I'd like your advice please

[Barley's Mom]

I've been to Col. Potter's site looking at Cairn's available to adopt. I know several of you have more than one.

I'd like your experienced advice on what type of Cairn you thought would be most compatible with my Barley. He is 16 months old now. I think he would enjoy having a playmate. I just don't know if it would be better to adopt a male or a female.

I purchased Barley from a breeder at 8 weeks of age. This time, I would like to adopt a cairn that needs a good home. I know I would prefer an adult that is already housebroken.

Barley is fiesty and full of energy. He is definitely top dog right now. He plays rough, but seems to get along pretty good with other dogs in general. Barley is a small Cairn, weighing in at a little less than 12 lbs. Would I need to consider weight when adopting a second?

Any advice or experiences you could share would be very much appreciated.

[Nikki]

col potter can help pick the right dog for you the most important thing is to fill out the adoption paper work

[Barley's Mom]

Thank you, Nicole. That is what I will do.

[Darcy's Folks]

We got a brief behavior assessment on Darcy from a Westie Rescue group. They said Darcy would be best suited for a male because of her alpha dominate ways. We completely ruled out getting a female at that point.

The biggest thing to determine is whether or not your dog gets along with the dog you are considering adopting.... which col. potters will completely take into a account before they give you the green light on any dog.

Good luck!

[Taebolily]

I am with you on this one. Ringo is 7 months old and a sweetheart. We'd like to get a buddy for him. He definitely an Alpha male though. I feel getting him a female companion would be good. Perhaps mellow him out and give me and Daddy the break that we need when we hug or kiss. Believe it or not, Ringo gets jealous. Its funny. He nuzzles right in the middle when he sees us doing anything that looks like PDA. Any tips on a playmate for Ringo?

[TheWolf]

Usually the best combinations are dominant and submissive, and male and female, but the bottom line is the "chemistry" between the two dogs. Just like people, they take to certain ones and dislike others for no apparent reason. The actual introduction to a new dog is very important and if your dog gets a bad first impression he may not forget that. The rescue organizations are very experienced in these matters and are always willing to spend the time and effort to help you find the right dog.

[Taebolily]

Great! I'll contact them this week and see what they have for my "little man!"