kami Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 (edited) Hi fellow DOL'ers, I have always found I have received excellent advice on here and we find ourselves in need of more. My husband and I have decided we would like to get a second dog before baby arrives, for a number of reasons, one particularly being that our dog is very dog social and I feel that she would benefit from having a buddy in crime. We have given this decision a lot of thought and feel that now would be a good time to adopt, with the understanding that training needs and exercise needs would increase (annie walks most days for an hour, and obedience twice a week). Some of you may remember that we adopted a lovely (though initially neurotic) kelpie named Annie in March. With lots of love, training, and help from others professional and informal, and lots of hard work she is almost unrecognisable as the dog we first got. Annie initially had significant issues with seperation anxiety and some fearfulness requiring us working with some trainers and medication to get her to the happy medium she is now at. We have been looking at a few different dogs. Meeting number one with a pomeranian crossed with a larger breed did not go well (unspayed male, attempted to hump Annie). Meeting number two also did not go well, a male also attempting to hump Annie! Meeting number 3, did go well, however - i have serious reservations about the suitability of a beagle for us. I am uncertain of our capacity to ever be able to gain his focus away from the amazing smells of the world - and this is a dog whose only training is to sit at this stage at one year of age. This I wouldnt necessarily mi d, but we do need a dog with some focus and low distractability so we can work intensively on his training to a standard appropriate around young children. Rusty got on beautifully with Annie, accepting her being slightly dominant. The rest of the time there was lots of play bows ects and zoomies. I feel with a baby on the way this dog is NOT for us as I can envision walks with a pram being a complete nightmare with a beagle that follows his nose. We are starting training pram walks with Annie. Dog number 4 we did not get to meet properly. Dog number 4 is an ex breeding dog, who luckily is not fearful of people, but instead suffers severe seperation anxiety issues (which dont sound much more severe than annies when we first got her - the same howling when you leave the room ect and anxiety was experienced by his foster carer).they did not elaborate further but Annie certainly did the same and much much more when we first got her. I suppose I was hoping we could go back and discuss again with the shelter and seek references from our trainers, vets ect to support our achievements with annie. Their argument against is that with a child i wont have enough time to help the dog transition with their issues. I feel that with having 1 year off for maternity leave (extendable) and planning to return to work 2 days per week we could be actually an ideal home for this spaniel. I shudder at the thought of this dog going to a 'normal' dog type home who wont know how to put in place positive behavioural strategies with the support of professional trainers. Any thoughts? For a bit of background this is a very large mainstream shelter. They were all very impressed with Annies behaviour while we were there (she is one step away from pink now!). Thanks for any advice, Susie and Huw. Edited November 13, 2015 by kami Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I suppose you need to decide wether you want the dog for you or Annie? As she seems to have picked the beagle. What if you take the spaniel and she doesn't bother with it, will that matter? Beagles can be trained, ask Huski. Perhaps you should keep looking? I assume the shelter gives a trial ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 We want the dog for both us and Annie. Ideally we want a good fit for us and Annie, if Annie wasnt interested in the cocker that would make the decision clear. We wont get a dog that is not a good fit with her. The cocker is apparently dog social. Do you know if it would be possible to train a beagle to walk in a straight line? (Might seem like a silly question, but this one just follows his nose like a gold prospector) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 I have a friend with a beagle who she trains agility and canine disc with- he is fabulous! When he is working he seems to ignore all the smells. He is also trained in scent detection- so gets to do plenty of smelling too :) There was also a beagle who walked down our street for YEARS until she passed, she always walked in a straight line, loose lead, tail up and wagging- so it can be done :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Personally I wouldn't have worried too much about the humping, it's to be expected that an untrained male would get overly excited at a meet and greet resulting in humping. Our cocker spaniel tried to hump Sarah when she came over for a trial, was perfectly ok once the initial excitement died down and within a week the two were inseparable. I'd be focusing more on getting a dog that suits your life and your plans that an initial meet and greet with your dog, you're never really going to know how they'll respond to each other until they are both settled in. Also how long until the baby arrives? You'll need to factor in how much time you have to train out undesirable behaviors, an undesexed male for example is likely to mark in the house Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 Also, the shelter is a very large mainstream shelter which does not offer cooling off periods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 We have 5 months before baby arrives, and can commit to taking it to obedience 1-2 weekly and getting additional behavioural support to assist with any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 We have a few beagles round here, and they all walk with their head down i used to walk one and it drove me nuts, so i know where you are coming from :laugh: But it can be done, apparently. Perhaps a rescue with dogs in foster care might be better as they offer a trial etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 You are right juice. We have also arranged to meet with a dog in foster care who by its description has full basic training. It does sound like a great option,we just wanted to meet a few dogs first to make sure we are making the right choice and have the right fit for dog, us, and impending bub, not just going with the first dog we meet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted November 13, 2015 Share Posted November 13, 2015 Also spaniels being gun dogs also need a fair bit of training to get them walking in a straight line with their head up :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 13, 2015 Author Share Posted November 13, 2015 Definitely something for us to consider Leah, thanks not aware of that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Personally i think with baby due in 5 months you should wait more for your first dogs sake who you truly have no idea how she will react to the changes in the household plus adding a new dog .She has a past & whilst great now i doubt she has had to deal with such major changes in one hit . I would training first dog to walk with pram now & doing as much reshaping with here before bub arrives so she can cope then after bub has settled & your new girl has settled look at bringing a new dog in I have owned Gundogs for years & they walk in straight lines ,they walk no different to any other dog that isn't lead trained . