A Puppy Or An Older Rescue To Add To The Pack

[minimiss]

Just looking for opinions, advice, knowledge, wisdom about this topic as I'm just putting my feelers out now to see what peoples experiences have been!

What I do know is that I want to add to my pack. Not immediately, but somewhere in 2013. Earliest would be at the start of 2013 but I'm not rushing into this and I do want to get things right.

I currently have a Pomeranian boy who turns 1 in October. He's generally a good little boy. He has his naughty moments and does enjoy a good bark when he's excited as most Poms do :laugh:

I work full time and my housemate works varying hours but when she's home she's in her room and not overly social with the dog so basically he's on his own during the day.

My questions are would he benefit from me wanting to add to the pack? Currently he does seem to not worry about being an only child and does seem to be ok home alone (no crying, no destruction, just sleeps and waits for me to get home before he unleashes the happy, hyper dog within ) Would it be easier introducing a puppy or an older rescue (around 2 - 5 years old) into the family? I'm leaning towards getting a small female dog (I'm hoping for another pomeranian).

Are there certain things I need to look out for or anything in particular that is important to know during this process. I'm all ears (eyes) and have quite a while to learn what I can so I can do this the best way I can.

Thank you!! :)

[Rebanne]

is your housemate ok with you getting another dog and likewise for the landlord (if you rent)?

Did you read Donatella's thread? here

[minimiss]

Yes housemate is fine with the decision as she's also an animal lover. She moved into my house 5 months ago knowing that I may expand the furfamily at some point, she also may move out with her boyfriend next year anyway so I'll go back to living alone. Landlord doesn't mind also, I met them before I moved in a little over a year ago and expressed my future plans and they are fine with it too.

Donatella's thread was more so about adding another puppy, and that thread turned into a co-ownership debate and whether or not to get the female or male puppy. So it's not a whole lot of help as I'm wondering moreso about puppy OR rescue. I also wont be needing the information about co-owning a male to sire future litters :)

[HazyWal]

What breed are you looking at getting? I got a second greyhound for me really. Stan was also very happy as an only child and I had quite a few fosters come through before adopting Maddie. They adore each other so I'm happy I did it.

[minimiss]

Possibly another Pomeranian. If I rescue a Pom mix or another similar sized small dog that suits our home and compliments well with Benny. I would want them to be friends rather than having to keep them separated all the time because they don't like each other!!

[HazyWal]

Possibly another Pomeranian. If I rescue a Pom mix or another similar sized small dog that suits our home and compliments well with Benny. I would want them to be friends rather than having to keep them separated all the time because they don't like each other!!

Sorry minimiss you did say that in your OP, I didn't see it I think it depends if you want to go through the puppy stage again or not. My real estate agent adopted a pom cross jap spitz as a friend for exisiting dog as she didn't want to do the puppy stage and she couldn't be happier. He is around 3 years old and he is a dear little boy.

[dancinbcs]

Possibly another Pomeranian. If I rescue a Pom mix or another similar sized small dog that suits our home and compliments well with Benny. I would want them to be friends rather than having to keep them separated all the time because they don't like each other!!

Also consider a retired show/breeding Pom girl from a show breeder that might be looking for a lifetime home after having a litter or two. Contact some your boy's breeder and other Pom breeders and put the word out that you might be looking for an older girl next year. That way you get a dog who is trained, socialised and used to living with other Poms. I know of several people who having bought a puppy, have then adopted their puppy's mum when she retired.

[RiverStar-Aura]

I guess something to look at would be the training aspect of a new puppy. You said you work full time, so if you were to introduce a pup early 2013, how would the training go because you'll then have two young dogs requiring different levels of training. Would you have time for two training sessions?

I think your Pom would benefit from the company -- I find it sad that your housemate doesn't really interact with him although I can understand that it's your pet so she might just prefer to leave him alone.

Have you owned multiple dogs before? I ask because I never had and having 2 has been a real learning curve for me. There's twice the trouble but twice the puppy love!

[minimiss]

I haven't owned multiple dogs before so it will be a learning curve and a new adventure for me. I would prefer a rescue for the exact reason of having training another little puppy as well as my boy but if it was a better option to get a puppy, I'd of course put the best interests first.

I didn't think of getting an ex show/breeding girl, that's a great idea, I'm in fairly regular contact with my breeder as I send her Benny updates so I may ask her if she has/knows of anything potentially coming up in the new year.

The housemate is a little lazy I think - On her days off she sleeps until 2pm That's the life huh?! I recently went to Perth to visit family for a week and she took care of Benny for me and sent lots of photos and did actually manage to get him out for walks too so when I do need a bit of help she is very quick to offer some help :)

ETA to make a bit more sense :laugh:

Edited September 10, 2012 by minimiss

[Pug Hugger]

I was also going to suggest an older ex show-dog.

We added an 18 month old female 'reject' show-dog when Louie was 13 months old. The age difference is negligible and they love each other to bits. I had no issue with training as she was already trained as was he to basic obedience level which is all I wanted as a pet owner.

[Alkhe]

I think an older dog is a great idea - I would definitely go this route again, and it's how I got my Maggie. She was 3 when I got her, and had had pups before being rehomed to me.

The benefits of getting an older pup or dog are particularly that you will be able to a better understanding of their personality, temperament, needs etc, and probably have a trial period to make sure the dogs get along. If you go through rescue, I'd suggest getting a dog who has been in foster care for those reasons too. You're just a bit better informed of the kind of dog you're looking at. Obviously there will be an adjustment and settling period, and every home is different, but by and large you're able to have a good idea.

That's in addition to getting a dog who is toilet trained (most likely, though you can never be sure!) and gone through the baby puppy stage. For me that's a plus! But obviously some people love puppies and wouldn't ever want to miss that stage.