Introducing an adult? UPDATED
Ok, this is for all you multi-dog people out there!
We have been searching for a puppy, but it's short notice to get one this summer (long story on why we're looking on such short notice, but we have a good reason!).
We have had a possibility fall into our laps. A wonderful woman who shows and occasionally breeds has a 6-year-old female that she would like to place in a forever home. She was helping us (very kindly, I might add, as we never got a puppy from her and only met her once) find us a breeder who might have a litter, when she asked if we might consider taking in a middle-aged spayed female who is ready to retire.
So, I sent a long list of questions about her history, behavior with other dogs, socialization, etc. What is everyone's experience bringing in an adult? Jack loves other dogs, but of course living with one 24/7 is not the same as playing with one outside or having one stop by the house for a little while.
Anything special I should consider? This dog lives in the house and if she is one I remember meeting, is very sweet. She is used to other dogs, but I am waiting to hear how she is otherwise.
Puppy-raising is great fun, but there is also some appeal to the idea of bringing in an adult who's already house-broken and past the eating-the-furniture stage of development.
It's something I might consider, but of course it would need to be the right move for both myself and my husband, and of course my existing pets.
Update!
Ok, now it's decision time.
First of all, more about Becky. She is 6 and was recently spayed. She has all her breeding health clearances. She is on thyroid medication. Any experience with that?
She was acquired as a three-year-old from one breeder, after having had two litters. The breeder I am talking to now finished out Becky's championship and had one litter with her. Now she is retired and was recently spayed.
She is apparently sweet and submissive. Good with kids (we don't have any, but we are always swarmed by them out walking). She is not sure how she'd be with cats, but says she is so sweet and laid-back she doubts she'd chase a cat. Apparently this is NOT a rough-and-tumble Corgi; however who knows what she'd be like in a house with just one other dog and a more steady routine than that of a show dog.
IF we decided to take her, we would have her on a two-week trial or so initially, and of course if at any point things didn't work out, the breeder would take her back.
Now here's the dilemma. This very kind woman has also hooked us up with a breeder in New Jersey who has a litter of 9-week-olds that will be ready to go soon. I am not sure if she would have a female available, but I corresponded with her and specifically requested a female, and she did not say no. I am meant to talk to her today as well.
It never rains but it pours! So, now I have to decide, puppy or adult? I do love puppies and puppy-raising. On the other hand, we went through a year and a bit of getting Jack to the point where he was mature enough to be reliable left alone and didn't need so much work every day. Then we went through almost 6 months where my husband was working evenings and Sundays, so finally we've just gotten our lives back after almost two years of chaos, and that makes a made adult sound appealing as well.
I have her pic. I can post it later when I'm home.
We have been searching for a puppy, but it's short notice to get one this summer (long story on why we're looking on such short notice, but we have a good reason!).
We have had a possibility fall into our laps. A wonderful woman who shows and occasionally breeds has a 6-year-old female that she would like to place in a forever home. She was helping us (very kindly, I might add, as we never got a puppy from her and only met her once) find us a breeder who might have a litter, when she asked if we might consider taking in a middle-aged spayed female who is ready to retire.
So, I sent a long list of questions about her history, behavior with other dogs, socialization, etc. What is everyone's experience bringing in an adult? Jack loves other dogs, but of course living with one 24/7 is not the same as playing with one outside or having one stop by the house for a little while.
Anything special I should consider? This dog lives in the house and if she is one I remember meeting, is very sweet. She is used to other dogs, but I am waiting to hear how she is otherwise.
Puppy-raising is great fun, but there is also some appeal to the idea of bringing in an adult who's already house-broken and past the eating-the-furniture stage of development.
It's something I might consider, but of course it would need to be the right move for both myself and my husband, and of course my existing pets.
Update!
Ok, now it's decision time.
First of all, more about Becky. She is 6 and was recently spayed. She has all her breeding health clearances. She is on thyroid medication. Any experience with that?
She was acquired as a three-year-old from one breeder, after having had two litters. The breeder I am talking to now finished out Becky's championship and had one litter with her. Now she is retired and was recently spayed.
She is apparently sweet and submissive. Good with kids (we don't have any, but we are always swarmed by them out walking). She is not sure how she'd be with cats, but says she is so sweet and laid-back she doubts she'd chase a cat. Apparently this is NOT a rough-and-tumble Corgi; however who knows what she'd be like in a house with just one other dog and a more steady routine than that of a show dog.
IF we decided to take her, we would have her on a two-week trial or so initially, and of course if at any point things didn't work out, the breeder would take her back.
Now here's the dilemma. This very kind woman has also hooked us up with a breeder in New Jersey who has a litter of 9-week-olds that will be ready to go soon. I am not sure if she would have a female available, but I corresponded with her and specifically requested a female, and she did not say no. I am meant to talk to her today as well.
