Of Plans and Precipitousness
My breeder just asked if I would like to buy an 8 month old. My stomach has dropped out of my body entirely and my heart is pumping. I don't know what to do!
On one hand, I really wanted to get a puppy puppy. I have two more years as a student, where I never need be away from home for more than a couple of hours at a time. That optimal puppy-raising atmosphere is unlikely to appear again for many, many years. Sure, I'd have to wait until December/January for a puppy, but that's a drop in the bucket in the life of a dog. A vain part of me wants to name the dog, have it mainly attach to me and only me, get the weekly pictures from the breeder before I take it home. And I mean...PUPPY!
On the other hand, this dog is so incredibly gorgeous (she kept him intending to show him, but he ended up being a bit on the small side). The timing is perfect. August was when I initially had wanted to take a dog home--enough time to adjust to the dog-owning life before school starts. Plus, I've already been waiting over a year now, through other breeders' failure to conceive litters, and then being too far down the waitlist for this breeder's current litter. And to be honest, some things about this seem completely serendipitous. I had been planning on naming my puppy Sir Cadogan--this dog's name is Draco, another Harry Potter character. I actually met Draco when I met the breeder back in February, about two weeks before his littermates went home. As a first time lone dog owner (I had several growing up, but never on my own), it could be good to get a dog that already has much of his basic training finished, so I can adjust to the day-to-day responsibility before perhaps trying out a puppy down the line. And, if the breeder would allow me to get another puppy within the next two years, then when I am working full time, my pair will have each other as company. Loneliness is something I had always worried about.
I'm worried that I am too eager to get Draco because my puppy-crazy has been building while I wait, but I also don't think the thoughts expressed above are irrational. What to do, what to do! Is a change to green and silver in order?
Comment
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Comment by Brianna and Draco on July 21, 2013 at 7:50pm
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Oh boy...the timeline got moved forward a bit. Meeting him on Wednesday, and if all goes well, taking him home that day!! It's been a fun weekend preparing. Though it will be sad to come home to this dog stuff if we don't get along...
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Comment by Linda on July 17, 2013 at 7:30pm
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Woohoo! Looking forward to hearing about your new pup and seeing pictures!
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Alrighty, I've decided to go for it! I'm meeting him next Wednesday, and if we click, I'm taking him home at the beginning of August!! It could be a crazy couple weeks of surprise preparation!
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Comment by Kat Lampkins on July 16, 2013 at 5:40pm
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I got Gwen when she was 5 months old. She bonded right away.And while there's nothing cuter than a corgi puppy. I'm thinking of adding another and am leaning more toward an older dog as well.
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Comment by Marcie on July 16, 2013 at 6:56am
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I had no problem with Becca bonding to me. She made the transition within two weeks.
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Comment by Rachael & Waffle on July 15, 2013 at 11:29pm
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I had absolutely NO problems with Waffle bonding to me, at all. Waffle refuses to do anything if I'm not home. If someone else is watching him, they need to drag him out the door to get him to go outside. When I drop him off at his breeder's (!!!) or daycare, he sits by the front door and cries if nothing else is going on in the house. It was like that from day one, really. I don't think you'll have trouble bonding at all, especially if he seems even mildly interested in you when you go to see him.
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Comment by Beth on July 15, 2013 at 10:43pm
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Let's just say that when we come home from work, it's Maddie and not Jack (who we raised as a pup) who is already at the door. And if my husband goes outside to do yard work, Maddie will wait by the door he went out of until he comes back or I call her away. She bonded with us right away; it's like she knew we were her new people because we were the ones with leash and food. It took her a few weeks to get used to the house and routine, but again she was over 4 and you'll be dealing with a more flexible 8 month old. I would not be concerned with bonding at all. In fact, young pups will go with anyone and until Jack was almost two we used to say we could give him away and he'd never even look back. It was only as he matured that he turned into the mama's boy he is now.
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Comment by Jane Christensen on July 15, 2013 at 10:22pm
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I have 3 rescues and they all bonded with me quickly. Actually they picked me(I think) when I went to get 1-2 and came home with 4! You will know...mine all(as scared as they were/ puppy mill dogs must have sensed I would take care of them!
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I can add to your question about older dogs bonding. Max was almost 5 when we got him. He was adopted as a puppy, the couple divorced, husband got custody of kids and Max. He remarried and the new wife didn't like him...I think it was a reminder of the previous wife. Anyways, he was returned to the breeder per the contract. We know he was strongly bonded to Tim, his previous owner who also had done a wonderful job of socializing him with kids and other animals...which was important, we also had 3 cats. The breeder saw that he bonded with her husband while he was with them..just a couple of weeks. I was a tad concerned simply because all our previous dogs had bonded with me. Not that they didn't adore my husband but I was always the primary caregiver and trainer. After the first 2 days Max was my shadow and at age 11 he is still my shadow.
We were so impressed with Max's breeding and personality (he's a Heronsway pup) that we called the breeder and asked if she had any she was retiring. She did...Katie who turned out to be Max's neice. She only breeds her females twice in 4 years and Katie was expecting her last litter. After the pups were weened we were able to pick her up. She was well socialized, easy to handle..she was also a show dog...and it took her all of 3 days to settle right in. I can't say she bonded stronger to me or my husband, she is an equal opportunity lap dog.
We had another corgi rescue before these 2, he was about 4-5 when he came to us and he also bonded quickly and strongly to us.
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Thank you everyone for your comments! I think I'm strongly leaning toward buying him if we click when I meet him, but a couple things in case they make a difference to your thoughts:
-To be clear, I grew up with dogs and was always largely responsible for their care and training even from a young age since both my parents worked. This would be the first time I'd be doing it completely on my own, but the early puppy stages don't exactly scare me. Draco was offered to me because I'm first on her list right now, not because she was concerned about puppy caring abilities as a first timer.
-I've been working with this breeder for over a year now. Her socialization and training practices are beyond excellent, so no qualms there.
-I guess I'm still just a little worried that, if I had both a 10 week old puppy and Draco available to me right this instance (rather than 6 months apart), the answers wouldn't all be saying I should go for Draco. At the same time, maybe that's because most people who are offered a baby wouldn't listen to sound advice about going for the older pup?
Beth, Rachael, and Becca, did you have any issues with your older ones bonding wholly with you?
About to call the breeder to hear more about his personality!
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