Getting an 11 month old dog - advice please

[Lessworknow]

During our family search for a dog ,we came across an 11 month old cavapoo that has been extensively health checked.

We found him at a home breeders when considering a pup .

He was going to be a stud dog but now she does not need him as she has a pure breed - and this is why we know he is extensively checked and in good health

Breeder issues aside please….

This pup lives with multiple dogs and appears v gentle and chilled .
He has never been on walks but lives in a multi dog house hold and plays in a large garden

The owner took him for his first walk the day before we met him - with another dog and he was hesitant but coped well.

The next day , we went to meet him and walked him near a road . I sat on the floor with him on the grass verge and chatted to him and stroked him as if it was a non issue- again he was fine

When we returned to her home, he sat next to me and put his paw on my leg .

We have decided to bring him home - but are mindful that he has not seen children, been to public places.etc.

Bearing in mind he has missed his early socialisation window, please can we have your practical suggestions to help him transition to our home ?

Am aware he has never been without other dogs- is this a thing to be aware of ? And what can we do specifically to help him settle ?

My ideas in include-
.sleeping near him.
.quiet time at home initially .
some gentle visitors .
. walks near the home - same ones for familiarity .
.introduction to friends dog oriented dog - walks with her for confidence.

I need to introduce him to cafe s and pubs as that is very much part of our family lifestyle.I presume that the idea is to introduce slowly- but if he is anxious- what is the best way to react - treats and reassure or exit .. advice on this and general matter’s would be much appreciated.

I'm only speaking for myself but if I had a few days and nights with a dog at my home and we bonded and he wasn't displaying significant behaviour issues then I would feel comfortable to take a gamble on that dog.

Sure, behaviour problems could arise in time, but that's probably true of any rescue dog. In my mind this is how I would be describing this dog.

It's safer in some ways to get a puppy and raise them properly and lovingly - this reduces the risk of problems arising in adulthood. But I appreciate you have reasons for not wanting to get a puppy and I do agree that puppies can be very hard to raise if you're doing it properly.

If she's not socialised the poor dog in any way in 11 months why on earth would you buy from her? She's obviously not a good breeder. You are encouraging someone to breed more by giving her your money - and she is just dumping an unwanted dog on you.

You don't want something mixed with a poodle because poodles are highly intelligent and high energy dogs, they can also be very needy and have terrible separation anxiety. If you get something mixed with a poodle then you might get all the traits of a poodle. I know someone who bought a cavapoo and it ended up huge with a strong prey drive - killed all their chickens. Poodles are not low prey drive.

Cavs are one of the most terribly inbred dogs right up there with pugs, I definitely wouldn't consider either. This shouldn't just be about what suits you, this should be about the dog too, and finding a well bred cav or pug will be almost impossible. Especially when you frankly don't seem to have much of a clue and sound very naive.

Are you sure this dog wasn't just returned by someone because it has issues and the breeder is lying about having plans to use it has a stud? Why did she change her mind? Have you seen all the certificates for health and had them verified? What breed what your previous dog? To be honest I think you'd be much better off with an older rescue whose temperament is known and who won't be coming from some dodgy breeder pretending to do you a huge favour.

@Lessworknow
If he hasn't even been used to a car, he will literally go apeshit if you put him in a camper van at 11 months old. You will be seriously at risk of injury.
With a dog like this, everything would need to be done at a snails pace. It will be months, or even years before he can travel confidently, if at all.
A dog like this needs a very experienced owner.

People offered you pages and pages of advice before and you don't seem to have taken any of it on board. You could have returned to one of your previous threads instead of starting a new one, because all the advice you were given there still stands. You're just going around in circles and getting nowhere.

I say this kindly, because I have lost elderly dogs myself, but you cannot bring your old dog back, and I feel that this is at the heart of your problems. You want your old dog. You'd be surprised how many of us wish we could have our previous dog back, you are not alone in that, but there comes a point when you have to let it go.

You need an 8 week purebred puppy from a good breeder. No crossbreeds, no puppy farms.

