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jess live die
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is it a bad idea to adopt an older dog?

my breeder is lovely and asked if i would like one of her older dogs his lovely i have met him and i love him my kids love him my breeder has offered him to me as she knows ill love him and care for him.

she said i dont have to i can get my puppy if i would rather but my crazy father said its a bad idea so im here to ask people who know more about dogs then him he only kows one breed his breed lol

please any info and advise would be great.

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No it is not a bad idea by any means BUT

Why is he available?

Has he had any training?

How old is he?

I have adopted both baby puppies an dolder dogs (including a Newfie of 6 years once) and both puppies and older dogs have their own challenges.

On the plus side, an older dog that has been well cared for and socialised etc can be taken for walks immediately (which I believe helps the bonding process tremendously) they MAY be house trained etc.

Tell us more about the dog you have been offered!

Also if your kids are young a puppy can be VERY time-consuming!

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No reason an older dog shouldn't fit in as well as a younger dog, and if they're from a decent owner the training issues are virtually nil too (huge bonus unless you love house training puppies :mad).

My only hesitation would be buying an older dog is if you don't know the environment it's come from and it's not through a proper rescue which temperament tests, you do have the risk of ending up with something that might not be suitable for a family environment.

If this dog has belonged to the breeder all his life and the breeder has a similar sort of home environment to you then I'd say it's a no brainer and go for it if you like the dog. If it's a rehome the breeder has taken back then you definitely need to know where he's come from (in terms of the type of home - family, couple, single woman, single guy etc) and why he's being rehomed.

If you decide to buy him then make sure you get a trial period in case he turns out completely unsuitable - but no ethical breeder would let you take one of their adults without this anyway!

Edited by Sandra777
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Jess, that is exactly what I did and I would do it again this way I think...get a mature dog rather than a puppy. As long as you trust who you get the dog from and can see the behaviour of the dog for yourself and the environment it is coming from, I think it is a good option. It is very common for breeders to have older dogs to rehome, and for me it was a good choice as I was a new owner, plus having a puppy might have been more than I was up for in terms of toilet training etc in an apartment.

Edited by FlyingFurball
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Why is he available? she in a resuerdial place atm sorry i cant spll it

Has he had any training? yes he has had training

How old is he? his 1 year

his great with kids and other dogs his great with cats his very sweet

would my dads dog hurt him? shes a germen shephered and shes nearly a year is that a bad mix? shes been puppy /dog soclized as well.

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would my dads dog hurt him? shes a germen shephered and shes nearly a year is that a bad mix? shes been puppy /dog soclized as well.

It would be extremely unlikely for an adult dog and bitch to fight - however you need to introduce them properly and manage the situation sensibly - I assume she and the new dog would be living in the same house? - if so until now it's been HER house, so to open the gate and chuck a new dog into the yard would be asking for trouble :mad

Introductions in a neutral place/no toys, food left out for them to argue about/don't leave them alone unattended/don't favour one over the other.

ETA: and to begin with DO NOT allow the children to play with the dogs when both dogs are there - the GSD may well think the new dog is a threat to "her" children.

Edited by Sandra777
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would my dads dog hurt him? shes a germen shephered and shes nearly a year is that a bad mix? shes been puppy /dog soclized as well.

It would be extremely unlikely for an adult dog and bitch to fight - however you need to introduce them properly and manage the situation sensibly - I assume she and the new dog would be living in the same house? - if so until now it's been HER house, so to open the gate and chuck a new dog into the yard would be asking for trouble :mad

Introductions in a neutral place/no toys, food left out for them to argue about/don't leave them alone unattended/don't favour one over the other.

ETA: and to begin with DO NOT allow the children to play with the dogs when both dogs are there - the GSD may well think the new dog is a threat to "her" children.

aww thankyou for that

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I think it's a great idea.

You will need to be vigilant around your children. Even though Staffords are usually great with kids a fight could break out between the GSD and Stafford and the kids could get hurt. Just be very watchful for the first few months. I would take the dog on a trial basis only.

He sounds wonderful, taking on older dogs is for the most part, a lot easier than raising a small puppy. I would not hesitate to do it myself - the dog sounds like a dream!

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I think it's a great idea.

