# Would this be a bad idea??



## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

We have decided to go ahead and fix our pool this week and I was wondering about something. And its funny because when I first started looking into getting a gsd I wanted to stay far away from rescues .

There are 2 dogs at one of the local rescue that I have been eyeing for a while. Available Dogs - Second Chance German Shepherd Rescue Houston

The ones I was looking at is Yukon and Val. But I would only be getting one of them.

Now I would still want to get a puppy from the breeder which would be some time in early to mid July. 

How bad of an idea would that be? I was thinking that because both of the dogs have out standing family recommendations and are both living with other animal that it may be fine but I dont know how bad of an idea that would be or not.

If we went with Yukon we would have to keep the dogs separate until the pup was a little older but I would do that anyway because I want to bond with both dogs and not have them bond with each other or have chase problems with Yukon.

Your thoughts?

This is all just talk right now because A) I dont know if my husband would go for it and B) the pool thing if there are any problems then we will still have to wait. I just wanted to get other peoples thoughts on this.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

I think that if they are introduced properly it shouldn't be a problem. Yukon is so handsome :wub: I just wanna huggle with him. But it may actually make the puppy more comfortable to have another dog in the house. 
Not sure about your husband lol. I use puppydog eyes on my bf and get anything I want.


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

Yukon is a dreamy looking male. I love love love his looks and all the great things his foster says about him.

What sealed my love was the picture of him with the little 3 year old girl. My son, is going to be 4 in July.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

Awww what day?
That picture was to die for. He seems like he would be an INCREDIBLE dog to have! Especially since you have a young son


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

I love Tristan! Sorry I am no help!.


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

His birthday is on the 25th of July.


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

Josie/Zeus said:


> I love Tristan! Sorry I am no help!.


Tristan was my 3 choice but hes still very much a puppy. I dont know that I could handle 2 puppies going through puppy hood at one time. But youre right hes very handsome too!


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

Josie/Zeus said:


> I love Tristan! Sorry I am no help!.


Haha 
That is adorable :3 I love little kids lol! Too young to have my own so I make everybody else's kids rotten! > My birthday is only four days after his. D'awww!


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## Josie/Zeus (Nov 6, 2000)

Wait, are you getting a puppy also? Sorry I must have missed that post somewhere.

If I were you, I'd pick Tristan because he is heartworm negative, I wouldn't want a hw + dog around a new puppy. That's just me.


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

Yukon won't be sent to his new home until his treatment is done 
Or that's what his info says


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

Personally, I wouldn't get two dogs so closely together but that's just my personal preference. I like having the chance to really get to know the first dog and bond and train with him or her before adding the extra work of a puppy. Plus, I like to make sure that the older dog bonds well with us and I can count on them in a way to not teach the new puppy bad habits. I will have had enough time with the older dog to know them well and know what they need before adding a pup. 

Like I said though, that is 100% based on personal preference and doesn't make getting dogs so closely together a bad idea, just not one I would go for.


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

sashadog said:


> Personally, I wouldn't get two dogs so closely together but that's just my personal preference. I like having the chance to really get to know the first dog and bond and train with him or her before adding the extra work of a puppy. Plus, I like to make sure that the older dog bonds well with us and I can count on them in a way to not teach the new puppy bad habits. I will have had enough time with the older dog to know them well and know what they need before adding a pup.
> 
> Like I said though, that is 100% based on personal preference and doesn't make getting dogs so closely together a bad idea, just not one I would go for.


This is actually my concern. Maybe its not a good idea right now. IDK. I do know that my husband really wants a puppy at least for one of our first dogs. I will have to see what my husband thinks about all of this. I dont know if he would be willing to do both, at least right now.


