new puppy for older havanese help

[yodiana]

Really hope someone can help guide me in this area...

I have an 8.5 year old Havanese-girl (Boba). We got Boba when she was just a couple months old. I've been "wanting" another havanese for quite some time. But since I work from home and Boba and I are the best of friends, I never felt the "need" to get another puppy. But the thought keeps popping up all the time.

Just a couple days ago, I was given the opportunity to adopt an 10-month old havanese girl. I will get to meet her this weekend. I've seen photos of her and she's gorgeous! I am SO excited and have already started thinking of names.

However, I am a bit concerned about how Boba will take our new arrival. I keep reading that its not a good idea to have two girl-dogs in the household (even if they are both spayed). Boba loves meeting other dogs but I'm not sure if she'll appreciate one actually in her home sharing her toys and space. Will the 7+ year age difference cause additional concerns?

Any insights will be GREATLY appreciate. Thanks so much for your time!

[clare]

I don't think there are any hard and fast rules.You will just have to let them meet each other and see how it goes,will you take Boba with you when you first meet the new pup?I would let them have a play around together before you make your final decision.It is also better for them to meet on neutral ground.We have 2,but of different sexes,our girl is much feistier than our boy!

[cap]

Olivia, our golden, was 7 when we brought Isabelle into our home at the age of 3 months. At first Olivia was not thrilled with sharing time, space and us with another dog. We found that if we continued giving Olivia her special times with us that it all worked out fine. I have to admit that it was so much easier training Isabelle because she had an older, trained sister to follow. I think Olivia should be given the credit for training Isabelle. Olivia is soon to be 11 and has no desire to play the "you chase me, I'll chase you" game. Fortunately Isabelle respects this--mostly. I'm sure everything will work out just fine for you.