You will need to be vigilant around your children. Even though Staffords are usually great with kids a fight could break out between the GSD and Stafford and the kids could get hurt. Just be very watchful for the first few months. I would take the dog on a trial basis only.

He sounds wonderful, taking on older dogs is for the most part, a lot easier than raising a small puppy. I would not hesitate to do it myself - the dog sounds like a dream!

aww thankyou

im going to ask my breeder if its ok if we can make a date and let the dogs meet for a while and see how the go and then if all goes well do a tril for a few months and then do everything his a great dog my daughter feel in love with him as soon as she saw hi and we love him to bits even tho he wasnt ours hehe and now he could be

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I adopted Spot at 1 year old [turned out closer to 2 according to the vet] unseen from NSW. We have had a few minor issues but nothing too drastic, a little training fixed that all up. He fitted in well with out then 3 year old.

Personally I wouldn't call 1 one year old an older dog, but that's just me.

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is it a bad idea to adopt an older dog?

All my tibbies have been older dogs adopted from their breeders. One at 3 yrs, one at 7 yrs, one at 8 yrs & one at 4 yrs. They've been wonderful, wonderful dogs.

And a friend adopted an 11 yr old tib....& another a 13 yr old tib.

My problem isn't about adopting older tibbies....but to put a brake on adopting them. :mad They're fantastic & a credit to their breeders & all the work that goes into producing purebreds.

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ive never had an older dog..as in getting one

i know plenty who have and been successful

there are plenty of sweet older dogs out there

but if hes been with a breeder...has he been well socialised or living in kennels?

is he toilet trained?

was he brought up with kids and all the noises made in a household

i once went to visit a place that had pugs pekes and an english bulldog

only knew about the pugs ...so it was a shock to find so many dogs there

there was no way i could buy one from the lady...they were a weird couple...the dogs lived in the shed and were treated pretty roughly...

the pekes had eye problems and had never been on a lead... i think they just had them for prestige.. the dogs were unaccustomed to too much human contact

the english bulldog bitch was a truck of a girl and was impossible to walk on a lead..far too heavy and wouldnt budge...i wasnt prepared to put in the time to rehabilitate her cos our kids were young

that was my only experience and it turned me off..but now many years later id consider getting and older dog

provided it had no real psychological problems

i love puppies

the mess and the destruction is a pain but watching them grow and form into the dogs theyre to become is beautiful

good luck...be careful and dont make a decision without a great deal of thought...weigh it all up...and maybe ask for a two trial

Edited by percyk
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ive never had an older dog..as in getting one

i know plenty who have and been successful

there are plenty of sweet older dogs out there

but if hes been with a breeder...has he been well socialised or living in kennels?

is he toilet trained?

was he brought up with kids and all the noises made in a household

i once went to visit a place that had pugs pekes and an english bulldog

only knew about the pugs ...so it was a shock to find so many dogs there

there was no way i could buy one from the lady...they were a weird couple...the dogs lived in the shed and were treated pretty roughly...

the pekes had eye problems and had never been on a lead... i think they just had them for prestige.. the dogs were unaccustomed to too much human contact

the english bulldog bitch was a truck of a girl and was impossible to walk on a lead..far too heavy and wouldnt budge...i wasnt prepared to put in the time to rehabilitate her cos our kids were young

that was my only experience and it turned me off..but now many years later id consider getting and older dog

provided it had no real psychological problems

i love puppies

the mess and the destruction is a pain but watching them grow and form into the dogs theyre to become is beautiful

good luck...be careful and dont make a decision without a great deal of thought...weigh it all up...and maybe ask for a two trial

his been living with people and in a house he is toliet trained also his socialized with people adults kids catz other dogs also trained with cars streets and all things like that

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Gosh - he sounds great!! Good luck and don't forget - we will want pics!!

i will post heaps im going to get him coz he is prefcit and im honored she throught of me i have one photo atm that she sent me and his sooooooooooooooooooo beautiful and wen i met him in person i just wanted to take him home so i feel so so special she asked me

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congrats on the choice. He looks like a lovely young lad :rolleyes: And at only 1 year old you don't miss out on the destructo mutt stage :o

awww thankyou i love him already an only met him once so far mettin him again this week and then yay i get my boy

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