Getting another Maltese

I own a ten month old Maltese who is deaf, but otherwise a very happy and playful, intelligent little puppy. I would like to get a "brother" or "sister" for him to play with and also for him to follow around to make up for his deafness. Should I get a female or male, and why? And how should I introduce Swinky to his new sibling? Any responses are very much appreciated!!
Tracy

• I have a friend who has a deaf maltese, she bought a puppy from me and it has been very helpful the deaf dog follows the signals of the hearing dog. That way you can call the dog without getting eye contact. Maltese love each other, in fact I think they should be sold in pairs because people are always coming back a year later wanting a friend for theirs. Two boys will get along if they are neutered at six months.
  Pauline Bowen

• I have two maltese (Vail and Aspen), both boys. When I was intrested in getting the second it was a split decision between my vet and breeders if I should get a girl or a boy. Some said get the girl because with the boy you may have fights for dominance and some said get the boy that the dominance thing is untrue. I went looking around and I found a boy that was ready and we took him home. He is in my home a year now and the two get along fine. There are fights time to time over toys, food and who is going to get my attention first, but they are never severe. It is more of a pushing and shoving kind of thing. They are very good company for one another. After getting the puppy home I did read some literature on having two dogs and it suggested to introduce the dogs on neutral territory and have the second make a gradual adjustment into the home. Needless to say I did not do this. I kind of threw them together and luckily it worked out fine. It took about three weeks for everyone to get used to each other. One thing you must always remember is that they are dogs (although they are our children) and one will always be dominant and they do not see things fairly like we would. I wish you luck and hope you get the second one. They both bring alot of joy to my life and each others.
  Elena Bavaro