OLD FEMALE STAFFY X, WANTING TO BRING IN FEMALE PUP

Hi my name is Sue, our staffy lizzy recently was hit by a car and killed instantly. (no suffering), our house is emply without her. we want to purchase a full bred staffordshire bull terrier. Our only problem is, our other dog is 13 yrs old, very good for her age. my husband wants a female. what are peoples thoughts on bringing another female into the home with our old girl. the previous staffy was a big attention seeker, they would have a tiff from time to time, but became great mates after a while. not sure what to do. any advise would be great.

Hiya, I am so sorry to hear about Lizzy, how very sad, I can imagine the house feels very empty.

Never had 2 before but I would say go for it! The age gap is so vast they should be fine. Ho exciting, let us know how it goes

I'm sorry for your lsoe.
I think a pup would be a little too much for your old girl to handle to be honest as they can be very nippy and a little to playful even when your watching so it doesn't get to much, many people would advise against having same sex because thoughs little tiffs you mentioned can turn into something very ugly. I personally would definatly go for an older dog who a little more gentle and attuned to your older female.

I would agree and disagree with both of the above posts. I think the age gap between the two dogs would be good as there are unlikely to be any dominance issues, however as Claire said if your Zoe is quite slow and acts older a pup might be a little bit too active for her. I would be happier about bringing a pup into the house in terms of pack hierarchy, your current dog is more likely to accept a young foolish pup as a pose to a rescue bitch who might have other issues having been in kennels.

However if you changed your mind and got a boy then I'm sure a slightly older dog would be fine, the two of them wouldnt be competing for similar roles and he would also be more chilled than a puppy. If your heart is set on a girl then I would go for a pup under 6 months old. Ultimately its your decision though

your old dog should be a good teacher for your pup well if you decide to get one

Just realised your from Oz so i'm not sure about the staffy situation there. If you were in the uk i would advise you to go down the rescue route, there are plenty of young staffies under two years old in rescue but is that the case in Oz? Your bitch may be the mothering type and get on fine with a mad young puppy, but she might long for the quiet life in her old age. Could you possibly borrow someone's young dog/puppy and see how she gets on? An older dog might be better, perhaps two or three years old. Still young for you and your husband but less stressful for your mature bitch. A male might be better in this case, bull breed bitches together can get '*'. Do you know what shes crossed with, it may have an impact on her make up/personality?

thank you everyone for your input. still got a lot of research to do. being that im a dog groomer i quite often have other dogs at home, puppies to old and our old girl tolerates all of them. but my concern is they are of the fluffy breed and are much smaller and most times quite gentle. lol but not a staffy hey. we are worried that because i bring dogs home that a male might be a bit too dominant around them, yet lizzy was fantastic, she was all their play mates. actually both the girls were. after a sniff of butts for the first 10 mins or so, lizzy and zoe, went god not more mutts. lol. and went to sleep on the lounge next to where i groom, so gorgeous. but i always include my dogs in the time i am grooming. they play outside with the others all together. get treats with the others and sleep and bath together. big family affair really. they have a ball and i quite often didnt need to walk my two cause they were stuffed from running around with the little furry ones. lol

Hi.. I am in WA too.

I have a 12 year old male desexed staffy Jethro and a few months ago we got a 6 week old male puppy Winston ( he will be desexed when old enough ) Winston is now nearly 5 months old. They get on very well, but Jethro is a very placid boy and very good natured which has helped! The only thing we worry about is when they play as Winston plays rough and often Jethro goes flying on his back. At his age we have to be really careful, it wouldn't take much to hurt him ( not on purpose of course) So we never leave them alone together when we aren't here.. one is on and one is out.. That is one thing I would be wary of if you decide to get a youngster.

I think we all have a tendency to forget how full on young staffies can be I certainly know I did. When my old boy died at nearly 17 I got a 7 week old puppy and it was quite a shock I can tell you, then it all started coming back to me! So it might be a bit hard on your old girl. Up until now I have always had 2 staffies but always a male and female, would never advise 2 of the same sex.

Good luck whatever you decide, and I'm sorry for your loss.

thanks lizzie, its funny cause that was my staffies name we really really want a puppy. are willing to do the hard yards. probably will go to a training school, but did some basic training myself a few years ago, so got a pretty good idea. the old girl zoe is pining for company at the moment. but i think thats understandable. neither her or the cat are eating. so sad. i think with us to keep an eye on them, a female would be ok. but will maybe do a trial first.

ps lizzie, i was born in somerset

my xena was really good with my old sam and she learn alot from her.

Steve wrote:my xena was really good with my old sam and she learn alot from her.

Sorry to hijack your thread a little.

Steve what ages are your bitches, who came first and at what age and who came second?

Hi again, Lizzie is a good name

Strange that you should come from Somerset - a log way from W Australia!

Look forward to hearing about your new puppy when you feel the time is right, meanwhile hope Zoe and the cat are able to cope with their loss and start eating soon.