Decision on a rescue doodle

[Amy and Annabelle]

We have been looking to add a rescue or rehomed dog to our family. I came across a mini doodle boy that looks like Annabelle only about 10lbs bigger. Reading between the lines from the rescue site, I am guessing he was born in a puppy mill and then used for breeding. Basically his whole life has been from the inside of a kennel. He is 4 years old and not trained in anything, not even house trained. I am willing to train him and put forth the effort, just not sure if he will ever get there. Sounds like he is good with kids and other dogs, so that's a plus I guess. He is just now learning how to play with toys.  Thoughts

[Amy and Annabelle]

Thank you for sharing your experience. I went to get my hair cut last week and was talking to the stylist about looking at rescues. He made the comment that adopting a rescue is just taking on someone elses problem. If they weren't problem dogs, they wouldn't have been given away in the first place.

While I will still rescue my next dog, I am doing research on the shelters/rescues to make sure the people I am dealing with are looking out for the best interest of the dog and not just trying to unload him. Unless it is a young puppy with a spay/neuter contract, I will stay away from rescues with adult dogs they haven't taken upon themselves to take care of.

Years ago my family rescued a Golden Retriever. He was about 18 months old when we got him from our city shelter. He was the best dog anyone could ask for. He was with us for 10 years before we lost him to cancer.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I hope you set that stylist straight about rescues being "problem dogs". Unfortunately, the main reasons that doodles are given up are usually that the owners were not properly prepared or informed about what owning one of these dogs involves. Allergies (they were told the dog was hypoallergenic), not enough time (for training, grooming, exercise), and not enough money (for training, grooming, etc). We're moving. He was my daughter's dog and she went off to college. Rarely is it ever a problem with the dog. 

I adopted Jack when he was 14 months old. I never had any of these issues that so many people here post about with their dogs who they purchased as puppies. He had the run of the house from day three. He never had one accident in the house. Never woke me whining at night. Never barked incessantly. Never counter surfed. (I could leave a steak defrosting on the counter, go to work, and it would be untouched when I got home.) Has never ever eaten a single thing that wasn't given to him. Has never chewed, damaged, or destroyed anything, not even stuffed toys. Never went near the garbage. He never, to this day, has ever jumped up on anyone, has never even put his front paws up on anyone. Never touched human flesh or clothing with his teeth. The most perfect house manners you ever saw. Calm and gentle with children. So why was he given up? I don't know, but if there was a "problem", it wasn't with him. Most likely they believed the BS about non-shedding, hypoallergenic, or thought he was going to weigh 50 lbs, or they didn;t know big retriever mixes need to run on a regular basis. :)

[Amy and Annabelle]

Oh you betcha I did. He also told me big sisters are mean...and well, I am a big sister. So when I left there, rather offended, I knew that I don't care how much my hair needs a cut, I will wait until my regular stylist can take me.

[Debbie & Gibbs]

I thought Gibbs was a pretty good dog but you got the crown jewel for sure!!! Gibbs counter-surfs, steals potato chips when he can, has chewed shoes, destroyed toys, chewed on baseboard molding, jumps on people, sniffs crotches, and steals dirty underwear out of the basket and brings them to you. I need to send Gibbs to your house so Jack can show can train him. All kidding aside, I wouldn't trade him for anything he is a total goofball and loves everyone he meets. Oh, he has been to puppy class and intermediate training and passed!! He just likes to do what he likes to do. Fortunately, he doesn't chew baseboards any longer, that really is not allowed!!!

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Trust me, I've been there. One of the main reasons I wanted to adopt an adult dog was because I just didn't want to go through all the crazy puppy stuff again!

[Debbie & Gibbs]

I know I've thought about that for the next doggie getting an older dog. But there is just something about getting that puppy that I just totally love.

[Barbie]

"Doggie see doggie do" Ha-ha. I love that, Debbie, and it's so true.

For example, 3 years ago, I brought home a 9-mo. old Lhasa Apso as a little brother for Zeus. The pup came from a couple who had a baby and another small dog. They told me the pup was house-trained and had also been to Doggie Boot Camp. He seemed like a really sweet, playful guy and he and Zeus liked each other from the get-go.

