# Possible adoption 2yr old GSD



## Germylove14 (Jul 2, 2019)

Hello!

So my husband and I are interested in adopting a 2yr old GSD male from our local shelter. We currently have a 1 year old female German Shepard mix (40-50lbs). We got her when she was about 3-4 months old from the same
shelter we’re looking at now. She’s the absolute sweetest dog. Doesn’t bark unless you’re playing with her and work her up, has never nipped has the most amazing temperament. 

My worry is the kids(4.5&1.5)getting nipped, and conflict between the dogs or possible picked up habits from the new dog. 

Does anyone have advise for introducing and honest options on whether this is a good idea or not. 

All is welcomed!


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

Most shelters can't do good "kid testing." It requires someone using their own kids as "bait kids" (that's what a "rescue mom" I know who does this jokingly calls her own kids...but she's an absolute pro at temperament testing and knows what she's doing, so her kids stay safe). This kind of testing requires a lot of care and experience (which if often in short supply in shelters) -- and isn't even allowed in some shelters for liability reasons. Unless a shelter staff member is allowed to occasionally bring their own kids to work and use them to help with temperament testing, it's probably just not going to happen. Thus, unless you're lucky enough to be working with a shelter that has kid-tested the dog, there's literally no way to know at this point whether this dog is going to be good with small kids -- it's all a guess.

My advice to those with small children is always to adopt from a foster-based rescue that has dogs fostered with small kids for at least 3-4 weeks. That's enough time to see whether the dog really likes kids, and how they react to kid-noise (e.g., yelling and carrying on when excited) and running around the house. Some dogs absolutely love human children. Some find them annoying, or even want to herd them (which usually involves nipping). Good breed rescues with kid-savvy foster homes can suss that out. You'll likely have to pay a higher adoption fee and go through a more stringent adoption approval process than through a municipal shelter (city pound), though -- adoption protocols regarding kids really vary from rescue to rescue.


----------



## GSDchoice (Jul 26, 2016)

Hi!
Speaking as a mom here (my kids are teens now)...
if you've got two healthy kids and a nice sweet dog who gets along with them, you are already lucky! 

Personally (and only speaking for myself here!) I wouldn't push my luck...
at the age of under 5, your kids are pretty vulnerable and if they get caught in between a dog conflict, it could be scary.
With 2 kids, it's hard to keep an eye on everybody closely, especially if friends are over.

Of course there are lots of people here on the forum who have multiple kids and multiple dogs!
So I'm sure they will disagree.

I'm more on the side of, stop while the going is good 
I'd maybe wait for your kids and your girl dog to get a bit older (like 7 -9 year old kids, and a settled easy 3-5 year old dog) before adding another puppy or dog...


----------



## Thecowboysgirl (Nov 30, 2006)

GSDchoice said:


> Hi!
> Speaking as a mom here (my kids are teens now)...
> if you've got two healthy kids and a nice sweet dog who gets along with them, you are already lucky!
> 
> ...


I 100% agree with this


----------



## Jchrest (Jun 5, 2019)

I’m one of those people ?. I have small children (7 & 9) and two stepchildren (13 & 17). We have a 9ish yr old rescue GSD, a 4ish yr old Husky/GSD, and a 3 month old GSD. 

I think the main thing for me was my children grew up with dogs in the house, and I trained them as much as the dog, so they know how to interact properly with animals. I’ve fostered dogs for the last 20-25yrs, rescued and rehomed some, and had my own dogs in the house at the same time. We’ve never not had multiple animals.

I also grew up around dogs, my parents were Rottweiler breeders, so I was trained the proper way to treat, approach, and avoid dogs by their behavior when I was a child myself.

Multiple dogs with small children is absolutely doable, but take whatever work you think it’s going to take with adding another dog, and multiple that by 5, because it’s a lot more work than you’re expecting. 

Most shelters will allow you to bring your current dog and children with you to see if there are any immediate concerns with either your children or the dog not liking the adoptee. They usually have an exercise yard that is fenced off with chain links. So you can have one parent one on the outside of the gate with the children and your dog, and have the possible adoptee inside the fenced are. It’s not bullet proof, but it will give you a better gauge of how the dog reacts to both kids and your dog. 

