Please would share your rescue dog stories with me....

[DeliaRose]

We want a dog. A puppy really. We have 3 young DC (6,3,1).

We don't want to spend £500 + on a dog when rescue homes are overflowing.

We're worried about risks with a rescue dog.

We need some advice, please?!

Gosh, is that so bats (im not questioning!) my dog is a piece of cake really (but then im used to rescue rotwiellers so maybe its all relative). I think a terrier is always going to be a challenge though, but i am honestly very lazy wiht mine and he is the easiest dog ive had. Id have another tomorrow, and another :)

I don't think they always choose you. We called the kennel, had a long chat and when we arrived our boy had been got ready for us. It wasn't love at first sight for me when we met him. He was, well, huge and sort of hung around the doorway of his kennel sizing us up. But we took him for a walk, and by the time we came back we were all in love. Then DS2 fell over in his paddock and there was a bit of a heart in mouth moment when he was flat on his back and the dog bounded up to him. I tensed up and the kennel owner just put her hand on my arm and said 'I'll be fine. He's fine.' DDog just gave him a nuzzle and stood back while he got up.

The next time we went up he definitely remembered us or the roast chicken he had off us the first time!

I was wary when she said Patterdale, but she knows about our family set up, so don't think she would have suggested it unless she thought we could cope. She thinks they may have some basset in them

boringnickname - it's great to hear you've had a positive outcome! Do you have any pics?

I'm feeling massively guilty about the lab though, she was lovely

Don't feel guilty about the lab, my friend has one & she is constantly knocking over my 8 & 5 yr old & trying to jump on my dog !

I don't want to rain on your parade, but please don't jump into this...as I said, we waited a year, mainly to make sure it was the right choice & not a fad.

Also be prepared to have poo up the wall at least the first night, taking pup out to the loo every hr until toilet trained, having the kids toys chewed, dog peeing in their bedroom, constantly telling your kids to leave the dog alone !

Perhaps don't rule out a slightly older pup..? You're just as likely to find this as a result of relationship break ups or families moving into accommodation where no pets are allowed.

I wouldn't feel too guilty about the lab. If she is lovely I'm sure she will find a home quickly. When we got our pup the whole litter was spoken for within days of becoming available (rescue pups are quite rare where we live). I'd find it really hard to walk away from a lovely pup though!

Patterdales are lovely! In fact I like terriers best. We wanted a JRT when we found Harley but there weren't any available that were suitable for us. of course they need excercise and stimulation - but what dog doesn't? I'd like to find a young dog that doesn't need lots of that!

Everything I read about them screams "no good for a family"

But these are a cross and could have anything mixed in, so I suppose it's anyones guess how they'll be!

Here's a pic

Ohhhhhhh just look How could you say no???

If it's any help my dad had a JRT - hugely active and lively. But he lived very happily with an elderly couple (still quite active to start with though). He coped with all my kids from babies to teenagers and was the perfect dog for the family. But he had been trained and was a confident and well-loved animal. I think that is the most important thing.

I'm fairly clueless when it comes to terriers, what would you say is 'typical' of a terrier? I've read they can become quite a 'one man dog', rather than part of the 'pack' (family), is this right?

But then - would that be down to training/how its brought up more than typical breed characteristics?

I need to stop wigging about it really, don't I?!

awwwww they are just sooo cute (i'll have to figure out how to put a picture of my boy up) hypnotic terrier Im not sure if this has worked!

He has definate jacksie in there though - i think those puppies look very cute, they dont look like they will be very big as their legs are uie short- have the both!!!

delia - I am not an expert. Only just getting back into the World of Dog after 25 years of being dog-less but as a child we always had at least one dog in the home and we had a lot of the breeds that are seen as 'difficult' eg collies and terriers of various types usually from pups. The only dogs that were troublesome were dogs that were rescued from homes where they had been mistreated over a period of years.

What did the rescue advise?

