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
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
She is, and her daughter is very pretty too.
I looked up some show results online, and apparently some of the judges would have liked to see her ears set a bit higher on her head. LOL However, she did get her championship, nonetheless.
-
Permalink Reply by Sam Tsang on
-
What is everyone's experience bringing in an adult?
I have fostered several adult dogs this year, I spend 2 weeks to 1.5 months with each. What I've found is that some dogs are perfect match to my existing pack and some requires quite a bit of work. I think on average it takes about 2 weeks for the dog to reveal it's true self in a new environment, that's when my pack accepts the new comer and they know each other's limits. Your family's current dynamics and your existing corgi also play a major role, in my house, the pack order is very clear, so if your pack can demonstrate that clearly, the new comer will pick up and learn very quickly.
This is what I do with every new corgi, first the family drop off the dog's belonging at my place, then we will drive to a park 1 mile away from home, the dogs will walk (not meet) there, we focus on walking, no sniffing, no big hoopla, just walk one on each hand, after a good mile walk, they will be tired, not as excited like before.
When everyone gets home, it is important to enforce the rules from the start, for example, in my house, no dogs are allowed in before human do, so if you have such rules, it's time to implement. I then proceed to walk the new corgi on leash, take him to sniff every single room in the house, not tight leash, but just enough to correct unwanted behavior (like marking), once the house tour is over, I take them to the designated potty area. It is important to take them there more often then your regular schedule, it is better to take them out often to learn the routine then cleaning multiple times.
Teach the new corgi to adhere to your existing schedule, if you feed once a day, then once a day. It is very normal to see loose stool with the new dog and your pack, it is often caused by stress, it is just a transition thing. Give it a week and they should have solid poop.
Exercise them even more during the first month, a tired corgi will not have enough energy to get into fights and trouble, when everyone's chill and relax, no drama.
For me personally, it makes sense for my family to have an adult corgi, we are busy professionals that don't have time for a puppy anymore, say if there's a human baby on the way, it would really not work out. We've had members who had to give up their corgis because of a new baby, sad for the family, sad for the corgi. So always look beyond and keep in mind that corgis are here to stay for a good 10+ years. This year we've had many owners who turned in their corgis to the rescues due to the economy, getting divorced...etc.
Sometimes you may need to teach an ex-showdog how to be a dog, some showdogs have been traveling all their lives and barely know how to play, they were not introduced to toys or know how to play in a pack, with a little tender love and care, they too can enjoy a good life :)
Becky is B-E-A-utilful! What a darling!
-
-
Ok, here's a specific question:
If this is something we decide to do, when the new dog first comes in the home (after long walk outside of course), do you confine the resident dog so the new dog can get the lay of the place?
I have a feeling Jack would be seriously excited about having a dog in the house, as he loves visitors (human or canine).
I would imagine that, well-sozialized or not, bringing a dog into a new house would be very stressful for her. I wouldn't want my dog to be harrassing her to play while she's just trying to get her feet under her. And unless it's very hot, a long walk alone won't be enough to get Jack to want to ignore something as exciting as a new dog in the house; this spring we marched him in the St Patrick's Day parade and thought he'd be zonked out all day. He napped for about an hour then started dragging out his toys. He's only 2 and still full of himself sometimes.
I could put up baby gates to block off the kitchen/breakfast nook area and let the dogs relaz a bit on the respective sides of the gates, but not sure if that would help or hurt. I would of course keep the separated when no one was around to supervise. I would also let them together when we were there to get them used to interacting with each other, but my question is specifically about that first moment when the dog walks in and is being shown around. I like your idea, Sam, about taking her around the whole house on a leash.
-
Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on
-
Sounds like you are leaning towards the beauty in the photo! Good luck to you. I bet she will be fun to have around.
-
-
If this is something we decide to do, when the new dog first comes in the home (after long walk outside of course), do you confine the resident dog so the new dog can get the lay of the place?
Good question, it will depend on the resident dog, for example, my Vienna is very easy going, she will not challenge any dog, so i know she can be off leash and will not pose a problem. However, my Mocha is the dominant one and he is very protective of his own toys and food bowl, so the number one thing is safety, prevent conflict before they happen, don't wait till it happens then react, this is what I've done when fights do break out, stay calm, silent, quick bear hug retrieval, remove the easiest one from the situation, doesn't matter which one was right or wrong, the goal is remove one and place him in a separate room, check for injuries, then go and check the other one. Remember not to lose your cool, your dogs will feed off you reaction and sometimes it can escalate which can make the second time worst.
As far as walking goes, you may need to walk one longer than the other, sometimes I pre-walk my own and then walk some more when the new one arrives, I do the same thing when I attend a meetup, I pre-walk my dogs for a good half an hour before release them at the dog park to mingle with other dogs.
