I have a lovely basset hound who isn't dominant in the slightest. He's now been an only dog for the past few months, before that he'd always had other canine company. He's fine in the house when left alone, will maybe do one howl and then get about the hard task of sleeping or playing with chews etc. He does this howl in the morning when DH goes to work, even though he knows that I'm upstairs. It's like a habit with him as he doesn't make another sound, and when I go downstairs I'm normally greeted by a cacophony of snores!
When we're out he is scared of other dogs, he doesn't like being approached by them. He was fine when we had the other dog. He was attacked by two labradoodles on a walk when he was off lead, and later by a great dane when he was on the lead. He'd done nothing to provoke them, no growling, hackles raising etc. This, unsurprisingly, hasn't helped his confidence. However he likes one of my mum's dogs, and we try to dognap her as much as possible for walks. When he's with her he follows her lead when it comes to other dogs. He'll still be nervous, ears up, tail underneath his body, but will watch her and start to interact.
So my thinking is that maybe we need to get another dog. I'm on mat leave for another 7 or 8 months so would be able to supervise introductory period. I'm thinking about either a young puppy or a slightly older one, 6 months old. I wouldn't want to do this straight away, and want to wait until we find the right dog.
Do you think that this is bonkers?
If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.
The doghouse
Canvassing opinions about new dog
everybodywalkthedinosaur · 29/08/2012 10:51
Hi ... seem to be following you around this board! (not stalking honest!!!)
But had to post because our story seeems so similar to yours...especially the gentle doggy part!
We introduced a new puppy into the house when Stan was around 4, a little terrier! Well, Stan was overjoyed, following him around, particularly licking his ears vigorously which kept knocking the puppy over, so funny to watch!
Stan was the big brother, taught the puppy his gentle ways, played in the garden, mock fighting and the puppy soon realised what a temptation those long ears were. Stan took it all in his stride and loved playing, in fact he became far more animated and less lazy!!
Whenever they were apart for a short time, they would greet each other with such joy and Arthur would tear around the garden from top to bottom, jumping over Stans back whilst Stan would stand in the middle of the garden, barking happily!
As you know, Stan has now gone 
and when i took arthur to the park yesterday another dog wanted to run and play with him... Arthur ran alongside him halfheartedly but didn't engage anywhere near as intensely as he did with Stan. They definitely had their own special bond and he misses him!
They truly were best friends and gave each other so much, a special doggy friendship that totally enhanced their lives. Stan remained the gentle dog he always was but seemed to become less bothered about strange dogs as he had his own little 'brother' to sniff (and we know how much they love to sniff .. a walking nose!)
The only issue we had was that when out walking, Stan walked with nose to ground verrrrrry slowly and Arthur tripped along with nose in the air, eager to get where we were going. I often took them on separate walks as well as together so they could go at their own pace. Maybe something to consider when choosing a different breed?
But I say, absolutely, don't hesitate! x
Dinosaur all rescues are different, we adopted a retired greyhound when DD was just 7.5mo, and the rescue lady told me they had recently rehomed one to a couple with a 6 WEEK old baby 
It's worth ringing around a few rescues to see if they will rehome to you. IMO this is part of the reason people with babies/small children are reluctant to use rescues, because they think they won't be considered. It's not always the case :)
It's worth a try if you'd really prefer to get one via a rescue rather than buy a puppy from a breeder.
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.