With all new pets, never leave the children alone with the new dog, never let the two dogs alone together, and crate and rotate them. Separate training, separate love time, and eventually, they can be eased into being put together with supervision. 

My 9yr old loves kids, and puppies. My Husky loves kids and is not good with puppies. He’s not aggressive per say, he just doesn’t realize he’s big, and they are little, so he rough houses with puppies the way he would rough house with my 9yr old. So my 9yr old can come into the formal living room with the puppy, and the Husky stays in the family room alone. If I’m going to be cooking, or any activity where I can’t watch the two GSD’s together, I generally take the pup with me, and put the adult back in the family room with the Husky. The Husky has alone time in the formal living room with us, and if it’s nap time for the pup, she gets crated and the Husky and GSD are out in the formal room with us. So LOTS of switching around. And then the kids are in the mix, and puppies being puppies and kids being kids, they still manage to get some scrapes and bruises from the pup. 

So really, it’s your choice, if you feel like you’re ready to put all that work in. Some days I’m at my wits end and question the decision to add another furry member, and some days go so perfectly I know I made the right choice. Some days I want to drown the dogs and children (not that I EVER would), and some days I want all the kids and dogs having cuddle time in our bed. 

Good luck with whatever choice you make, and pics are always welcome if you do decide to adopt another!


----------



## Germylove14 (Jul 2, 2019)

Jchrest said:


> I’m one of those people ?. I have small children (7 & 9) and two stepchildren (13 & 17). We have a 9ish yr old rescue GSD, a 4ish yr old Husky/GSD, and a 3 month old GSD.
> 
> I think the main thing for me was my children grew up with dogs in the house, and I trained them as much as the dog, so they know how to interact properly with animals. I’ve fostered dogs for the last 20-25yrs, rescued and rehomed some, and had my own dogs in the house at the same time. We’ve never not had multiple animals.
> 
> ...


We did this today! 

We went to the shelter and brought our dog and kids to get a feel of how he would take to them. We introduced each person slowly and then we all hung out in a play area for a little to see how much the dogs showed interest in each other and the kids (obviously with us as close as we could be) 

He was more focused on getting out of the enclosure than us but we did some “kid” tests. The shelter worker kind of gave him some tugs on his ears and tail to see what his immediate reaction would be. No growling or snapping. Just a look back like “hey could you stop?” Which made me feel a little better. 

Obviously you’ll never know how they’ll truly be until they’re home and interacting so we’re still weighting our options.


----------



## Kazel (Nov 29, 2016)

Germylove14 said:


> We did this today!
> 
> We went to the shelter and brought our dog and kids to get a feel of how he would take to them. We introduced each person slowly and then we all hung out in a play area for a little to see how much the dogs showed interest in each other and the kids (obviously with us as close as we could be)
> 
> ...


Personally if I were you I'd wait until your female is a bit older. Maybe around 3? It seems like a lot of dogs go through a bratty testing boundaries stage sometime in between a year to two years old. And if the male needs any work you may end up with a lot of hectic training and bad habit potential for both dogs. 

Also a look back to what are you doing by a shelter worker is a lot different than living with kids 24/7. There are a lot of dogs that don't care at all if you bother them. He might be good or he might be a dog that tolerates it until he gets fed up. Is there any sort of history on him? Dogs can act a lot different in the shelter versus once they've been home awhile. 

Also if he was more focused on getting out of the enclosure than seeing you are you worried about runaway risk and/or bonding issues? Do you know if he's a runner and that's why he's in the shelter? That's a bad habit that can certainly be learned by young and impressionable dogs which is currently what you have. 

I will say this can definitely work and a lot of people can do it. If you think this dog will be a good fit it may be really good. But why is it you're wanting another dog right now? Is there something special about this boy? Doesn't sound like there's that instant snap connection, if there isn't a real reason to get another dog right now would you be against waiting until your current dog is fully grown and settled?


----------

