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My female dog needs a friend. Should I get a male or female dog?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Dog | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 37 lbs

Does gender matter when looking to add a second dog? Our current dog is a 6 year old female lab/beagle mix, gentle and affectionate and calm when meeting and walking with other dogs. She became submissive to visitor dogs and disengaged from our human family when we had female dogs come to stay on the weekend--two different dogs on two separate occasions. We would prefer to find a female to add to our family but are wondering if we should be looking for a male instead?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on June 19th, 2017

As a generality, male-female pairings of dogs are typically more likely to get along than same-sex pairings. However, this rule does not hold true for every pair of dogs and the pairing of two dogs is based largely on the individual temperament of each. It tends to work best if both dogs are fixed (as I see that Allie has been spayed) because there are fewer hormonal-associated dominance issues. If you prefer adding a female dog, go for it! Just make sure that Allie first meets her new friend on relatively neutral ground (such as at a park) to try to avoid any territorial problems that may initially arise, even though it sounds as though Allie is quite passive and submissive. For at least the first few weeks of having a new dog in your home, be sure that all interactions between the dogs are supervised and do not leave them alone together while you are gone. I hope this helps you to make your decision! :-)

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Liz DeWandeler, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello! Gender usually doesn't play a big part in adding a new dog to your family as long as both pets are neutered/spayed. However, I do recommend that you have a meet-and-greet with the possible new dog and Allie before committing. That way you can see how Allie responds to the new dog and vice versa. Best wishes!

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