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Thanks for your input showdog. We are training Annie now to a pram and bringing in all of the baby stuff early, and doing baby cry desensitization to ensure things aren't too big of a shock. Annie is good with our nephew, who is 2. We have considered this carefully and understand it is a huge undertaking introducing another dog at this point, but will commit ourselves 100 %. I understand how some people may have concerns, but we have carefully weighed things up (and had our own concerns too) and would be willing to do what ever it takes to make it work. We went and looked at the cocker spaniel today, and the shelter was happy for us to meet the dog once we further outlined our history with Annie. She had a cute little mini play with the cocker, but it wasnt the rough and tumble play she had with the beagle - Annie seemed quite aware that the cocker was uncertain of how to play and gave him space when he wanted it. He has issues with walking on a lead due to uncertainty of space due to being caged for so long, so open space is still quite frightening and intimidating. That said he is very zen in nature, but freezes. We wont rush into a decision, and have not asked the shelter to put a hold on the cocker (although they are happy to do so for us having seen how we and Annie interacted with cocker) as we need more time to weigh up various factors, and if a home came along that was more suited we understand that would be in the dogs best interests. I feel we would be quite suitable except that Annie and the cocker are not the best match (easy going and tolerant of each other, but dont have that play spark). so back to the drawing board for the moment...but with a wistful longing for a certain cocker spaniel. So adorable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 The Cocker spaniel is going to be a lot of work if he has been kept in a kennel full time. Things like vacuums, mowers, blenders etc are going to upset him initially. If you weren't pregnant I would say go for it as you have done a good job with Annie. But I don't think you should be taking on a problem dog right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kami Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 You are probably right Jules. We have dealt with the noise issues with Annie (non existent any more). I think unfortunately I am a sucker for a project dog after Annie. I really enjoy helping them get better... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
denali Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Also spaniels being gun dogs also need a fair bit of training to get them walking in a straight line with their head up :p Kokoda- whilst a spaniel- is a toy breed, but oh my lord he is crazy. Zig zagging everywhere, head down, checking fence lines for geckos, in bushes etc. He's a maniac. He walks also in a loose lead heel if i can be bothered enough to continuously shove treats in his mouth And probably would if i trained him to do it always, but it doesn't bother me enough. The Cocker spaniel is going to be a lot of work if he has been kept in a kennel full time. Things like vacuums, mowers, blenders etc are going to upset him initially. If you weren't pregnant I would say go for it as you have done a good job with Annie. But I don't think you should be taking on a problem dog right now. I tend to agree with this :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 I think Jules is probably right too. I see a lot of these types of dogs through rehab with their new owners and they can be a huge amount of work. They are often fine at home once the toilet training and familiarisation is worked through but cannot leave the house or cope with visitors due to the levels of fear and anxiety. It's a lot with a bub on the way even though it sounds like you've done a great job already with your current dog :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussielover Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 Taking on 2 dogs is a lot of work and taking on 2 problem dogs is a challenge even without a baby on the way! I'd probably go for an easier dog as a second dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlaznHotAussies Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 I'd definitely go for an easier dog as a second dog... Why not look up a mature dog from a breeder? From my observations they're usually ex-show dogs or breeding dogs and well socialised & already toilet trained, know how to live in a house, get along with other dogs, etc. Definitely what I'd choose over a dog with baggage. Not saying all ex-show dogs or ex-breeding dogs are perfect, but at least you normally know their history. I've personally seen plenty of mature dogs go to pet homes where they're almost instantly a very special, loved member of the family. just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah82 Posted November 14, 2015 Share Posted November 14, 2015 I know a couple of rescues that work a lot with ex puppy farm dogs and they would be unlikely to rehome them to a family expecting a baby. It's a lot for them to have to cope with, especially once the baby starts moving around, they need a quiet stable home where they can learn what it's like living in the real world at their own pace. I'm expecting a baby in just over 3 months and I've had Sarah who's a former puppy farm breeder for 2.5 years, she's now a completely different dog, she has so much more confidence and trusts me completely, I know it would have taken a lot longer to get here if we threw a baby into the mix too soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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