Doggie Dilemma!

[westtexas]

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.

[PamNY]

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

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.

[beccaB]

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.

[TsPoet]

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.

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.

[tulip]

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.

[GLC1968]

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.