I think baby gate is a great idea, make sure jack and becky can enjoy without one barking at the other. Good luck!
-
Permalink Reply by Laura Jones on
-
Lol, in my opinion. I would go with Becky. You have stated that there will be a two week trial period as agreed upon by you and the breeder, and it seems that everyone agrees that is a good time frame to figure things out. Personally I would definately do the trial period. I have two corgis under two years old. And although I love them both dearly, next time, (and there will be a next time lol, hehehe) I would really consider taking in an older dog as long as it "fit" in our pack of dogs/humans. Puppies are adorable, and so much fun to watch but really I think that corgis are a breed that are cute from newborn to old age, they lose the puppy fur and they do grow but they still make the funniest facial expressions and are such clowns. If it absolutely doesn't work then you have planty of time to look for a puppy. And I would think that unless the puppy breeder you talked to was really desperate to sell that puppy she would be willing to let you have that time to decide. She is going to have better luck finding that cute puppy a home then gorgeous Becky may have finding her forever home.
-
-
She looks like my KC.
-
-
I want to thank everyone for their encouragement, kind words, advice, and insight.
While we are currently leaning towards Becky, it is by no means a done deal. For starters, Ann will be as careful placing Becky as she would be with a new puppy, and she may decide there is a better option out there. Becky was also just spayed a few weeks ago, so my guess is Ann wants to make sure Becky is back to her old self before she makes any decisions at all. Plus, the lot of them are all of to a show the rest of the week, so things are pretty much at a standstill.
The breeder was also delightful, and the mismark female sounds adorable (her face is apparently half white, hence the mismark). But again, there is one female pup and who knows how many people have expressed interest? We had a wonderful phone conversation, but who knows where that might lead?
So I may end up with two dogs/puppies that both seem like they would work and having to make a final choice, or I might end up right back where I started with none (or I should say, with the one wonderful one we have now). LOL We shall see, and I'll keep everyone posted.
Our current dog, Jack, is really pretty easy and the biggest potential I see for trouble is that he does get very intense when he plays. He's pretty laid back when he's just hanging out, but he gives 110% percent when he is chasing a ball, wrestling with another dog, chasing another dog, or whatever. I do know that intensity can sometimes incite other dogs into reacting if they are not comfortable.
As for Becky, Ann says that she is not very rough-and-tumble but does like to play with her own daughter (the female Joy in the picture, who is now nearly two) and the 6-month-old pup she is now raising. With what little I know about dog pack structure, I seem to recall that spending time with the little ones is often as much a case of relatively low rank as anything. Ann says she is submissive, so leaving a house where she is one of many and going to one where she is just one of two may bring about a change in her as well.
We shall see. I'll keep you posted, and whether we eventually end up with a pup or adult I'm sure I'll have tons of questions. I'm pretty good at the dog-human interaction thing, but dog-to-dog relations are still something I'm figuring out.
-
Permalink Reply by Corgibyassociation on
-
Good luck in your choice, Beth!
I hope you get to try and see if you like the older dog. Who knows what kind of personality will be brought out in a home setting with just two dogs. She could easily become very spoiled and blend in the family very well. :D. But it will take time, that is for sure.
-
Permalink Reply by LuvMyCorgis on
-
Those puppies will have loving, forever homes. You know it. But a 6-yr. old female? Maybe or maybe not. Wouldn't you feel wonderful bringing her into her loving, forever home? Our rescues have all been adults, and they seem to "appreciate" us and their home more.
-
-
Well, everything is at a standstill right now because the woman who has Becky was out of town at a big show most of last week through the weekend, and then she had some personal business to attend. So we're still waiting to hear from her.
In the meantime, I just heard from Jack's breeder who says they may (or may not) have an older puppy to place if we would be interested. I believe that one they had kept with the idea of showing may not be quite what they are looking for, but I don't have the entire story yet. This pup is already 4 months old, and they haven't made a decision. So there is that to consider.
And then when I mentioned that we were also considering an adult, she said if that one doesn't work out she also has an adult female to place. LOL
So, it never rains but it pours and now I am a bit overwhelmed by decision.
This is I guess an opportunity for those who can't or don't want a new puppy to see that if you network with the medium-sized breeders, and let them know you are looking for an older puppy, a young adult, or a middle-aged dog, that there is a good chance you will find something. All the breeders seem to know each other, and if they don't have something they can also spread the word! I know not everyone can have a puppy, and while I'm sure in some parts of the country a lot of Corgis might end up in rescue, around here there hardly seem to be any. There are only a few breeders and they all are insistent that if you can't keep a dog at any point in its life, it goes back to them.
So I will update the thread as more information becomes available to me.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- Next ›
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