I think the big difference is growing up with dogs & being a first time owner.

Terriers are, by their very nature, terrors. So westies/jack Russells were bred for ratting. They are energetic, aggressive & what out me off, was the hard bite - they bite to kill their prey.

Yes, all dogs need a walk, but their needs are different. If you don't mind me saying, if you're asking all these questions, you need to do some research.

What about signing up with a dog sitting agency & dog sitting. They pair up your situation to the dog & you get paid. Then you can really get a feel for dog owning.

Fwiw, my dog is snuggled up asleep next to me, no walk yet due to the rain, but quite content. Unlike my friends cairn terrier, who races around the house like a mad thing...Low maintenance & lazy, like me !

Terriers are just fine if you treat them properly. See my earlier post about how we've had them since just before our first child was born.

In general, they need firm but very kind treatment. With ours, we found that lots of handling worked best. Lots of cuddling, stroking, playing. If they start getting 'mouthy', shut them up in a kitchen without a word. That way they learn that puppy nipping does not get results. Every time they are gentle and loving, they get more and more attention.

The first two we had arrived at the same time, aged nine weeks. THey did a lot of their puppy play-biting on one another, which was good for us. The second two, who didn't arrive at the same time, tried, at first, to use us as their biting buddies. We just kept telling them off in very deep, growly voices, and sometimes shutting them in the kitchen if they repeated the transgression. On one occasion I scruffed one of the pups for repeated play bites. This didn't hurt her, but it made her think twice about trying to nibble my toes as I tried to cook supper.

By the time they were six months plus the pups were generally a lot calmer. Now, our latest terrier is 21 months. A real softie indoors. Loves rolling around on the floor with the children. On walks, she is a hunter-killer. We have to be careful where we let her off the lead: if we know there are likely to be rabbits or pheasants, she stays on the extendable lead. Her recall is good if she's not distracted by prey, but I never take chances. She will walk for as far as we want: twenty minutes in the rain, or for hours and hours. She loves ball games. Any job we undertake indoors or outdoors is supervised by her: she is unbelievably nosy.

In short, they are really good fun dogs. With strong senses of humour. I love the fact that they are so portable, too. Even in a small car.

Patterdales are smashing dogs but they are not great with children - I'm sure someone will come along and tell you they've got one and it's great, but they DO have a reputation as not being good with tinies. I'm not biased, they are my favourite breed but I won't be getting her till DCs are 7 / 8!

Well we've seen them, and we bring Beau home next week

She's gorgeous

A few of the litter were very bitey, but she was the calmest out of the lot, just crawled onto my lap for some fuss, didn't mouth at all.

So excited!!

Hi, we have just brought home our rescue dog, a terrier mix. She is pottering around. Unfortunately she has kennel cough, we have been given some medication if she gets worse and have been advised to give some benylin also. How on earth will i get benylin into her? She does smell of kennels, bless her, but I obviously do not want to stress her by doing anything about that at the moment. I have a little spray of dry shampoo, and she was quite happy with that. The kitchen does stink, really overpowering. Any temporary tips on this?The crate is another matter. I have put the odd treat in there, but she will not go in for the ones that she cannot just stretch to get. Basically she won't put her feet in, but travelled really well and quietly in the car home in it. I hope she doesnt freak out and bark all night as that will aggravate her cough more.

How about giving her a bit of a sponge down? We didn't use a crate for our puppy, he had a bed in a separate room (originally with a baby gate, but the cats wound him up so that he charged it, so then we shut the door!) next to our bedroom and that worked for us.

I can't remember what benelyn tastes like, but is it possible that she might like the taste and just lap it up? Otherwise I guess you will need to syringe it like with a baby.

I bathed my rescue dog the next day because she'd had a couple of runny poos on her crate over night. I just put her in the bath, warm shower head & washed her back end, tail & back. She smelt much better & was fine. I gave her a treat as soon as she came out.

