AIBU to think the chances of finding 'this' dog in rescue are slim?

[iloveeverykindofcat]

So my mother has a 5-month corgi pup who is absolutely lovely, a real star, but full of energy and desperate for another dog to play with. He was born on a farm amongst dogs and definitely sees himself as a dog rather than a human - whenever he sees another dog he lights up and throws himself at them to play. He's quite boisterous and can intimidate tiny dogs by his sheer enthusiasm, but friendly dogs over a certain size love to play with him, and even the grumpy ones seem to recognise he's just a pup. He hasn't been severely reprimanded by a dog yet.

So she wants to rescue a dog that is

• a bit older than him, but still young enough to enjoy lots of play
• a calming influence on him
• female (he seems to be a bit less wild with females for some reason)
• big enough to take his cannonballing, but not so big he could get hurt in play

I feel like this is a highly specific requirement for a rescue dog and maybe she should be looking outside of rescues. I've pointed out a few rescue dogs on webpages to her, but she's rejected them as too similar to him - they are listed as enjoying boisterous play with other dogs. But can a dog both enjoy boisterous play AND be a calming influence? Seems like a bit of a tall order.

would an older (ie, young adult) female Corgi work do you think? Or your Mum doesn't want another Corgi?

He sounds like he needs actual training, not a dog that could potentially have a whole list of issues to do it for her.

A calm, well-trained dog is a joy. And at 5 months it isn’t too late at all to instill good boundaries and manners.

Getting another dog with an untrained one is a recipe for disaster. Even the calmest dog can pick up bad habits from the resident and then you end up with 2 mad dogs. Not great.

She probably would like another corgi. That's why I'm thinking she should give up the rescue idea - doubt you'd find many corgis in rescue, this one cost quite a bit.

Teddy Yep, I agree, he needs manners. I reckon he's been spoiled over lockdown. Yes, he's adorable and there's no aggression in him at all, but he shouldn't just be flinging himself on every dog he sees. He's going to get bigger. I will put that to her that even if she gets a calm dog, he could end up hyping up the new dog.

Tbh he sounds just like how a confident puppy should be-I think getting another is a bad idea- train the puppy first- at five months he’s bound to be a handful 😂 especially if not trained.

Plenty of dogs grow up without an older dog to show the the way, so yeah I agree with you - your mum needs to step up and train him.

Also agree that corgis are not commonly found in rescues.

He sounds totally normal for a five month old pup and she needs to keep on working at the training. Adding another dog at this point could be quite detrimental to his training as he very much needs one to one attention to help him develop into a confident, calm adult.

She shouldn't even consider getting another dog until this one is fully matured and properly trained.

Adding a second dog when this one is about to hit the teenage months is a recipe for total disaster.

unless she wants a retired greyhound?
but 5 months is the optimum over exited puppy age

Where does it end? Keep adding another to address the behaviour of the one before? She’ll have 56 dogs before the year is out 🐕 🐕 🐕

I agree it is not the time to get another dog. And another dog is not going to train the puppy for her, she needs to do that.

Definitely not another dog for at least a year, or all your Mum will have is two dogs who learn/reinforce bad habits on each other. The pup needs consistent training and to be on a long line until he stops being over boistrous.
Mine (a medium sized dog) was just the same.. and we had to be consistent with her training and behaviour as she was uber friendly but would go in like a canon ball. So we worked on recall, and had her on a lead until she could meet dogs politely. She's 18m now and has matured a lot but I still clip her on lead for every dog we pass just in case ..it's basic dog manners!

Actually those saying another dog won't teach a younger dog are wrong, younger dogs do learn from older dogs.

I have two one year old dogs, the little girl plays very boisterous with her (much bigger in size) brother yet she is very loving and gentle and calm otherwise. So yes, such a dog probably does exist.

Where I like the majority of rescues are greyhounds or staffies. Tbh I can see them giving your mum an older female dog to basically parent your mums dog.

Her current puppy just sounds likes typical puppy behaviour.

She needs to perservere with consistent training so he is taught not to approach every dog he sees.

Getting another dog will not help with training

i am not sure it would be fair on the rescue dog

@Handsnotwands

Where does it end? Keep adding another to address the behaviour of the one before? She’ll have 56 dogs before the year is out 🐕 🐕 🐕

It does seem like a possibility, doesn't it!

He's stronger than you'd think, too. I held his lead the other day, and although he's still little, there's a surprising amount of muscle in that compact little body.

Might be worth speaking to a local rescue and see what they have to say.
I know one rescue says they like to rehome dogs where there is already a dog there because they want the rescue dog to learn - but you’re looking for a dog that’s already trained.

Your mum should be training the dog everyday. That with a couple of walks will tire out the dog. They are excitable as puppies, mine calmed down when just over 1.
I did 3 puppy training courses and learned it’s the owner that has to put the time and be consistent.

I’d get him calmer first and meeting other dogs politely, not chucking himself at them. If he did that with mine, he’d be in a lot of trouble. Adding another dog might just make him wilder currently.

My Springer was lije

I agree with pp, he needs training not another dog to 'babysit'.

Puppy needs training at 5 months a majority of puppies are lively and want to play with other dogs, getting another dog just to calm the other one down is a very bad idea.

Sounds a little left field but has she considered getting a bossy cat? It would be a similar size possibly, especially one which has had kittens will tell it off and will be a companion. It also means that she only has one dog to walk but it might be a little more respectful in case it is swiped.

I agree that he needs training and another dog without the training won't help. I also doubt a rescue would go along with finding a dog to do her training for her!

But the dog you describe is my dog and she was a rescue. Staffy cross though so someone who really wants a corgi may well not even have looked at her. She is mostly submissive with other dogs and will walk away from dogs being a pain unless they are puppies in which case she gently but firmly puts them in their place. It's hilarious but she adores pups, the last pup she told of was a bolshy Dalmatian that was bigger than her. The other owners were actually grateful as their dog backed right down and they continued playing nicely.

Sadly she's 12 now and quite suddenly become quite elderly so her puppy taming days are behind her.

You could be describing my friends JRT and he's just turned 2. He has calmed down a bit but he is super friendly with all dogs and still loved playing with my JRT even though she really does tell him off.

Really it's about training, good recall so she can get him back on a lead quickly if other dogs don't want to play and not letting him approach dogs on leads.

The little dogs barking etc that is them telling him off...

Your mum needs to train him, he’ll throw himself at the wrong dog and it won’t end well.
It’s her job to train him not a poor rescue dog looking for a home.
A rescue would expect them to meet and tbh he sounds like a poorly behaved dog and they wouldn’t allow her to adopt.