I think it will depend more on personalities than gender, to be honest, especially if they are fixed. (Obviously the puppy won't be for a while, right?) You can have any mix of male/male, male/female, or female/female, but if one has they both have dominant personalities, there can be problems. I think the likelihood is probably low, though, but part of their having a good experience will fall on how you train them. Have the two dogs met yet? What is the puppy like? Quiet? Rambunctious? Personalities should always mesh as best as possible. (And sometimes they don't; in that case it is perfectly ok to wait. Life can be really hard with a difficult dog situation.)
You will have to be careful to not let the puppy terrorize the adult dog, which they can tend to do. It's not fair. The older dog should have a chance to get away if it becomes too much, even behind a gate or in another room. I mean, sure, they'll like to play together, but out in a yard or something. In the house, it can become annoying after a while. The puppy will almost always want to get at the older dog, it's what he's used to. Your older dog will probably correct the puppy, just as his mother would do, and that's ok - as long as it's not a serious bite from continued aggravation. Enough is enough, you know? It will take a while for the puppy to calm down, so you need to make sure you train the pup to settle and also not constantly jump on and nip Zeus all the time - those little teeth hurt! Distract the pup with games and lots of exercise so he sleeps. (And remember not to neglect Zeus, he'll still need all the exercise he's used to.) And hopefully the pup does well in a crate when you need him to. It's ok to sometimes put him in there to chill and give all of you a break. There are some good books about bringing a second dog into the home. Remember everything is new to the pup, but it will be helpful to Zeus to keep his normal routine as much as possible. It will be a big adjustment for him even if he's used to playing with other dogs at the dog park. Living with another dog takes more of an adjustment.
We've had three male/female pairs at various life stages. We never had any real problems other than what I've mentioned about puppies and older dogs, all three times. Twice I recall thinking, "What have I done?"
only because it was so much work to keep the puppy from bothering the older dog. This last time I felt like the pup was super busy. I couldn't even sit and enjoy my morning coffee for a good, long time, without jumping up constantly to stop him from getting into something. Soon enough, though, they mature. It's like a momentous occasion when the pup can finally lay down quietly on his own.
The only other thing I'll mention about two male dogs is you have to watch them so they don't gang up on any other dogs. There's a weird thing that can happen with two dogs when they're together that doesn't happen when they're alone. It can happen with females, too. Good luck! I'm sure it will likely be fine! Hopefully we get to see some pics.
We sent in our adoption application last Wed afternoon. They called my personal references Sat and our vet today. We are waiting for a volunteer from the rescue to contact us for our home visit. The waiting is killing me!!
