Gender, breed mix and age determine many of a dog’s instincts, behaviors and traits. Gender and age are typically the two we deal with most and that can cause the most issues. Breed type is hard to gauge in the Center because we deal with so many mixes. Studies have proven that a mixed-breed dog isn’t a member of either breed and therefore typical “breed traits” are not reliable to predict.

Most dogs experience social maturity no later than 3 years old. Before that, their personality may change. Aren’t you quite different than you were as a teenager? You have different goals, different ways of thinking and different likes and dislikes now that you are older and more mature. Dogs change too, and their adolescence can be difficult to handle.

At Providence Animal Center, through years of matchmaking, we have found that there’s a higher risk of a placement not working out if we place dogs together in a home when one or both haven’t matured yet and they have one or more “sames” – of most concern is gender. Males and females of all species experience and feel differently, and a driving force of that difference is their gender. Gender and age can matter a great deal, especially when dealing with a mature dog and an immature dog – or two immature dogs – in the same household. After age 3 or 4, we like to say that, typically, “what you see is what you get.”  This means that dog adoptions of the same sex are usually a much safer option if the dogs have both already reached social maturity. The behavior of the current dog and shelter dog will be more accurate to predict long-term.

For these reasons, at Providence Animal Center, we encourage adopters that it is best to adopt a dog of the opposite sex of their resident dog. We care about each and every family as well as the long-term success of the adoption placement. Simply put, we want to set up every home for success.