Are my ideals to high??

[zbargainmama]

First of all I want to say thank you for the wonderful information included in this forum it has been a huge help!

Now for my question . I had hopes of finding a labradoodle/goldendoodle/north American retriever dog that would be an older puppy or adult that my family and I could care for that was already for the most part trained (housebroken, leash, basic commands etc.). Now after searching for over a month I am wondering if this is more of a dream then a possible reality. I want to be realistic on what my family is ready for.

I am a stay at home mom, we have 2 children (3.5 and 6) and we do emergency foster care for newborns (about every other month or so we have an infant) I need a dog that has an excellent temperament, has been socialized with children and is calm/laid back. I hope for a dog that will be our families shadow, walk with us to school, go to soccer games with us and possibly even become a therapy dog (this has always interested me) in the future.

Given my hopes for a dog, would I be better off getting a puppy to train it up on my own, attempting to do a guardianship type program, or patiently waiting for an older dog to come along that happens to have all these qualities?

Sorry if this is too much info just trying to give you all the details of our family life and what characteristics we hope for in a dog so you can give me your best advice.

[KingstonTodd]

Maybe try networking with breeders to get one of their retiring girls?

[lindamarie]

Great suggestion, Todd!!
I'm SURE there has to be one especially for your family!!
Good luck and WELCOME TO THE FORUM!!!

[zbargainmama]

I didn't even know that was an option. I figured breeders would want to keep a dog they had had for a few years. Good to know Both of you would say to wait it out and adopt an older dog rather then spending the time training up a puppy? Just want to make sure I am understanding correctly. I talked to two breeders over the phone this week and they both said to go with a puppy because they have experienced problems when they bring an a breeder that is older, BUT I didn't know if they were just trying to get me to buy their puppies or give me sound advice

[KingstonTodd]

If you have the time and energy to train a puppy properly, then that is a good option. You can train it to do everything that you want have have minimal issues to deal with since it comes to you so young. If a puppy is not something you have the time for, and it takes A LOT of time to train properly, then a retiring breeder is an excellent option, if you consider that the breeder dog must come from a home situaion, not from a kennel. You dont want to have to house train a 6 yr old dog that is used to roaming outside! Some breeders keep all their dogs forever, some keep a few extra ofr their breeding years with the emotional understanding that they will be rehoming them when they are done to get more 1 on 1 ttention for their remaining years. Its a personal choice, I couldn't imagine ever not having our girl, so we won't be doing that when she is done, she will be with us forever.

[lindamarie]

I didn't realize a puppy WAS an option.
If it is, I would say go for the puppy! With a puppy, YOU are the one to MOLD, so to speak, the future dog.
With you being a stay at home mom, if you have to energy...I would definitely go the puppy route. WIth the age of your children, an older dog may not be right for you. But, a puppy will learn WITH the children and it makes for a far better relationship down he line. Older dogs may not be use to kids ans may require too much training with kids. UNLESS..that is how they were raised..around children.
I hope this helps.

[zbargainmama]

Thank you for your advice. I will go with a puppy then I have the time to do it and then. That way maybe I can get involved in training it as a therapy dog. Not sure what it entails but I would be really interested. Alright I have a few breeders I am looking at so now I just have to chose the breeder

[lindamarie]

Jac is in CA and may be able to help you!!

[Jac]

Hi zbargainmama,

I am one of the breeders you are writing to and I just sent a long email but I wanted to respond to your posts here too.

It is a tough decison to make, puppy or adult, but the deciding factor, for me, would be the quality of the dog or puppy.

As mentioned (so well) above, the way the dog was raised makes a huge difference in how it will fit into your home. Since you have children, you will want to make a very careful decision.

I suggest that, before you decide (especially if you are not in a hurry) that you study the best ways to introduce a dog or puppy into your family, especially the children.

The biggest problem that families have with puppies is their playfulness because children always get bitten and scratched...why? Because they are on the floor, at the puppy level. Pups think that if you are on their level, you are a littermate! So, you have to teach your children how to raise a puppy before you get one.

There are several rules;

1) Let the puppy have a safe place to go, a place where the children are not allowed. This is usually a crate and the children should never go into the crate or even reach into the crate.
2) Never play chasing games and never hold a puppy down when it wants to go away.
3) Respect the puppy
4) Be gentle
5) Parents should supervise the puppy and children AND protect the puppy from rough handling...because if your pup feels protected, he will not need to learn to protect himself.
6) If you play on the floor, you will be bitten. If the puppy is getting wild, stand up and calmly leave the room.

Here is an excellent article about children and dogs: http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Conten ... C=0&A=2229

Before you get the puppy, teach your children about how you plan to train the puppy. You will want them to participate in training so that the puppy understands that the child is to be obeyed...also teach the child that there is a huge difference between giving a "command" and being pushy/bossy/loud.

Once your children are ready for a puppy, then you are ready to find the right puppy for your family.

Older dogs are rarely perfectly trained...not if they are available for re-homing...GENERALLY...because well behaved dogs always have someone who wants them. Most breeders who do have well behaved dogs that they intend to place, already have a wait list.

There is nothing worse than adopting an adult dog with really bad habits...puppies potty on floors...but so do untrained adult dogs...and some trained adult dogs will, when they are frightened or getting used to a new home.

There are many more things to consider...but just because a dog is older, does not mean that he is free from puppy behavior...only worse, because it is more a part of who they are.

I hope this helps a bit.

[zbargainmama]

Hi Jac,
I just emailed you back. I realized last night that I was already talking to the breeder "Jac" others were recommending to me. LOL SO that made me feel even more confident in my decision.
I think you make some very good points about children and dogs both playing and being "bossy" (this would totally be my daughter). I am going to go see if I can find a book today to start reading up on it. Can you recommend a good one? I did read your article link.
I want to be armed and ready when we get our dog so we are all a team as a family ready to bring up the best dog possible!

[Jac]

Thanks, it is nice chatting with you here and in email...and I look forward to our phone conversation.

I plan to "announce" soon...an EXCELLENT program for puppy clicker training...the best I have found. But I will be offering it on our web site soon too (it's that good) so I'd like to wait until I have everything ready...I will tell you about it when we talk.

Patricia McConnell books are really good...I give at least one, sometimes two, to my puppy families. They are really basic puppy training books and geared toward family training. Karen Pryor clicker training programs are also really good. They can be found on Amazon...but I laughed ... there is a typo on one of the books for McConnell...they are asking something like $125 for the book! No way...it is more like $6 max. hahaha I am sure you can find both authors (they also have video) in your bookstore and libraries.

[kirama]

Lot's of good stuff here, and it's free: http://dogstardaily.com/training