Ref the crate, have it where you are most of the day & her bed in there so it's nice & comfy. Put treats in a couple of times a day & you may find she goes in there because it's comfortable. Have you got a blanket over the top & sides ?

Good luck with your dog !

Nooka and willowisp I have syringed it into him while holding his mouth, and wiped off the bits that got on his whiskers with a baby wipe, good as gold!

Took him for a nice walk and that seems to have got the wind through his coat and improved it. I think he may be able for a nice wash in a couple of days.

I put a few treats into the crate and he just stretched her neck in at first. I then out a couple further back and he put one paw in, then the other and then ate the treat and decided to have a lie down.

He had a nice walk this afternoon, walking nicely.

He has gone into it a few times but is very attached to me already and as soon as I move, he does. He is now sleeping soundly on a mat in the sitting room. I hope that he accepts it ok tonight. I will put him out for a wee before we go to bed at 10 ish and then pop him in with a treat, and close the door. I hope he is not upset, as this will make him cough. He is truly lovely.

The funny thing is that, although he is as good as gold, he doesn't seem to know 'sit'.

Well you'll have to train him then ! I suggest the book Victoria Stillwell, perfect dog I think it's called. Also, the Adaptil collar made a big difference with her settling on.

Glad today went well, just so you know, they bond with one person, my dog has bonded very closely to me, so the whole family has to 'share the love'. So dd let's her out into the garden in the morning & goes into the garden...she wouldn't go in on her own for a while, just stood on patio. I suggest someone else feeds him too.

My Dh works at home, so when I'm out, she's with him, until I'm back, when she goes bonkers

Have you got a kong, one of them with cream cheese in the freezer is good for crate training.

Remember not to expect too much, I think after 3 weeks, the Adaptil collar went on & we noticed her starting to relax & every week we just saw little changes. There was generally lots of padding around every time I got up, then she started to get her toy & then she started to roll around on the rug & actually look happy.

willow yes he is padding around every time I get up. He barked and ratted his crate last night for quite a while which we expected, and although he had been clean in kennels he had done a couple of poos in his crate, which was obviously our fault for not doing a late enough walk after tea at 4.30! All cleaned up and no problem. I will dap spray his crate tonight before bedtime, and I don't know if I should cover it also cover it with a blanket. What do you think?

Regarding training, he has been booked into classes before we even got him, so they are imminent.

I will try the kong today, will this upset his tummy though? Would philidelphia light be ok in this? Bless him, he is sleeping a lot and looks so relaxed, but becomes alert in milli-second!

Did you not let him out after 4.30pm ? My dog goes for a wee first thing, about 11 am, 4 pm, maybe 7 pm & always before we go to bed. The first few days I was going in the garden with her every hr & I was worried that she wasn't peeing..turns out she didn't need it.

Yes, put a dark towel over the crate. Glad you have the spray, but the collar is wafting the pheromones around them ALL the time, so if you havent got one, please do. Sorry I keep on about them, but the difference was amazing (especially as I took it off & didnt put it on for about 16 hrs :-/.

I just bought own brand soft cheese, she only has it if she is going to be alone in the day, which has happened about 3 times! Shouldn't upset his tummy, unless any allergies..you could also try peanut butter but my dog won't touch it. Have you on some chewy sticks ? They are very good to chew & a stress relief. I bought a pack of about 20 on eBay.

May I make the suggestion that you don't have him on the sofa, but take his bed into the lounge in the evening ? I've had my dig in the sofa & I'm not into all the cesar Milan stuff, but I do think you're showing them that it there space, whereas i think it's better for them to be asked. I have a cat that likes to come on my lap & my dog has a tendancy to think she may own me & the sofa...
If she has a chew, I like her to eat it in her bed, as I don't the chew being touched by the dc when they are sitting together (although they we're all tucked up yesterday).

I can't seem to find what sort of dog you have & the age ?