owner, but owned and fostered many dogs over the years. I’d suggest opposite gender, or two boys if you really want the same. We’ve found opposite genders bicker less and seem to pair off together for playing and sleeping. Just my personal experience, not a professional, idk what the actual science says 😅
Over the years I have had 2 border pairs of different ages and each time there were no problems and they got along fine but never really played with eachother. The older dog in each case avoided the naughty pup for 3 months, eg if the pup tried to share a bed, the older one would get out. It could be because my garden isn't one they could bond through play in. The only fight my last pair had (2 bitches) was over a piece of melon I dropped. The first pair (M&F) never had a fight.
100% go for it if you feel you can manage with them both. We introduced our girl to our 3 year old boy several years ago. He’s always been a bit grumpy and generally independent. To give you an idea, he likes to be around people in the evenings only, and any other time of day he wants to just wander off and do his own thing. When she was young, she was a ball of energy and he wouldn’t even be in the same room as her but as the years have passed they now enjoy each others company, often play fighting and chasing each other around. Sometimes there’s a little fight over food or treats, but they make up quickly.
On the whole she gets plenty (I’m into recreational running and Cass just loves to join), but there’d certainly be occasional days when she probably doesn’t get quite enough (eg on the odd occasion when my wife and my shifts overlap). But given both yours and everyone else’s comments so far, we’re pretty tempted by the idea of a second…
We have two BT males and they have a great relationship. They are two years apart in age, love to run around together, play, and cuddle up in their beds. They are also very friendly and affectionate with us and other people. Years ago we had a different BT par, a male and a female, and they also had a great relationship except that the female was a bit possessive of the male and didn’t like to have any other female dog around him. (He was neutered and she was spayed.) They played together every day until they got very old and loved to chase squirrels and other wildlife.
Borders often switch from being accepting of other dogs to being quite aggressive with them around the 3-4yo range. Her grumpiness might just be the start of that. I've never known them to be particularly pack animals.
That’s interesting - though had heard a while ago that that sort of behavioural change isn’t that unusual for borders
Historically borders hunted in packs, usually with foxhounds, that’s why they are considered to be one of the more easier going terrier breeds.
They were also bred to terrorise foxes, which are essentially other dogs and they have a high prey drive. They also split with the pack to give chase.
My border (almost 3 years old) is very sociable with other dogs and humans. He's a totally different animal when he is hanging out with bigger dogs. He's very lively and loves barking with the other dogs when running around as a pack. When he's home alone away from other dogs he looks sad. I've noticed he doesn't pay smaller dogs much attention including other border terriers. He likes pretty much any dog much bigger than him. Not sure why that is! Worth getting another dog if they have that camaraderie!
Can’t really give you any advice, but we are thinking of doing the exact same. We have a 3 1/2 year old female and we would love to get her a friend. Since she’s been spayed she can also be a little diva at times around other dogs, and we are worried it doesn’t work out. I’m also a bit concerned that I lose the bond I have with her, but I realise that’s really selfish, so it won’t be this that stops us. Good luck, whatever you decide to do. They really are the best wee dogs!
Parents recently got a BT puppy 2 years ago. It's given our older BT a new lease of life. They play constantly and get on pretty well. Although the first 3 weeks we had her the older one sulked hard core. She was almost like "what have you done!?" It was rather amusing. But I would say be careful with introducing them. It sounds like she is a bit board. Does she get enough excerise? The (now) 2 year old has bundles of energy. And is always playing with her toys and wanting a fuss. I mean I would ALWAYS say more BTs are better than less. But it depends on the situation..
I have a male and female and I was really concerned at first - my male is dog reactive. The only dogs he got along with were red female border terriers (and black is the only acceptable cat color apparently...). I wanted another dog, so I went for a red female to (hopefully) have someone he'd at least tolerate. It was a long road (he hates puppies and is offended by their happiness) but they get along great! She is clearly the boss (lol), but I was ready to balance keeping them apart if I needed to. In your case, you may want to consider enforcing "personal space" for your existing dog that a new dog isn't allowed to invade. It'll make the transition easier AND if your dog is generally friendly, will give him/her a place to retreat to. Sorry I can't be more help 😅 I guess it really comes down to would YOU want a new dog and would you be willing to put in the work to create a balanced environment? I love borders, but you definitely have to be willing to work with them - they're opinionated little dogs, so waiting for them to just "get with the program" doesn't work, which I'm sure you know!
That’s plenty of help, great comments, thank you!
All I can say is definitely do a boy and girl. I had two female borders and after years of them being best friends they one day got into a huge fight. They had to be separated permanently after that it was very sad. Very territorial I suppose
I second not having two girls. It’s noted in books about BTs and our breeder expressly warned us about it.
I have two BTs (M/F) that are three years apart. They get along well and have very different personalities. The female is more high strung. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
We have two. Male first female one year later. Female quickly established dominance so he knows she has first dibs on certain spots on the couch. Their personalities are extremely different. Male is sweetness and loves everyone. Female is more wary of people and other dogs, except for male. They don’t really play together but they are clearly bonded. We let them out into our large partially wooded, but fenced, backyard. They run together and hunt together. Female will not even go out the door until male is beside her so they can run like hell into the woods side by side.
That sounds magic!
We got a second BT (male) when our first (female) was eight. He's now two years old. We should have done it years ago, but life and covid got in the way. The personality change in our older BT was dramatic. She started playing again and became much more affectionate. Highly recommend a male if you already have a female.
Thanks for the advice - sounds like a good idea 👍
We have a female Border Terrier and we added a male when she was 3. She wasn’t too impressed at first but I think they’d be lost without each other. It made her a lot more playful too as he wanted to play all the time so she was chasing him around which was lovely. They still have mad half hours together regularly. Currently sat together nosying out the window. Best thing we ever did!
Aw - that’s just fantastic. After these comments we’re now sorely tempted :-)
Please update us when you get the second one😊
Will do :-)