Another dog

[gondolo]

We've got a delightful 18 month old doberman bitch (Margot)- she's a wonderful dog and she adores our 3mo DS. I'm back to work full-time in March, DH also works FT.
We live in a rural village and have a large, secure garden with dog flap.
Our vet, who is also a dobe fan, phoned us the other day to say there is a doberman stray in the local pound looking for a new home (was found new years day, no tag / chip /collar etc & VERY thin). We went to see him, he's about 18 months, entire male (we'd have him done asap) very nice dog, seemed to get on well with ours.
The question is: do we go for it, or not. Would he keep Margot company when we're out, or will she hate not being an only dog?
Anyone got any experience of introducing another dog into the family?
Any advice / opinions welcome.
Thanks :o

Sorry, got to go out - just didnt want to leave this unanswered.

Basically you will have 2 large breed dogs, in 'teenage' years in the home with a newish baby. Think very very carefully about this. The male will probably have issues that need 1/1 work and training and your bitch might react very differently once another dog is in her home.

You work full time as does your DH. Do you really have the time to put in to a new dog? It is far from ideal having a dog at home all day alone, regardless of dogflap. They need interaction and company.

I would be nervous of taking a stray like that home - well, I'd do it if it was just me, but with another dog, and a child, in the house, there are a lot of unknowns there.

We did adopt a second dog and it worked out in the end, though he was from a good rescue, who had tested him with other dogs (in a foster home) and were willing to take him back if things didn't work out. There were a few squabbles to start with all the same, feeding times and walks were fairly chaotic. It was a lot more difficult to train the new dog with the other dog around (couldn't use any treats or toys while the two of them were together) and harder to get him to settle in the house as they tended to wind each other up.

They do get on fine now they've settled in together. It's a lot more work and expense having two though. This was two neutered males (rotts), and they're both older dogs, so not quite the same situation as you.

yes, that's partly why we are considering another dog, as company for ours when we're out.
We also have a dog walker who takes her out in the middle of the day, and she does agility & obedience classes i the evenings, and comes running with me (i'm marathon training) so she doesn't lack interaction! Actually...I think she's secretly quite glad to see the back of us sometimes for some peace and quiet!
The size of the dog doesn't worry me, as the dogs / children are never left unattended.
I'm not back to work for another 2 months, so it's now or never...

No without question.

You both work FT, it really is not fair on young fit active dogs. I know you say you have a dog walker and are active with your dog in the evening but she must still be left for a large amount of time on her own.

Another dog will not keep her company, you will just have two dogs that are not getting enough human interaction in the day time.

In 2 months you expect to get a rescue dog used to being left for hours, unattended with your other dog.......I think that is a big ask and an unreasonable one for the dog.

Also a good rescue organisation will not rehome to people who work fulltime. The fact it is a pound means the dog has not been fully checked or assessed. It may be fine, it equally could have serious issues that could really upset the balance in your house.

There is no way on earth that I would bring a dog which has not been assessed by a trained professional into a house with a 3 month old baby.

I think it's fine to have dogs and work full-time, but it needs to be the right dog that will fit in with your lifestyle.

I'd personally go to a rescue where they can assess your two dogs together- and also make sure the new dog is child-friendly- rescues can usually tell if it's going to work out.

Lots of excellent rescues will rehome to full-time workers, but you may need to look at different breeds for this.

If they get along of course the dogs will keep each other company, but another dog is not a replacement for you.

batsintheroof I am interested to know which rescues will home to people that work full time.

think its unfair to both work full time . hours of boredom as they would be young dogs

My greyhound came from the lincolnshire greyhound trust, which rehome to full-time workers, as do GRWE, a well-respected rescue that rehome around 1000 dogs a year. My all-breed small local rescue will also rehome certain dogs to full-time workers. As I said, the OP may need to look at different breeds but if she wants to rehome another dog it is possible through rescue.

I wouldn't personally have a doberman and work full-time, but it is much better for the present dog to stay in an obviously loving home. Another dog that could cope with 9-5 + a dog walker would enhance the life of the first dog, imo. Of course, this should never be a primary reason for taking on another pet- but this isn't the case here.

Lots of rescues rehome to people who work full-time, in fact I've never come across one that doesn't, as long as suitable arrangement are made for the dog. Working full time doesn't necessarily mean the dog is left alone all day - some people work from home, or work different shifts from their partner, and many use dog walkers or dog daycare, or have family to dog-sit for them. There are lots of ways you can make it work, with the right dog.

Whether it's a good idea in the OP's particular case is a different matter, I would definitely advise thinking very carefully about this.

I am amazed. All the rescues that I deal with would not dream of homing to people who work full time.

Being left all day and just having a dog walker take them out once is no life for any dog.

Of course if you work from home that is totally different or work different shifts that goes without saying but to leave a dog regularly for hours on end is not a fair life for a dog. Just because people do it and manage does not make it the right circumstances to keep a dog

No, I completely agree, just trying to say that 'working full time' is not necessarily the same thing as 'leaving the dog alone all day' (or indeed leaving them at all!)

I'm not trying to be pedantic for the sake of it, I think this is an important distinction because the myth of 'you can't have a rescue dog if you work' seems to be quite widely believed (have seen it on here and in real life) and I worry that it puts people off even considering rescue.

The important thing surely is that the individual dog's needs (physical and mental/emotional) are met, and if the owners have a sensible plan in place to make sure that happens, then their employment status is not really relevant - in my opinion anyway.

Of course a good rescue will quiz prospective owners in depth about these issues, which is as it should be!

I wouldn't for the simple reason that having two Dobermans in the house could be very, very intimidating to potential human visitors. This would be of particular concern to me if I ever planned to invite other families with young children over. Like it or not, Dobermans appear quite menacing.