If you've rehomed before should you ever get another dog?

[fizzingbubbleseffervescence]

I'm still reeling with the grief and guilt from rehoming our first ever dog. Do you think it's ever possible to get another one? Is there a breed/personality out there for every owner, or are some people just not dog people?

We got our first ever dog as an 8 week old puppy. We read pretty much every book going in advance and we attended puppy classes from the get go. The puppy bit us from day one but we accepted this (and trained hard) as that's what puppies do isn't it? We followed the advice to the letter from small group and one-one trainers but the biting never seemed to stop. We worked so hard on training for 13 more months and we had a practically perfect dog in terms of recall, toileting, sitting and waiting. But for some reason she continued to bite us on walks, either off lead or on lead. She was a big 40kg dog and I was covered in bites. We followed the advice of two behaviourists and in the end the vet said it was too dangerous for me to walk her. She bit my children too and we were terrified it was a ticking time bomb before she bit a member of the public.

We contacted a breed specific rescue who said they would train her from their home. They said it's such a difficult breed but she was the most difficult they ever met. She kept attacking their other dogs and they said they couldn't cope with her any more but they found a lovely older couple who had no children and no other dogs and lots of experience with her breed and she seems to be happy with them.

I'm so happy she's OK but I feel traumatised from the bites and grief that I've lost my baby. I've got a big dog shaped hole that I'd love to fill and so much love and energy to give to another dog.

Do you think it was a one off awful experience? I don't think I'll ever get over losing her. Everyone I knew told me it wasn't safe to keep her but I don't know if the guilt will ever go. Has anyone ever been through this and gone on to get another dog?

Thank you for any support.

I'm so sorry to hear that 🌸 I'm so pleased it worked out in the end

We did do that for a few weeks. But the vet said muzzle punches could be as bad as bite bruises and they really were sore. Once I took her to the park on my own at 5am and she got into such an attacking frenzy she managed to get her muzzle off. It was terrifying. But then she went back to being lovely again once it was out of her system. It was always so out of the blue.

I'm so pleased it worked out for you with your beautiful poodles 🥰

Thank you, I think that would be a lovely idea. I really want to give something back and give a rescue a loving home

Yes that's the information that we came across, loyal and loving family dogs 😔

Schnauzers aren't great first time owner dogs and need fairly firm handling from the word go. I'd go for something easy like a lab etc. Breed descriptions are often idiotic. A descriptor like 'Vocal' doesn't sound so bad but what they mean is will bark endlessly at everything that moves.

Sometimes. We rehomed a Labrador we had when my daughter was young then we had a son who was, after a horrendous pregnancy, very premature. I then developed ptsd and was ill for 5 years. Unfortunately I couldn’t cope with the dog and we rehomed him. I don’t regret it although I do feel sad for him but it was a decision we had to make.

Fast forward 10 years and we got another puppy and he’s wonderful and an absolute part of our family.

We once got a dog with very young children. This was pre-internet research availability. It was more than I could handle. Wrong breed for our stage of life and expectation didn't match reality. We rehomed the dog. 15 years later life was a lot different and we got another dog. This time we were more informed about breed differences and so on. We're great dog owners this time around and it went so well we got another dog.

I don't generally believe in rehoming animals as it's a commitment. In this case, while not ideal, I think we did the right thing for the animal and I forgive myself as having had a learning experience.

I think it's absolutely possible.

But you really, really need to research your breed properly. I don't know a huge amount about Giant Schnauzers, but a quick 30-second look on Wikipedia tells me they're highly energetic working dogs who can be territorial and aloof with strangers, which, in all honesty, does make me question what kind of research you actually did before picking that breed.

I work with dogs (and own one) and any breed described as territorial is one that would get a hard pass for me, and I don't even have children to consider.

That said, I don't think that means you couldn't get another dog in the future, but you absolutely must do your research. Join breed groups and speak to the owners about the reality. Find out the most negative traits of the breed and decide if that something you could live with 24/7 for fifteen years. If possible, get some experience looking after the breed as well - dog-sitting or regular walks so you know what you're getting yourself into.

