I have a 3 yr old male husky, very active, neutered, very friendly. I am looking to get a second to keep him company during the day while i work. I have a petsitter during the day, but she is not here the entire day. Zhivago gets along well with other dogs, but having been an 'only dog' for so long I am worried about him developing some bad habits -- hoarding toys, food dominance, etc. --- or worse he gets distant from me and feels neglected. I'd like a rescue dog, but not sure what to seek in a 2d husky? Female or male? Less or more active than my little guy? Adult or puppy? More or less dominant than mine? Any suggestions on how to integrate a second dog -- especially a rescue that can have any number of unknown issues? At a minimum, I won't get any dog that does not get to meet Zhivago first. Thanks!

Where do you live?? You really need to let Zhivago pick his new BFF. Introduce him to several and see how he interacts with them if you can.. We got out second from a shelter we took Blaze with us to see if they got along which they did so we took her home..

I ask where you live because I know of several rescues in my area needing homes.

Thanks for the reply! I am in NC. Southern Siberian Rescue has several dogs. But also have seen several in local shelter and on CL. Regardless, Z will get to choose. I am wondering if bringing another male into the house permanently will be problematic tho? Playing well in the park is one thing....invading "his space" is another altogether. Or would a female be better -- somewhat more mellow and therefore less likely to be a partner in crime/facilitator to his shenanigans?

LOL! Don't know where you read females are more mellow...but I wish!! My female starts EVERYTHING. She is a little spit fire, for sure. Usually it is suggested to go with the opposite sex, but I have 3 females and 1 male in my house, and that's what works for me. Sheba, my female Sibe, is an alpha bitch, but gets along better with females(which is very backwards). I would probably shoot for a female though.

With Sheba, she likes new dogs when they are outside (I do my own little "foster" program), but when they come inside and it's getting towards bedtime, you can see the wheels in her head saying,"Aw crap. They are here to stay". Then she gets a little temperamental. Once in the house, there will be some scuffles, no doubt in my mind. They need to figure out their own pecking order in the pack, and it will take some time.

I have 4 dogs in my house, all rescues. I have minimal issues..just normal dog problems. Dogs don't live harmoniously 24/7, just as humans don't. I say that because people freak out when scuffles happen; don't. It is normal and it should be expected. Just set the boundaries early and don't let them take it overboard.

I agree with everything Kelsey said. My husband wanted to get a female when we were looking for a friend for Blaze, well she Kerian is the alpha in our house, most of the time she starts EVERYTHING. I think you can bring a male into your pack if you find one.

There is someone on here that has 3-4( he just lost his oldest one ) male huskies I have been around his pack at several Husky meetups and they get along great.

Thanks for the advice. I get the mellow bit from my sister who has two females, and compared to Zhivago, they definitely are! Definitely have given me a lot to consider.

We basically just went through the same thing. I wanted to rescue a husky for my second dog instead of going with another puppy but still ended up with a puppy for several reasons. I definitely agree with letting your dog choose his new pack member! I found so many rescue dogs but the problem is a lot of them are out of state and you actually have to adopt before you can meet the dog. We met locally with 2 different sibes and one of them was a male and my female was petrified of him and she has NEVER been scared of a dog before. Her tail was tucked and she ran and jumped to me like mom save me, so I knew he wasn't the right dog for us. My female seems to get along better with other females for whatever reason, even shares her bones, toys, doesn't guard her food so we decided it would be better to go with another female. We also have a 9 year old declawed cat so that was another reason we went with a puppy, bringing home a rescue you just never know.  I wish you best of luck in your search!!! It definitely took us quite a few dogs and a bit of time to find our perfect match.