Bitch/Bitch Aggression and Fostering?

I'm about to foster - hopefully adopt - another dog. I have a very laid back and elderly bull terrier who is usually, strangely, better with bitches than dogs although she lived with a dog for years without incident. Before that she lived with a breeder who had her with bitches generally when she was around the house.

Now I see a lot of rescues say they won't home bitches with other bitches due to aggression. The rescue I am helping have offered me a choice of one of two bitches - both good with other dogs, and both they think have the right temprement to go with our family including our dog.

Both girls have been fully assessed by someone highly experienced. And I am very experienced with the breed. I will take my lady with me and see if she is OK with them.

What do you think? I can hang on and insist on a dog but I know from my end, my lady is actually fine with other bitches (she is spayed and so are the potential candidates). But I'd value other people's opinions.

Hi, i have fostered two boys and two girls, one girl a month old pup and the other most recently a bitch in heat.

I have two dogs, a 6 year old grey bitch and a 4 year old lurcher bitch. Both have been fine with all my fosters, however my grey took a dislike to the bitch in heat, after a week my dog went for her and badly cut just under her eye, she had to have stitches i had to pull my dog off, it was awful, thank god i was there when it happened, it doesn't bear thinking about !

Anywaymy dog went to my mums for a couple of days until the rescue could collect the other bitch, i could have crated her but i didnt think it was fair and the other dog hated being crated to the point she would cry and howl.

The rescue collected her a few days later and she has just found her forever home.

If your dog is elderly i would suggest not having a lively young dog to foster, old dogs don't take kindly to youngsters jumping all over them, although when i fostered the pup my grey was fine and my lurcher used to play with her all the time.

Maybe it was because the bitch was on heat my dog saw her as competition or whatever, i', considering fostering only boys now, i'm not sure.

I suppose dogs can be like human in that we don't always like everyone we meet.

All i can say is don't introduce them in your home, do it on neutral ground first.

Good luck, fostering is very rewarding

Yep, I'm not looking at puppies or adolescent dogs at all. Both the girls I'm going to look at have been in rescue for a while, and assessed as thoroughly as they can be. The rescue thinks they're 'bombproof' and is keen to give me a dog that is very laidback as, when my old lady does finally go, I'd like to foster longterm so the second dog HAS to be good with other dogs and bitches - so it's in the rescue's interest to give me a calm one!

I mentioned the bitch/bitch thing and although they don't generally rehome a bitch with a bitch they feel it's OK to make an exception in my case as they say these bitches are very good - as is mine. Just want to be sure I am doing the right thing.

I will introduce on neutral ground, have a baby gate between them for at least the first few weeks, and not leave them alone together until I am totally sure they're OK.

I just want to know that sometimes 2 bitches are OK together! I know mine was, at her breeder's and she gets along fine with our neighbour's bitch (they share a bit of garden - a small communal area before the 'actual' gardens start and they get on extremely well.

I have 5 bitches here, and have no problems, but I do have to keep my eye on the two older ones when they are in heat, they just get really grumpy with each other, apart from that life is fine. I dont know much about your breed but if they are all spayed then I would say give it a go.

Theres no reason why your girl shouldn't be ok, i have two girls that live together here and they are fine. You never know till you introduce them, the plus for you is that the rescue has already assessed the dog they want you to foster so they have a good idea for temperament etc. The bitch on heat i fostered came straight to me with no assessment done.

I'm sorry if i sounded negative i didn't mean to, good luck i'm sure it will be fine, good on you for fostering

I failed miserably with my last foster who got her paws under the table very quickly.

Now I have 3 GSDs and a Lurcher which consis of 2 males 12 monthws apart (at 3 years and 2 years old) and 2 bitches who are the same age (both 13 months old). There iosn't any agggression between them. If anything, he squabbles and silliness is started usually by one of the boys and is ended by my GSD bitch.

I think some bitches get on better with dogs and some with bitches. Every dog is differnet - just like people.

See how it goes with your girl and go with your gut feeling. I've found for us, that's usually right.

I cant see a huge problem if you are all happy
Only thing I would say is to be extra careful at the begining that they have nothing to fight over (toys food attention) till they trust each other
imo your biggest problem would be if they start holding a grudge against each other - b!tches can hold grudges and be really snarky if they get to practise fighting
Set yourself up to suceed, introduce slowly and only have them together when you can supervise. Dffuse any situations before they can develop into anything - and I am sure you will be fine
Expect the worst and hopefully you will have the best

I must be one of the exceptions lol i have three bitches and one dog i do home boarding and have never had any problems with strange bitches coming to stay. Dogs however i must be more vigilant with as kane, my boy was entire until recently he's three now and does like to let most boys know that its his house and his girls. I never leave any guest dogs alone with mine though.
I think whatever the gender as long as your dogs personalities match there shouldn't be too much of a problem

Hey no, you didn't sound at all negative. I just realised I'd forgotten to say the potential foster daughters are not pups or adolescents as I think that makes a difference! And I really value everyone's advice - esp people like you who have been there, done that.

I want to foster longterm eventually so want to get this right and you're all really helping me!

I should add, I know another rescue I was thinking of fostering for, had a 4 month old bitch that despite her temprement and my bitch's, they wouldn't let me foster as they felt that if I ended up adopting her, when she gets to 1, she would fight for dominance. I'm thinking older dogs are less likely?

Both mine and either of the potential foster girls are spayed.

Well if either of the bitches are suitable and pass your own bitches initial "check me out" I would say go for it being a rescue, and moreso because you are a possible "new fosterer" in time to come I assume if there is a problem they will take the bitch back but looking on the bright side I think it should work from what you have said.
But bear in mind as I am sure you will that "not every dog likes every dog" like people some are lovely but you do not gel.

And what you are considering doing is what I am considering too fostering......in my case SBT....but ot for along long time, my Sal is still in middle age.