6 mo black lab rescue pup good choice for submissive 2 yr old rescue pup?

Question
QUESTION: I want to get a friend for my 2 year old rescue pup (female, Elkhound/Shepherd mix, we think, 35 lbs.).  She is very submissive but loves other dogs.  We were told a puppy would be the only way to do it.  We found a woman who does rescue and she let us try a 7 mo old lab over night that seemed quiet and submissive but ended up quite aggressive toward our dog.  We did not take her as we didn't want our dog to be overpowered and sad.  This woman also has a 6 mo. old black lab that we briefly met.  The pup just jumped and was very active, very puppy like.  Our dog wanted to play but was barking a lot.  We have the option of taking this pup next weekend to see if she is a good match.  Any suggestions on what I should look for?  This woman also has 8 Catahoula mix pups that won't be ready to leave Mom for 6 weeks.  Would this be a better choice since they are so much younger and would really be no threat at all to our dog?  Boy? Or girl?  Thank you!!

ANSWER: The one thing I can say for sure is a male. Many puppies love rough play.  Shepherds tend to be vocal, so the barking may not mean too much.  If you go with a puppy, make sure you have it in your home by 7-8 weeks.  It is common to keep them longer, but a mistake.  Past 12 weeks, puppies don't adapt to new things near as well.

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QUESTION: Thank you.  So, you think it would be a pretty good choice to pick the male Catahoula mix pup at 7-8 weeks old (I think they won't let me have him until 8 weeks)?  Do Catahoula mixes generally make good pets for families (we also have 2 girls, ages 14 & 10.)? The rescue Mom said we can have "pick of the litter" .  What should I look for?  I never raised  puppy from this young.  Do you think this is best for my 2 yr. old submissive, jealous pup?  In the long run, I think she needs a friend, I just don't want to make her life miserable.

Answer
Catahoulas have an evil reputation.  It may not be deserved.  if you bring an 8 week old into your home, it will accept you and your children as its pack. Make sure it gets used to visitors too.  You don't want a dog upset at having strange boys in the house in a few years.  You will want to give it good leadership.  Too bad it would be too young for 4-H this year.  Much of what I know about dogs, I first learned when our daughter was taking our puppies to 4-H.  

With somebody the right age in the family, 4-H dog training is a great idea. In my area, clubs form soon after the first of the year. Even many urban areas have 4-H. For info look in your phone book under government listings for extension or cooperative extension offices. Ask specifically about a dog or canine club. The dogs see all the people and dogs in the household as a pack with each having their own rank in the pack and a top dog. Life is much easier if the 2 legged pack members outrank the 4 legged ones. You can learn to play the role of top dog by reading some books or going to a good obedience class. A good obedience class or book is about you being top dog, not about rewarding standard commands a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/ For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm

Ask the breeder to help choose a puppy.  The litter will have ranked the males and females ranging from the most dominate to the most submissive.  The ranking from the first few weeks will not change over the dogs lifetime.  Your female would have been a very submissive one in her litter.  So bring home a submissive male, and odds are, the 2 will do fine together.