But, I soon discovered that the Lhasa was not house-trained (peed & pooped all over my house and chewed my expensive furniture), was outrageously stubborn and refused to obey even basic commands (which he'd already learned), was extremely food aggressive, and was also very physically aggressive (flared his teeth and bit me, several times drawing blood). No wonder his previous owners sent him to boot camp and were anxious to get rid of him!

Anyway, I ended up buying the Lhasa a pager (vibrates and beeps). I put it around his neck and the next time he tried to bite me, I clicked the vibrator on the lowest-level and said, "NO!". From then on, I only had to press the beep button when he behaved badly and he even started obeying basic commands.

Zeus spent his first 6 months of life with his 4 siblings, holed up in a small room at a rescue because all the pups were being treated for sarcoptic mange. Upon his final treatment, Zeus joined my family, with absolutely no training whatsoever.

After about 3 months of my home training, Zeus had become the perfect angel and was even asked by a local puppy college to mentor its K-9 students - yes, doggie see, doggie do. Zeus never disobeyed me ... that is, until the alpha dog Lhasa joined our family (again, doggie see, doggie do). Zeus was 2 years old at the time and his disobedience was so bad that I ended up buying him a pager too. I never had to use it though - just having it around his neck in the OFF position was good enough.

I eventually gave the Lhasa to a family member because I got so tired of having to constantly beep him to obey me and stop trying to bite me, and I felt he needed to be an only-dog because he's definitely an alpha. He's been with his new mommy for 2 years now and is as happy as can be and doing much better, but still requires an occasional beep to make him obey commands.

So, based on my own experiences, I totally agree with what Karen posted and I hope you find your perfect angel-in-training soon, Amy.

[Debbie & Gibbs]

In the 11 years that I've fostered I've only had one dog that I couldn't handle. She was an 85 lbs. alpha female Airedale Terrier. Beautiful dog, very smart, but she was extremely hard to handle, toy aggression, food aggression, water aggression, you name it she had it. She went after my Westie and when she showed that she could be dog aggressive towards my personal pet I took her back to rescue. She ended up with another Foster that did animal behavior training and he was able to work with her and she ended up being a great dog and got her forever home. I just didn't have the tools for a difficult dog, but thankful that she got the training that she needed. I just don't like to think that any dog is a lost cause.

[Amy and Annabelle]

Last summer when I had Annabelle in training class, we had a bad experience with a foster dog. The foster mom was a friend of the trainer so he let her bring in the dog to see if he would benefit from the class. He didn't, it should have never happened. The trainer took his friends word that the dog wasn't aggressive. No one had any control over that big strong dog, who happened to be a pit bull. The trainer did the most, and still it wasn't much. Just enough so no one got bit.  By the end of class, the foster mom was in tears and all the other dogs and their owners were terrified. The trainer wasn't very happy with his friend and their long friendship may have been damaged. She obviously wasn't allowed back in class with the dog anymore. I often wondered what became of the dog and if the foster let someone else take him or if she stuck it out. She actually seemed frightened of his behavior as well.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Well, there's a big difference between pit bulls and doodles, foster or not, lol.

But beyond that, DRC always advises fosters not to put the dog into group situations for at least 2-3 weeks after they've come into rescue. We advise letting the dog decompress in a quiet, secure, stable environment. We even advise not having guests over for the first week if possible, so that the dog has a chance to just observe the normal comings and goings of a household and learn who the "players" are in this new environment. No doodle romps, no play groups, and training is done one on one, privately, not in a group class. 

[Amy and Annabelle]

Oh I agree that his being a pit was probably the main reason for his extreme behavior, and not that fact he was a rescue. I agree they jumped into the class training too soon and  should have had some private training first. There was rescue Basset in the same class and she was the other extreme, afraid of her own shadow. She spent the whole class with her tail between her legs, hiding behind her adoptive mom. She had a great mom, she was so patient and encouraging with her.