Doggie Dilemma!

I think I’m ready to adopt a dog! I’m scared though and I don’t know where to begin. Background - I’m married and have two kitties (seniors). I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid. My husband is supportive but not wild about the idea. He was really reluctant until we fostered his sons dog for two months this winter. It went really well and made him – and me too- realize that we could take care of a dog and would have fun with it. That said, neither of us want a psycho dog. I am adamant about getting a dog from a shelter but he’s afraid that all the dogs at the shelter are rejects that have problems. I’ve tried to convince him otherwise but the fact is, there are lots of dogs with problems at the shelter. How do we minimize the chances of getting a problem. For us, when we make a decision and bring a dog home, it’s huge and will affect us for years . I don’t want to regret it. My husband thinks we need to find something between 6 and 10 months to minimize our chances of getting a dog that has bad habits. That’s been scarce at all the shelters in my area. I don’t really care about a specific breed – other then I don’t want a really small dog. I would like something that could go hiking with us. So, how do we go about finding the right dog for us?

Shelter dogs have baggage. All dogs will need trained. Especially for a shelter dog, I'd suggest CGC training.
In general, dogs have a 'fear period' between 6 and 10 months of age, so be aware that at that age, his/her personality may change and you will have to deal with a fear period.
I have 2 shelter dogs, both with issues. I became a dog trainer (volunteer with a club, not professional) due to having to deal with them. i also hate to admit it, but I now have a well-bred pure bred dog from a very good breeder. I was too tired to get another shelter dog.
If you go with a breeder, avoid a back yard breeder and a puppy mill with all your might. PM me or post more questions and I can help send you down the road to a good breeder - generally, though, you need to pick the breed or a few breeds first.
Shelters are pretty good with honest evaluations of their dogs, an older dog, say 1-2 years will have been evaluated by a rescue and you may have a better idea of what it will be like. Speaking of that - shelters are good places and you can find a good shelter - there are other types of rescue orgs as well, many work through fosters, so will definitely have suggestions for you about dog personality.
I know this has been scattered, but here is another scattered thought - while shelters guess at breeds, breed characteristics are very real things, so thinking of a breed, breed characteristics, might help pick a personality type.
What type of dog did you foster? what personality traits did you like? hyper? calm? snuggly, aloof...? Many (most, or all) people pick a dog by looks - sounds like you are smart enough not to necessarily do that - so instead go in with a list of what you like/want and ask them to help you pick.
I have an aloof, and incredibly smart, shiba inu- mix
A tough little reactive tank of a doxie-mix
and a scatter-brained, hyper, extremely fast and not very trainable, purebred Italian Greyhound
- all of their personalities are surprisingly close to "breed" characteristics, good and bad.
The last thing is gender - many many people want females because they aren't aware that dogs are opposite of humans - males are easier and nicer and generally the calmer and quieter gender (often with more potty issues), females are more apt to be dominant and domineering and more pushy. (or maybe that is more human like, LOL)

Two suggestions: find a good rescue group, and do some reading before you get a dog. Authors I suggest are Jean Donaldson, Karen Pryor, Ian Dunbar, and Patricia McConnell.

a lot of rescue groups will take the dog back if it doesn't work out. I don't agree that all shelter dogs have issues. SOmetimes all they need is someone who cares enough to be consistent with them. So many people get dogs on a whim and when they realize they take a lot of work, they dump them..

Or get a shelter puppy. Yes I know that an older dog is less likely to be adopted but you also have 2 cats to think of. You are better off socialising a younger dog than an older.

You might want to check out a rescue group. Rescue groups have dedicated foster parents for the dogs.

You can ask the fosters about the nature of the dog and if the rescue group is reputable, the fosters will give you an honest assessment of the dog.

It is also in their best interest to tell you honestly and to best of their ability to say what the dog is really like. They want to match the dog to a right family so the dog isn't returned.

As suggested, figure out what are you looking for in his/her personality? Once you figure that out, and know what kind of dog you want, check with rescue groups. They should help you match the right dog for you. You do have the last say in which dog you get.

yes we used to foster dogs too and not just cats.

One more thing, since you have senior cats, you do need to check to see if the dog has lived with a cat. or is okay with a cat. Jack Russel are too hyper for a cat so not recommended. Goldens we have fostered have never given any grief to our cats. We are biased obviously toward golden retrievers.

Wish you lots of patience in finding a right dog. It is worth to be patient to find the perfect one. And you will find him.

best wishes,

We found our dog through petfinder.com. The rescue orgs that list through them seem to do the best they can to provide the dog's history, and whether they have specific needs regarding their health and behavior. For example, they will indicate whether a dog would get along with other animals in the house or not, or whether or not a dog would be good with children. I think they try to be thorough in the interest of finding a good fit.

Breed rescue might also be something to explore. I don't know much about it, but if you are interested in a specific breed, there are organizations that specialize that way as well.

I second all the opinions about finding a dog who has been in a foster home. They are actively being trained and someone is living with the dog to know its personality. I have seen some dogs who are absolutely disastrous in shelter situations (read: CRAZY) but when they get home, they are mellow, obedient and sweet. Or the opposite - sweet as pie at the shelter (read: freaked out!) but you get them home and they eat your couch.

