Need to decide if this dog is for us

[TeddyTeddington]

We've been keeping our eyes peeled at the rescue shelters and the dog sanctuary near us for a couple of months as we would like another dog. The only requirements we have is must be ok with another dog, smallish breed and a dog that doesn't require too much walking as our current boy is 10 and has issues with his back legs. He enjoys his walks but he can't go very far anymore.

My husband got talking to a guy from work who said him and his wife will be looking to rehome there beloved 18 month pooch as he is retiring and they have bought a property abroad.

He told my husband all bout the dog and he did fit what we were looking for although he is younger than what we were thinking.

The dog has been living with his mum, she had 3 dogs in the litter and he was kept. The mum unfortunately died 6 months ago in a horrific attack at the park and the dog has been struggling ever since as they have said he isn't very outgoing and he needs another dog to lead him.

We have met the dog on a few occasions now and we need to decide if we are going to have him or not.

The few concerns I have are, he has been completely mollycoddled and almost treated like a baby and seems to want constant human companionship.
He has food issues and eats too quickly and choaks himself so feeding will need to be at set times feeding him bit by bit not leaving the bowl down like I would normally.

After the attack on the owners other dog the dog hasn't been out for walks or been to the vets for his boosters. Nor has he been to the groomers.

She clearly loves him so much she doesn't want any harm coming to him but she's not meeting his needs, he seems to be quite matted also.

He's a sweetheart, so gentle and loving and is so beautiful he looks like a teddy bear (shauzer/ poodle) from what I've seen He isn't that active and does lots of sleeping on laps.

I've always said next time we got a dog I didn't care what breed as long as he was right for us, and this little boy is so lovely but do you think with a bit of work we can over come these little issues?

Also would it be best to introduce our dog to him in advanced? Due to him not having the vaccines we won't be able to do it on neutral ground.

She asked what brand he was currently on and said in few words it was rubbish and he needed a better brand high quality diet and recommended what they sold at the vets.

We don't have a pet plan at the vet so don't get any reduction in price but knew I could shop around.

We are going to look at pet superstore today and I will then come back and research the brands before re buying in bulk.

There are so many brands I got a bit overwhelmed in Pets At Home. I also feel that it is really hard to tell which ones are good quality as clearly a high price does not automatically mean great food. I just bought the brand that the breeder was feeding the pups. Working on the not very scientific reasoning that if it is hard to get it must be good .

Someone on here frequently recommends Skinners Trial and Field (I think that's what it's called). It's apparently a good-quality nutritious food at a similar price to the supermarket foods.

Have a look at brands like Millie's Wolfheart as well. When you order online over a certain weight, delivery is free (and fast). Because these foods are so nutritious you don't need to feed as much as you do the cheaper brands. So they can work out a similar cost in the end because you're using less food.

Aw. I hope the trial goes well.

Being cynical, of course the vet is going to recommend something they sell at the practice! Below are a few brands which I've seen recommended on here (I fed raw two foster dogs). If the new dog is only 5kg you won't need very much each day

*Harringtons Complete Adult Dog - Grain-Free - turkey and veg
*Arden Grange (hypoallergenic - meaning Arden Grange Dry Dog Food is free from wheat, beef, soya and dairy products.)
*Millie's Wolfheart
Pets@Home do big bags of frozen tripe - very good for dogs, can supplement anything else you're giving.

Being cynical, of course the vet is going to recommend something they sell at the practice

Yep, second this. My vet's practice does this with Royal Canin, whether it's right for the dog or not. My dog is fed better food than Royal Canin, but they still recommend it to us

It's become a bingo game now - how often will the nurses and vets mention Royal Canin over our dog's lifetime? When our dog first went for vaccinations it was Royal Canin for puppies; when she was spayed it was Royal Canin for spayed dogs; when we were investigating possible seasonal allergies, it was Royal Canin Hypoallergenic food

No no no. I'm sorry OP, but I do believe that you should never do a private rehome. You have no idea what bull you're being fed so that someone can essentially palm their dog onto someone else.
I know several people who have done this (via gumtree, Facebook, word of mouth etc) and it has never gone well. People seem to think that dogs are toys which can be foisted into someone else when they become inconvenient.

If you're going to rescue a pup, please go to a known rescue centre who have ensured that the dog is healthy, of sound mind and has been assessed for behavioural issues. You may feel like you're doing a good thing but having this dog may become a nightmare for you and unfair on the dog if you can't cope and need to rehome it again. Please think carefully.

If you're near a pets at home, have a look at fishmongers finest dried food. I think it's the best value for money for what you can get in there and the fish oil means it's great for problem joints

we use skinners for our 3 year old border collie and our 10 week pup has started on their puppy food. The elder dog is in excellent condition. I buy from Amazon - its about $28 / 15kg bag which lasts the older dog a month or so.

With regards the 'cheaper brand of dry food' - you'd be kinda shooting yourself in the foot by forking out for a good wet food and then adding rubbish back into the diet with a cheap kibble unless it states it's got no artificial additives or preservatives or colours. I'd also go for one that doesn't list wheat or the word 'cereals' in the ingredients list - that is a good quick way of filtering out most of the poorer foods.

Good luck with your new dog x

I just wanted to post and thank everyone of you for you support on the dog food. We went to a pet food superstore and looked at every label, the results were shocking it seems high price does not mean high quality. The expensive named brands being the worse for nutrition.

The fog came to us with his brand of basics cheapest money could buy and I compared it to the pedigree I buy and it's actually the same 4% meat. We have settled on a brand at the moment with 45% with 40% of that being meat, veggies and potatoes and the difference in a week is incredible.

We are off to buy fishmongers finest dry food today as that looks very very good so thanks to the poster that suggested that. I will need to soak it.

We have new pooch now, and he is such a sweetheart and has taken over. He's very placid but very sweet and the friendliest dog I have ever come across.

He loves our other dog, other dog is a bit weary and intreged at the same time. He was quite constipated the first Couple of days as he dropped a log in the house. He did it again a few days later since being on new food and it's no longer rock hard.

He's been out for a walk and I honestly believe he had never been out before as he didn't know what to do my husband had to walk in front so he could follow our other dog, he's a bit spooked by other people. We have been taking him on short walks just around the block to get him used to sights and sounds before he goes to the fields as we have to walk along a busy road for a few minutes.

I've given him a good brush and he's got a few matted tuffs and a bit stinky but he's booked in at the groomers on Thursday.

Lovely update.

Thanks for your update Teddy. Lovely to hear it's going well. I'm sure he'll come out of his shell even more in the next few weeks. He'll certainly feel a lot better when he's able to go to the groomers.

He's going to love his new life with you!

Nice update. Lucky dog got a new family for Christmas :)

Yay, good to hear he's settling in well.