Our boxers had puppies in an accidental breeding. We would like to keep one but are worried about adding a 3rd dog. Do you think the age differences will work?

Question

Hi,

First, let me say that your website has been a godsend to me and my family.  Without you, I doubt I would have survived the last 8 weeks. 

A little background. My hubby and I love the boxer breed. We got our 1st boxer in 1996, and added a rescue boxer to the mix in 1997. Since then, we have had 5 boxers over the years. We lost our 1st female at 3.5 to a horrible accident, and from that point on, we have always crated our dogs when we are not home. Our rescue lived to be an old man at the age of 12 when lymphoma took him from us in 2008. Currently, we have a 6 year old female, who is the sweetest and kindest boxer I have ever met. When we lost our male in 2008, we purchased another male to fill the void. Our female actually went through a depression of sorts and her crying became unbearable. Our male, is a sweet boy who is almost 2.  We have never had any aggession between them. Early on, she growled at him one time when he went to eat before her, and that was it. They have been buddies from day one.

Well... now, we come to spring 2010. My female had a "silent cycle" and we had no idea she was in heat. I saw no signs whatsoever. Our male, who was unneutered at the time, apparently got to her (he was neutered during my spring break (I am a teacher) and we now figure it was about a week too late). The only time the are unsupervised is when they go to the "field" which is our word for going potty. Usually, the go out for 10 to 15 minutes as they prefer to be indoors.

We took our female to the vet, because she looked puffy, and he confirmed by xray that she was NOT pregnant. Said it was a phantom pg and would resolve itself... lo and behold, she gave birth 13 days later!!! We lost 1 and have 2 sweet little girls that made it. At 5 days old, mom was diagnosed with mastitis, so I weaned the pups and bottle fed with your formula... that was when I found your formula online. They hated the stuff from the vet, and LOVED your recipe. They gained 2 to 4 oz everyday... they were fat, happy babies!!!

Now they are 8 weeks old, and I know that I can't keep both, but my hubby REALLY wants to keep one of them. She is a beautiful flashy girl with an amazing temperment like her mom. I have read your eBook about adding a 3rd dog, and I am concerned. We have never had 3 at the same time. Can you give me some feedback? We allow the pups to play with mom and dad for small periods of time, but they do not play unsupervised. They will not in the future either. They are always crated if we are not home. 

Do you think the age differences will work? Mom is unaltered, dad is altered. This little girl will be spayed before the age of 1 (as soon as vet gives the go ahead). 

Thanks for everything.... you are a lifesaver!!!

Amy

Accepted Answer

Having 3 dogs is always more challenging than 2, but with rules and structure can certainly be done. The only time I think age is a big issue is when 2 or more of the dogs are puppies at the same time.

I’d become a student of pack structure, we have a number of eBooks, which include topics that may help you.

I’d also recommend Pack Structure for the Family Pet.

Be aware that as the puppy grows up, there will be times that the dynamics change. Pack structure and leadership is important for ALL the dogs, not just the youngest one. You will most likely have issues between the mother and daughter as same sex dogs tend to have more problems than opposite sex.

For future questions, you might benefit from learning to use our SEARCH function, which is located in the top left corner of every page of the website. If you type in your key words or question it will find you articles, Q & A’s, free streaming video and links to threads on our discussion forum. Our website has over 16,000 pages and it’s very likely you’ll find the information you are looking for. I hope this helps.

Cindy Rhodes