I also firmly believe in adopting older dogs. Baggage can be overcome. All dogs are trainable. Have boundaries and rules in place that you and your husband agree upon before bringing your new dog home. My first dog was a 3 year old train wreck former research dog who was afraid of the sun when I first got him. He would literally cower outside if a cloud went across it and it took 5 or more minutes to relax him before we could move on. Before he died from complications of immune-mediated disease, he was pretty "normal" by doggy standards. And because of all the trials and triumph we went through, he was truly my heart-dog. Older dogs are mature enough to listen and learn quickly - no puppy ADD stage. And many are ready to just relax and cuddle and aren't looking to you for entertainment 24/7. A puppy between 6-10 months is still downright obnoxious, IMHO (I know, I have one, and he's exceptionally good).

So to sum up: Find one in foster care. Go older.

Good luck!

Edit to say: Socialization occurs at all ages too. I found it was much easier to train my older dog to leave the cats alone than my puppy who think everything.is.just.so.exciting.can't.concentrate.on.training.around.kitties.

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Originally Posted by westtexas

And because of all the trials and triumph we went through, he was truly my heart-dog.

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I had the same experience with one of my dogs. I wouldn't trade it for anything, difficult as it was.

However, not everyone wants that kind of struggle. I agree that a dog who has been fostered by a good rescue sounds perfect for the OP. And I emphasize "good" rescue. All of them have good intentions, but the skill level varies a lot.

You might find that an older dog fits very nicely in your home. They tend to be house trained for the most part, and typically get along well unless there are problems from former homes. I personally would not recommend some of the very active herding breeds though. My dog was rehomed at least 4 times before I got him and I took him to save his life. He is doing well with training, but it has not been easy. He can be reactive and I have to be careful about situations I put him in. The tradeoff is that he is a joy to work with because he is exceptionally intelligent, an border collie/Australian cattle dog mix.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Something that could go hiking for a new dog owner?

Maybe a Golden retriever? Lab? The Retriever family (or a Retriever mix) could be something to look into.

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LOL, my Doxie cross is 20lb and 9" at the shoulder - his legs are less than 3" long - he is a chunk. We used to hike together at least 1/month. 6-11 miles each time. He did fine. (Mostly less than 8 miles).
They do need acclimated for it and worked up slowly and carefully.
I walk mine out in the dessert every day - Now that my IG is old enough, I'm walking up to 3+ miles. My 11+ yr old doxie is still coming along.

Your two senior cats might really object to a puppy being introduced at this stage of their lives. Just something to think about.

I got my first dog as an adult. He's a border collie mix and he's awesome. I got him when he was 2-1/2 and now he's 6ish. He was picked up by the shelter people as a 6-7 month old puppy with a broken leg. A shelter volunteer who is also a BC rescue person took him home and took care of all the vet work and surgery and rehab. She adopted him out to a family. After a year and a half, the family situation changed and they could no longer keep the dog, so they returned him to the rescue group. I saw him and it was love at first sight. So he's been passed around a bit.

As for issues, he does not have an appreciation for children, but then neither do I so we're a good match. He's was quite aggressive with other dogs but he's gotten a whole lot better as I've worked with him to socialize him to other dogs and put him in various situations where he has to deal with other dogs and nothing bad happens.

Purebred dogs have problems, too. I've seen so many purebreds with all sorts of health problems, particularly digestive issues and cancers. I really do prefer mutts.

But back to your cats...do you really think it's a good idea to introduce a dog--particularly a puppy--this late in their lives? I dunno, you know your cats. Just something to consider.

My first dog on my own was a shelter mutt. She was awesome. When I got her, they told me she was 9 months old (she looked like a 9 month old shepherd). The thing is, she looked like a 9 month old shepherd until the day she died, so I don't really know how old she was. She had a few oddities about her personality, but nothing major. And she was incredibly intelligent - more so than any dog I've ever known.

Since then, we have adopted two other shelter dogs, one at 4 months old (born in the shelter) and one at about a year old. Both have been great dogs. The 4 month old easily has more 'issues' personality-wise than the older dog, so getting them young does not guarantee anything at all.

In fact, in our 4 years of breeding goats and chickens, it's become very obvious that temperament and personality are as much an inherited trait as they are learned. The last dog we adopted was a 'designer breed' who was bred specifically for temperament and she is like the polar opposite of all of our other animals in terms of personality. Breeding matters, so while you CAN re-train dogs who have had difficult lives/experiences, I am in a firm believer in the fact that some things are inherited and cannot be changed.

That said, the best way to pick a shelter dog is to spend a lot of time with it before you take it home. Both of you. And do this with other dogs as well - so that you can start seeing how different personalities jive with you. In our case, we wanted a dog that is curious, attentive to us, but not clingy. Good energy but not hyper. Does not show aggression towards other dogs and is also not obsessed with other dogs to the exclusion of us. Bright, intelligent eyes, healthy coat and sound movements are also important (health, more than temperament). And I agree that fosters and rescues are excellent resources for your search as well.