Adding a 3rd Dog

Question
Hi, we have 2 JRT's, both girls just over 1 year old and we'd like to get a male to join our pack. The girls are both spayed and pretty well trained, but can be quite head-strong sometimes. Smudge, our eldest, had severe Separation Anxiety when she was a pup and so Cassie (3 months younger) is Alpha female at the moment. However, we have other male dogs in our house on a regular basis and she submits to them most of the time. Do you think adding a male to this pair could cause any major problems? We understand it's always hard work with a puppy, but is there anything in particular we should take into consideration or watch out for? Thanks!

Answer
I don't expect it to be a big problem.  It is possible that with a male around the females, will become more competitive.  Nip that in the bud by giving them good leadership.  The key to most behavior problems is approaching things using the dog's natural instincts.  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 with a treat. Start at http://www.dogsbestfriend.com/  For more on being top dog, see http://www.dogbreedinfo.com./topdogrules.htm