Another Dog? - Page 1

I sit here contemplating on getting a older dog sometime in Feb. around 2-3 yrs or even a retired dog be it breeding or whatever. Why you might ask? IDK!! maybe im crazy. I love my little baby Kaizer who is 12wks today but i want more!! Kaizer would be around 10 months old during that time and have another playmate. and i can have another SchH dog to help me out and "teach" me SchH.

Kaizer is West German Working and i would be looking for another WGW or even a Czech/DDR

Its all just talk right now BUT what if i decided to do this. I know a female would be easier to bring in but could it be doable having another male? Would the other dogs age make it easier or harder? or should i not get one at all and just wait?

Suggestions are welcome good and bad. Thanks.

One has to ask them self tough questions  as for no one else can

answer this for you.

Do you have the extra time it is going to take to have another dog?

Do you have the extra funds for vet bills, food, and act????

Do you have the space?

What happens if you go on vaction (one dog is easy to find a

sitter two dogs a little harder )

How does your family feel?

What happens in a month and it does not work out?

Are you going to be able to train two dogs?

Are you physically able to handle two dogs?

Are you over stressed now? or spread too thin?

These are just some questions to ask your self when thinking about

getting another dog. Another thing you might

want to think about is getting a friends dog to stay with you

( and I don't mean the very well behaved on, I talking the rody one

that is all over your place in to everything) and see not only how your

dog reacts, but to see if you can handle taking on a older dog. This

might be the answer  to your question that you are looking for.

EK

Try fostering for several weeks....rescues and shelters ALWAYS need foster homes and the dogs always need a little love & training. Plus it wouldn't be forever so if it didn't work out then you helped a homeless dog maybe find a forever home somewhere else and if it did work out you still helped a homeless dog find a home. Maybe you find out you like being a foster home and help multiple dogs?

 You sound young and inexperienced and bringing a second dog into the mix is almost always a mistake. The reasons are many, including those listed above. Two dogs are ALWAYS more difficult to train, care for, and provide for, and frankly, most people get a second dog for all the wrong reasons...that is, to keep the other neglected dog company. When you have a fully trained dog and have followed through with this first one that would be a much better time to consider a second. If you have children too, you are making a serious mistake which the dog will pay for when you do NOT have time to take care of it. Responsible ownership is knowing your limits and making sure ONE dog gets what it needs first. Finally, responsible ownership is not SIMPLY about loving the animal. It is about making sure you provide appropriate exercise, obedience and finally love. This is a time consuming process.

By the way, dogs DON'T TEACH YOU. You should have the skills to teach them. It sounds like you are just starting. Do right by the first dog first and then go from there.

“I love my little baby Kaizer who is 12wks today but i want more!! Kaizer would be around 10 months old during that time and have another playmate. and i can have another SchH dog to help me out and "teach" me SchH.”

TheOne,

I acquired my first GSD last year.  She is now nearly 14 months.  From my limited experience with dogs plus stuff I have read, the first 6 months raising your Kaiser would be vitally important.  You cannot turn the clock back so take these crucial puppy-moments for your foundation work. You need to have in place a routine for food, play and plenty of rest for your pup.  A balance amount of exposure and socialisation will build on her confidence.  There is more work than you think.

In addition take the opportunity to acquire more knowledge from books, DVDs and also talk to experienced handlers whilst keeping an open-mind to problems and solutions; remembering that each dog and each handler deals with issues in their own way; some may suit you, some may not.  Join a schutzhund club and talk about dogs, dogs and more dogs.  There is no quick-fix.  Trial and error in a thoughtful way can also build on ones’ own confidence.

I personally would not acquire another older dog with schutzhund title for learning purposes.  How that dog has been trained and handled previously may pose more headaches with likely its own existing training problems (let say, the “out”, you’ll be lucky to stay intact!)  Not all dogs behave the same with a particular method of training, so how acquiring an older shutzhund dog will help you with little Kaiser would be irrelevant.  I think.

Thanks for all the good replies and putting in prespective of what getting another dog would be entailing on not only me but Kaizer.

TheOne,

Hope the following captions will be answer your query.

All in good humour, ok.

lol.