Good luck!

Being a responsible pet owner is doing the right thing for the animal, even if it's the wrong thing for you.

Sounds like this breed wasn't for you, I wouldn't say never get a dog again but I would hope that you might consider an older dog perhaps, or one that needs less attention than the one you had before.

If you kept getting them and then rehoming them then I would be concerned, sounds like that's not the case here

Years ago we had a puppy from a rescue that we had raised well, as we had all of our other dogs before him. From a puppy he was nervous but as he grew he became unpredictably and dangerously aggressive to anyone and anything outside of the immediate family, to the point life became an absolute misery (especially as we have children) and he was a liability claim waiting to happen. The dog had the most miserable stressful life and in the end after many years of training, behavioural work (I even got a degree in canine behaviour because of it!) we had him euthanised after a near miss with a stranger on our driveway.

Anyway, years later I’ve fostered probably another 20 dogs of the same breed (German shepherd) plus owned another 3-4 of a different breed. I’ve never had a problem again!

Some dogs just aren’t the right fit for a family or even society, it does not mean you couldn’t get it right with a different type of dog and with some expert help.

If you get another dog get a smaller breed that is known to be docile and not bite. You still get to go on walks and train it. It will still be a loving companion just not bite you. I was a novice dog owner and got 2 Lhasa Apso and they fit into family life perfectly. They have to go to groomers every 8 weeks because fur grows quickly and they bark like mad every time someone comes near to our home. Apart from that they are perfect, loving and affectionate. 1 loves going for long walks the other sits when she has had enough and DH carries her home. They don't eat much so cost is low.

There is a lot to be said about getting a breed/type of dog that suits your lifestyle and you can do various quizzes online to establish suitable breeds based on your likes/dislikes. If I were to get a dog, it would be a smaller breed - not yappy and neurotic but not too high energy.

As it happens I have a cat, so along the same lines, I got a Persian, which is quiet and fairly lazy.

Do your research and choose wisely next time. We can all make mistakes but be honest with yourself about what you are willing to deal with.

You say you didn't choose a dog for looks, but that your DH wanted a giant breed that was non-shedding. I think in general, giant breeds don't go well with young kids- there's just a lot more potential for someone to get hurt if things go wrong. It does sound like to some extent there were aesthetic considerations when choosing your dog, and perhaps that you assumed all breeds would behave in similar ways.

I think if you do get another dog, you need to be really realistic about the type of dog that is appropriate for you/your lifestyle and that is within your capabilities to handle safely.

That said, it does sound like your dog was quite unusual in her behaviour-hopefully you wouldn't have the same issues with a future dog. But some dogs do need a purpose, and to work. And some breeders deliberately breed these "high drive" dogs mainly for working homes.

In some breeds, it's not just the breed, but the lines you choose as well.

OP we have been in a similar position. I love dogs but I don’t think I will ever get another one because I could not take the risk of same thing happening again, however unlikely that may be. Not just for the dog’s sake but I could not put my kids through it again. What you have been through sounds awful, how does everyone else in the house feel?

I am a first time dog owner.

It sounds like you have tried really hard to work with and train your dog, who you clearly love. At worst, you made a mistake when you chose that particular breed. This is clearly not an easy decision and you are trying to do tge right thing, which is clearly rehoming.

Do i think this should prevent you from ever owning another dog? No. You now know that you never want to be in this position again, or for a dog to be.

This could easily have been me. We researched and thought carefully, but about the wrong things. We didn't think about breed enough. We have a 7 month old standard golden doodle. In retrospect, a smaller dog would have been a better fit. Any kind of sub-optimal behaviour is so much worse in a big dog... In our case jumping up. Fortunately, we can cope and we are working on it, and he is otherwise lovely.

However, my point is that i could have been you and i empathise.