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## LaneyB (Feb 5, 2012)

I love Lulu! I have never been interested in a female, but for some reason I just love that dog.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

Please don't take this the wrong way but why exactly are you interested in Yukon? I read through his bio and it says a few things that would concern me if I was looking into adding a dog to a young family. Especially if this were the first "family dog." Like the fact that he needs an owner with a lot of experience with large dogs and also that he gets along with the children in the household because they give him space...


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

sashadog said:


> Please don't take this the wrong way but why exactly are you interested in Yukon? I read through his bio and it says a few things that would concern me if I was looking into adding a dog to a young family. Especially if this were the first "family dog." Like the fact that he needs an owner with a lot of experience with large dogs and also that he gets along with the children in the household because they give him space...


The reason I am interested in Yukon are mostly because he is good with children and because he is so sweet with his family. 

My son is the type of child who would give him his space and my daughter is old enough to know/learn how to be with dogs.

As far as an experienced handler thats the only possible iffy thing I can see. While I have never had a gsd I have had other large breed dogs which needed strong leadership and I was able to fulfill those needs. What I dont know is if gsd would be all that different.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I looked at Val and think she would be great. But, I think you should expect to keep them separate when you are unable to supervise, at least until everyone knows everyone better and the pup is grown up quite a bit. 

Sometimes having another dog around does settle a pup in much easier. But ideally, you have already bonded with and trained the older dog, and now you have the time and energy to train, socialize, and bond with the puppy, and the older dog's training/socialization can be on the back burner so to speak. It may work great. 

I agree that Yukon might be a bit much. A dog that needs an experienced handler may be great with kids when managed by an experienced dog-person. But if the dog gets into a situation where everyone is a bit tentative, such a dog might become a challenge, and with kids in that mix, and a puppy too, well that sounds like a major set-up. 

Going into getting a rescued dog or a new puppy, you should not be able to foresee likely problems that might mean one or both dogs would need to be rehomed. Getting a rescue or a new puppy should be done with the idea that this is a forever home. There may be instances that come up that require re-homing, but there are enough of those that happen without going into it with a good likelihood.

It is an awesome thing to do to rescue a dog. There is no way to know for sure what happened to that dog prior to coming to you, but one thing that you do know is that this dog had a home or life, and now it is in transition. It is hoped that when it settles in with you, it will be in its forever home, and will not need to transition into another home, or land in a shelter/pound/rescue again.


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## sashadog (Sep 2, 2011)

Narny said:


> As far as an experienced handler thats the only possible iffy thing I can see. While I have never had a gsd I have had other large breed dogs which needed strong leadership and I was able to fulfill those needs. What I dont know is if gsd would be all that different.


In my experience, they are very different from other breeds. I have had powerful, smart dogs, worked with dogs in daycare and boarding settings, and done agility and obedience with all my previous dogs. Really felt confident and ready to adopt our first GSD and in my experience thus far with Sasha, they are different from any of my other breeds. I'm only cautioning you about a GSD that the rescue believes needs a strong handler because while they're an amazing breed, they really are a breed unto themselves. I'd trust the rescue on this one... Is it possible to ask the rescue to help match you up with a good choice for your family and situation? 

I agree with Selzer that Val seems like a good match for what you've described wanting in a dog as long as you're willing to supervise her and a new puppy when the time comes.


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## Narny (Sep 8, 2010)

Thank you VERY MUCH for your insight! 

I had not thought about what if there was a problem. I think you are right. If there was a problem I would hate to have to rehome the poor dog. So in that case I would have to pass on Yukon . 

I will have to wait a while before I broach the topic to my husband. Spending $4000 on a pool (that he really didnt want to spend right now anyway) plus the $1500 for the breeder is going to be a bit much for him to deal with lol.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

It's great that you are looking at adopting, but with a new puppy coming soon I would highly recommend waiting. Even if you got Val, Yukon or any other dog now, they would just be settling in when the puppy comes. It takes a good 3-6 months for a dog to really settle in and for you to have seen all aspects of their personality and having to split time between 2 new dogs means someone will be getting the short end of the stick.


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