Blistory
we had a kc bichon

This pup lives with multiple dogs - back street breeder
He has never been on walks but lives in a multi dog house hold and plays in a large garden - back street breeder

Agree with pp about poodle crosses. Either get a poodle (not suitable for you) or get something that's not a poodle.
Poodles are not calm low-energy dogs. They need company, they need work and they need training.

The one I thought of before it was mentioned was a Maltese.

I don't think you should get a dog - not one from a rescue, not one from a breeder. If you must get one, get an adult dog you know already that is being rehomed because the owner is going into care or something.

Why these breeds?

If you’re wanting a calm gentle dog why are you looking at high energy breeds?

BarkItOff
i thought that
bichons
and shitz were quite low energy.

but open to suggestions.

Get a cat. They are low energy, don't need training, and they make affectionate pets.

Poodles and poodle crosses are absolutely not. They are a working dog. My poodle goes on hour long runs most days and still wants more. She’s amazing but she is absolutely not a calm lap dog.

Bichon’s are classed as moderate to high energy level and Shih Tzu’s moderate.

I hear greyhounds are pretty low energy but to be honest most dogs are going to need a decent amount of exercise and mental stimulation. Especially a young one.

Generally they are lower energy than a spaniel or a poodle yes.
that won’t make a young dog quiet and calm though, whatever its breed

BarkItOff

wow - twp of my friend have shipoo s and i look after one one day every week .
she is the calmest gentle dog - we go out each morning i have here for 2 hrs a pottering amd a cafe - then back to read in bed tl she goes home at teatime .

Poodles may have been working dogs many years ago, but nowadays they are primarily bred as companions and don't have the energy or drive they once did.

While they do need a decent amount of exercise, they're not what I would describe as high-energy - that's what I would reserve for breeds like working cockers, springers, collies etc.

This very much depends on the lines. You can’t generalise and say they are no longer high energy. My dog has ancestors that are still working to this day.

I have a maltipoo rescue who we got at that age. He is now approaching 4 years old and he's just amazing. He had the roughest start in life, was incredibly underweight, hadn't known the right kind of attention. It took him about 6 months to settle and trust us, and he adores DH but is more relaxed with me. Best thing we ever did.

If I can't generalise, surely you can't either

I didn’t, if you read my full post I talked about ‘my’ poodle.

Oh, so you didn't say "Poodles and poodle crosses are absolutely not. They are a working dog", then? 😏

OP. Take the dog, care for the dog, enjoy the dog. A young dog will no doubt light up your life. With the best will in the world, there will be issues and you'll overcome them together! I always say " Whoever says money can't buy you love, never bought a puppy". It'll be hard work at times and probably for a long time but it sounds like you and that pup are destined to be together. Go bring it home!

And that is a fact.

I then went on to say my dogs exercise requirements.

Maybe you should read the poodle council documents a little more. They are a high energy breed. Many of them are still working. They excel in dog sports like flyball, dock diving and agility. They are used for hunt and retrieve. They have intelligence to rival border collies.

They are in no way low energy dogs.

www.thepoodlecouncil.co.uk/are-poodles-for-you

And this sort of crap advice is exactly why I will never be without work!

I didn't say they were low energy.

But to say they are "bred to work" is simply not true these days - not as a general rule, anyway. Yes, a very small number still hunt and retrieve, and they may do agility etc. in pet homes, but poodles are not working dogs in the way that collies and spaniels are working dogs.

Yeah, fuck dog welfare, as long as OP is happy

Are you aware that when you use quotation marks you are supposed to quote the words someone has used?

I have never said the words “bred to work” as you quoted. I said they are a working breed. That is fact. There is no scale of how much a working dog is a working dog. They are or they are not. So saying they are not as much a working breed as a collie makes no sense. That’s like saying a Jack Russell isn’t as much of a terrier as a Yorkie.

I said they are high energy. That is a fact.

@Dunnocantthinkofone I’m curious, as a dog trainer how many neurotic poodle crosses do you come across that have been bought by people with no clue how much mental and physical stimulation they need?

Okay @BarkItOff I'm not getting into some huge debate with you over semantics.

I don't agree with you that poodles (as we see them today) are working dogs. They are pets - intelligent and active pets - but pets nonetheless.

Best go and tell that to all the poodles still working today then 🤣