The fact that the dog is happy and doing well in her new home, suggests that something went very wrong in your home, despite all the intervention you sought. I have experienced rescue dogs like this and it's very obvious where things went wrong, the owners never think it's them and things always go well in the new home.

I agree you have done the right thing by rehoming and also that this was probably never going to be the right breed for you, but also, where was the breeder when you wanted to rehome? It sounds like they weren't around,s o weren't a great breeder in the first place and a great breeder may have well put you off the breed to begin with...

So if you want to consider another dog in the future, I would say you need to really have a serious look into why things went so wrong and ensure that you research and ensure you find a breed that will be easier, more suitable for your family and less likely to develop bad habits due to breed traits, but also research and be prepared to wait for the right breeder or rescue dog. That said, you may well find it difficult for anyone to agree to home a dog or puppy with you if you are honest about rehoming a previous dog.

Giant Schnauzers are bitey bastards and known to be very hard work, what were you thinking OP? 😂

I don’t think it’s wrong of you get another dog, just don’t go for a bitey breed next time - as a rough guide, any dog that excels in shutzhund is probably going to be a hard work dog.

Standard poodles are massive (bigger than a schnauzer) and don’t shed

I think it very much depends on the reason. In this case, I wouldn't say you should never get another but be realistic about the breed. Large, high energy working breeds rarely do well as family pets. They need a firm, experienced hand, a job to do and an outlet for their energy. Its not that dogs aren't for you, just that you picked an unsuitable one.

A family member had 2 dobermans put down one after the other because they simply refused to accept that a powerful guarding breed dog was not compatible with a busy household full of young children whose friends were traipsing in and out multiple times a day.

After that they got a retriever who was, of course, a dream. You have to look at what these dogs were bred to do and the circumstances in which they will live.

I have a labrador who is the softest dog ever, loves children, follows me about like a shadow. But she needs a couple hours exercise or work a day or she is bored shitless and will entertain herself and unfortunately her idea of fun is vastly different from mine.

I've taught her to get me various things, to bark when the washing machine finishes, to keep the toddler contained in the living room. These things are her jobs. Working breed dogs like a job to do.

They need purpose otherwise they just make up their own and as I said, it is never anything I would consider remotely helpful.

Your family member sounds like a cunt. Having two intelligent loyal dogs killed because they’re too thick to train them??

I took on a rescue dog that I had to give back to the rescue. I realised I had been very naive about what I could offer a dog that had several significant issues.

I waited a couple of years before thinking about getting another dog and was much more realistic about what I could and couldn't manage.

I got a puppy from a family home, small, biddable breed and he's been the perfect dog for our family.

So yes imo you can get another dog.

I don’t really know how to answer this but I have a friend whose first puppy just didn’t work for them (she has two children and he was very bite-y too); I didn’t meet that dog but they now have the most gorgeous dog (that they got as a puppy) and he’s perfect. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out — but it’s a bit like any relationship, I think. Please don’t let it put you off. You sound as though you’d be great as a dog owner.

@UseAMuckySock They didn't really have a choice after they bit the children. No rescue would take them. But the dogs should never have been put in that position to start with. She set them up to fail. She was told multiple times after the first that they weren't family dogs.

She's a fucking idiot. Not a deliberately bad person. Just completely unrealistic in what you can expect from a dog and didn't do enough research. Bought into all the nature vs nurture shit. To a certain degree, yes its how you raise them but you can't train out their natural instincts completely. She was bloody stupid and learnt the hard way. I felt for the dogs but they couldn't be rehomed with a history of having seriously bitten a child.

Out of curiosity, you say they’re not family dogs - do you mean those two particular dogs or Dobermanns as a breed?

(speaking at someone who made the mistake of getting a Dobermann - beautiful dog, but never again)

In my opinion, the breed in general. They were lovely dogs, fine with adults, progressed quickly with obedience training, intelligent and generally easy to handle but it was the guarding instinct that was present in them both (from different breeders) that eventually led to 2 of the children getting bitten (youngest and her friend)