It never rains but it pours! So, now I have to decide, puppy or adult? I do love puppies and puppy-raising. On the other hand, we went through a year and a bit of getting Jack to the point where he was mature enough to be reliable left alone and didn't need so much work every day. Then we went through almost 6 months where my husband was working evenings and Sundays, so finally we've just gotten our lives back after almost two years of chaos, and that makes a made adult sound appealing as well.
I have her pic. I can post it later when I'm home.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Beth on
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Well, we met Becky this morning, and what a sweet and lovely dog! She is very calm, very submissive, and so laid back she is horizontal.
We went to the house and met Becky first, with her owner Ann. Then Ann brought out Becky and we walked her with Jack. Jack was interested in Becky, but Becky was not so very interested in Jack. Ann said that was her main concern, and why she is not sure our home would be the best for Becky; she feels Becky might want to go somewhere where she will be the only dog and someone wants a lap dog. So Becky did not show real curiosity towards Jack, even after walking, and at that point I think Ann and I were both already thinking this would not be the best fit for Becky.
We did let them loose together in the yard, and Becky continued to mostly ignore Jack. Ann says that's how Becky is with her other Corgis (right now she has a total of only 3, including Becky). She doesn't play much, though the other two try to get her to. Jack tried to sniff her, then got a little confused and made a motion to mount her which Becky didn't like and I stopped any way. Then just for experiment's sake, we brought out Ann's 6 month old male, Ben. Well, Ben and Jack had a grand time chasing each other around the yard, and Ann nodded and said "That's more what you are looking for, for Jack." Not that Ben is available, just the idea that we want a dog that Jack can play with, or at least interact with.
So Ann thinks Becky wants to be a lap dog. She said she got her from a fellow breeder at the age of 3, and while she was told that Becky was raised in the house she has her doubts because Becky spends a lot of time retiring to her crate (the door is always left open) and kind of likes to be left alone. She is sweet and likes to come on laps for cuddles, but is not much of a play girl and certainly doesn't like rough-and-tumble.
We'll explore other options, and I'm sure Ann will find a nice quiet home where Becky can just be Becky, sweet and lovely as she is. And she is stunning! What a beautiful dog; Ann said it took a little while to get her championship because she's so soft and didn't have that sparkle in the ring. Her daughter is only 2 and is one point away from her championship already. We met her too (her name is Joy), and she has the more typical outgoing Corgi personality.
We were also pleased because Ann commented several times on how good Jack is, and how good-looking.
:-) I really think that if he were not oversized (and neutered) he could have shown, but I don't know all the finer points of what they look for in the ring.
The search continues.
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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
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Sorry it did not work out but you are probably right in thinking Jack would like a playmate. Good luck on the search. What about the 4 month old you were considering?
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Last time I heard from Kandy (the co-owner of the 4mth old) they were still deciding if they were keeping her or not. She was just inquiring if we might be interested, so they know where to start if they decide to place her. Kandy mentioned she is also a "soft" dog, but there is a big difference between a soft puppy and a soft 6-year-old who sounds like maybe she was not socialized so much when she was young. And Kandy also mentioned she has an almost-five-year old she might place, who is still quite active, but I don't know anything about her personality. When I met Kandy's adults when we picked up Jack, they were all pretty outgoing and bouncy; I believe she breeds for bolder Corgis. Anyway, I e-mailed her and will hopefully talk to her soon.
Another funny thing I noticed: besides being obviously bigger than Ann's dogs, Jack's coat is different. They are all out of coat, of course, here in Pennsylvania summer. But Ann's Corgis had shorter, fluffier, softer coats. Jack's outer guard hairs are slicker and shinier and a bit longer than Ann's dogs. I think there was a thread somewhere around here about different coat types. They all look like perfectly acceptable Corgis, but there was a noticeable difference.
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Permalink Reply by Jane Christensen on
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Good luck with your decision Beth! If the 4 month old has been raised in the house then the potty training and other training should be going well...I had one of my pups for almost 4 months and she went to a wonderful home and we email a couple times a month. These people had never owned a dog before and had lots of questions but it was such a perfect fit and even better that she was a little older and more trained. That might work well for you and Jack since he's a little bigger as my pups that I got had to quicky catch up to all the running and playing! I have a couple of my dogs that have fuller coats in summer than the others but they do need to have the double coat and not be a flully.
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We shall see, and if none of the older dogs work out we'll just wait for a spring puppy. Something a little bigger would be nice, though; with a 10-week-old, we really would need to keep it away from Jack for some time except under the closest supervision, to make sure it didn't get hurt.
