Adoption from Spain. 16/18 week old pup

[Isadora2007]

So... what should I be thinking about if I'm considering this?

She is a beagle/lab and Mastin mix. Looks beagle/lab to me... maybe big paws.

Youngest child is almost 5. I'm a sahm with 17 year old dd who is keen to do lots for the dog including night wees as she has downstairs room with French doors.
Thoughts? We've been considering a dog for a while but waiting til littlest was older. DH is worried he will end up doing the bulk of the work... walks etc.

She is mostly house trained but I have no dog owner experience.

Make sure you thoroughly research the rescue, especially if the pup is coming from Spain without the option to meet her first. You need to be sure they will provide ongoing support and back up in the UK in case you have any issues post adoption. Ideally try and find others who have adopted from them previously if you can, and not just those who the rescue themselves will put you in touch with.

What sort of environment is the pup coming from? Is she currently in kennels or a foster home? Bear in mind that she's not going to be a blank slate just because she's young. Temperament/behaviour has a very strong genetic component and given the suspected mix she is she could potentially be quite a challenging dog. Research the individual breeds she's thought to be a mix of so you're as prepared as possible. Chances are she won't have had a good start in life which could potentially have lasting effects on her.

Being brutally honest I'm not sure adopting a puppy of this potential mix, who is already past the socialisation window and who (presumably, if she's still in Spain) you don't have the option of meeting beforehand is a terribly good idea when you've got children and no experience of owning dogs.

Honestly as a first time puppy owner (now 1 year old) if you was my friend I would be seriously discouraging you from getting this one.

Firstly you have a young child. I have none and it has been very very hard work and I can honestly say adding a child into the mix would have broke me. People do make it work but don’t discount the upheaval to your life.

You say it is mostly house trained. Umm I wouldn’t count on it, coming to a new home with the added stress I think you should accept you will need to train it and anything else is a bonus. Sleep deprivation was horrible getting up to take it out all the time because until they can ask ‘everytime’ to go out you need to take them out and praise them. Expect your 17 year old to get fed up of cleaning up any mess once the reality sets in. Again house training was tiring. You will always get people who say they trained their dog super fast but you can’t guarantee that and if you look at all the puppy survival threads on here you will see that lots of us have struggled.

As Cornflake said look up all the breeds of the puppy and make sure you could cope if you got the worst bit of each. I have a working cocker and was prepared for the worst bit of them but even at times it’s hard and I knew what I was getting.

You DH may be right when your DD wants to be doing her own thing and you are looking after a demanding young child he may be left trying to look after and train a young dog. Once they go past the puppy stage they hit adolescence and trust me that is no walk in the park. I have just been through a good 3-4 months of stubbornness, crap recall and regression in behaviour with mine until he matured.

I am really not saying NO to a dog/puppy because if you can cope with everything I have mentioned you end up with a lovely member of the family. But maybe pick one from a rescue in the uk where you get ongoing support on your back door if you needed it. Dogs trust was good and would have rehomed a puppy to me except I wanted a specific breed so bought rather than rescued.

This isn't a good idea.

Get a local puppy, ideally from a rescue, and give yourself a chance to get a new pet without the added pressure of acquiring it from another country.

Totally agree with Maryz. Why are you adopting fro. Spain? Is this a street dog?

This trend for "rescuing"foreign dogs is really worrying. We are starting to see conditions that we weren't seeing in the UK. Serious zoonotic conditions. Leishmaniasis being an example. This is something that if you really must get this dog you need to have it tested for. There isn't much evidence (if any) for dog-dog transmission but it also can't be ruled out. Tick Bourne diseases such as babesisia are also occurring in the UK. These conditions are serious and distressing.

It is only a matter of time before we get an incident of rabies imo.

THERE are dogs that are being euthanized in UK rescues because they can't be rehomed.

YES I feel for dogs in other countries but if you really want to help then join campaigns to help change things (good luck with that) but don't romanticize "rescuing" a foreign dog. Many of these dogs have not lived in a proper home and they struggle. Especially after the trauma of getting to the UK. Please be aware that there may be behavioural issues.

There's no way in the world I'd take a mastin cross coming from an unknown background and I'm an experienced dog owner without small children.

Livestock guardian breeds are absolutely not ideal first dogs.

Expect your 17 year old to lose interest very quickly, and with a reluctant dh, a 4 year old, owners with no dog experience it will be tough enough without adding to the mix a rescue with unknown background/temperament, large guarding breed/high prey drive breed in the mix, no rescue centre support, puppy arriving at upto 18 weeks which is well into that important socialisation window this is a recipe for disaster.

I wouldn't take an unknown puppy from abroad
I wouldnt have a Mastin as a first dog
I wouldn't get a puppy if I had a 4 year old

Thank you all. I think you've voiced all the very sensible negatives that were going around in my head.
The only difference is the dog is fairly local as she was adopted but the family dog hasn't taken to her and she is now being re- rehomed. So we would be able to meet her before.
However I would worry about the inability to know her temperament from her parents and the possible mix of all the bad traits of the mix of breeds.
At least I have begun a dialogue with dh about whether or not we may consider a dog for our future and if so, how we could best prepare for one.
I wish breeders would keep the pups just a little longer as I would worry about a tiny 8 week old pup and feel that age is what puts me off most- Do any breeders keep their pups longer? Would it be worth finding a local breeder and asking them and getting to know them? And kind of "booking" a future pup?

Thanks again.

Oh. The 4 year old is nearly 5 and at school. We had the chance of a lovely pup a few years ago under difficult circumstances and sadly couldn't agree as littlest was 2 and we had toys all over the place etc and the stress of a toddler and a puppy would be a lot. Now he is at school I would have the time to devote to concentrating on puppy and training etc. Plus the toys live upstairs now...and the house is far more dog friendly.

I wouldn't write your 17 yr old off. We had a dog when I was 17 (many moons ago) and I did the vast majority of the day to day care.

I would also avoid this pup. Just doesn't sound like the right fit for your circumstances. We have a four and a six yr old and adding a pup to that was really hard, so I wouldn't complicate it by going for a potentially more difficult dog.

Some breeders will insist on keeping the pup until 12 or 16 weeks as they want to make sure the initial socialisation and toilet training are done correctly although I'd say it's not the norm. I can definitely see the appeal of taking a slightly older pup but it will only be an advantage if the person you ge them from knows what they are doing. You're best bet for finding someone that does is probably to contact some through breeder lists on kennel club or champ dog websites but you might have to wait longer.

This sounds like an extremely challenging cross, OP. (Also bear in mind that it may be that they haven't got on with the older dog in the current home because they are a bit full on.)

I wish breeders would keep the pups just a little longer as I would worry about a tiny 8 week old pup and feel that age is what puts me off most- Do any breeders keep their pups longer?

Unless toy breeds, which do need to stay longer, I would rather take a pup slightly under 8 weeks than an older one. By that age, the larger and livelier breeds are very much needing individual attention. Most breeders would not be able to give them sufficient individual time to do the socialisation that I would want to start.

Personally as a first time owner I would not consider this combination at all. Add to that the fact the puppy is of unknown background and genetics I think it could end badly.

I think the most sensible option would be to look at breeds and select one that fits, then try and find a breeder who would match you with a puppy that would work with your family.

Don't underestimate how hard it is to undo bad training and bad genetics. Beagles are really not easy dogs to train especially one that has potentially not had the best start.

I also think 8-9 weeks is roughly the best age to get a puppy. Young enough that you are avoiding any issues caused by a lack of individual attention and socialisation but also old enough that it's had the correct socialisation from mum and the litter.