My ideal companion for Jack would be a fairly submissive female who is still outgoing and medium energy. Jack is laid back and is not too much of a pest for activity (in other words, he's not a dog that will eat your drywall if bored). But still, to give an idea of his day today: my husband took him for a 20-minute walk this morning, then he had an almost hour car ride to meet this dog. They walked together, then he spent 40 minutes wandering around their yard while we all talked dogs. Then he went out back and had a good play session with Ben. Long car ride home, then we went out to lunch and Jack napped for a couple hours, but by the time we came home he started bringing us his tennis ball to play. We played for awhile, then he just had another long walk and we stopped a few times to visit with people or dogs we knew. Now he's resting, but probably this evening he will want another good play session.
For a Corgi, I consider that medium energy, not high, but still a couch-potato dog would not fit in with what we do here. Our dog is fit as a fiddle and young, and the more he does the happier he is.
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Izzy was 4 months when we got her and it was a great age. She was partially potty trained and very used to being with other dogs. Now Sparty lived with Buffy for 6 years so he was also very used to sharing his house with another so that was a big help. When we got Buffy, she was only 8 weeks and Sparty was 1&a half. Sparty is a very outgoing and confident dog that has been well socialized with other dogs. Sounds like your Jack is too. Amazingly he was very gentle with Buffy and very good with Izzy also. The only area we had to watch was when feeding we made sure to place their bowls on different sides of the room.(Sparty has to clearly know which food is his and he does not share). Now there is a point when the puppy becomes a older adolescent and they are likely to challenge the older dog but that is later on. I bet Jack is going to love having a playmate!
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Thanks for asking. Just because of the size difference. Jack considers play to be a full-contact sport. Most of his regular playmates are bigger than him, and he plays very rough most of the time. And he's an oversized Corgi at around 38 or 39 pounds in ideal condition. So a nine-pound baby might get squashed. He can be quite gentle with dogs that don't want to play at all, but once someone starts jumping on him, he jumps back on them. With smaller dogs, I always keep a careful eye. He just squished a Basenji the other day, and I was ready to call Jack off when the Basenji wriggled loose and started play-bowing and grinning like crazy, so I guess the Basenji was ok with it. But until a pup put on a little size, I would never be completely confident, even if Jack was normally pretty gentle with it.
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First of all, I want to say I appreciate the continued feedback! Not many people outside myself and my husband are nearly as interested in our dog-based decisions as the people here at MyCorgi. :-)
I just got an e-mail from Kandy about her available adult female, who is four-and-a-half. I need to gather my list of questions and hope to talk to her tomorrow, but she did mention that "Madison" likes other dogs and loves to go on the boat with her life jacket and swim. So, it sounds like maybe Madison is the more active type. I'm sure if she likes boating she would probably like hiking and camping, and our daily walks through the busy park. Sounds like it could be promising, then, but I'll know more when I talk to Kandy about her.
They still haven't decided on the four-month-old.
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Ok, I just talked to Kandy and Madison sounds very promising. Raised in the house, she had only 1 litter, she goes to nursing homes on therapy visits and likes to go out on the boat with her life jacket. She sounds very happy-go-lucky. Kandy said that she lives in the house with other females and doesn't get into scraps, which is not always the case with intact bitches. She's trustworthy enough that she is loose when Kandy is at work. So we will see if we can meet her, and take it from there!
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Hope all goes well! It sounds like this would be a great dog if she goes to nursing homes etc. Maybe having to wait awhile was a good thing! Good Luck Beth! Keep us posted!
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Update! Meet Madison!
As you can see, Maddie is a lovely red-headed tri girl. She's four-and-a-half, and she is here on a trial to make sure she'll be a good fit for our home. She is a retired show dog, and she is from the same breeder where we got Jack. She is, in fact, a 3/4 sister to Jack's mother, which makes her his aunt!
We brought her here Saturday, and so far things are going well. Jack is dying to play with her and she's been a bit hesitant yet. She lived with other dogs and played with them where she came from, so I think it's just a matter of her getting her confidence here. She has not bothered the cat, and runs if Alice hisses at her. So far, so good. No potty accidents; we are keeping her confined when we are not here til she is used to our routine and our house. No scuffles either. She is fairly submissive and perfectly happy to let Jack outrank her. And I am so proud of my boy! For a dog that has never lived with another dog before, he is being so good.
Here's a picture of them together, waiting for a treat. I think you will all recognize the Corgi Food Grin:
Needless to say we've been very busy around here, getting her settled in and used to the routine. It is exhausting for me to learn how to deal with two dogs at once, having just had one for all this time! The hardest thing I'm trying to figure out is how to work one-on-one with just one dog without the other coming over to see what is going on. I'm afraid I'll need to confine one of them. When the weather is good, one can go out on the deck and the other can be inside if I'm training.
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Permalink Reply by Natalie, Lance &Tucker on
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Congratulations!!!! They are both very cute!!!!
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