Help! I need DOG picking advice. Quick!

[JoyG]

I responded to an ad looking for a new home for an older dog.

I am going to meet the dog with my kids at a local park to play and see if he's a good fit for our family.

It's been years since I've owned a dog and my kids have never had one.

What are some things we should ask the owner or look for in the dog's temperment to see if he would be a good fit? Any warning signs or red flags I should watch for?

We leave the house in about 20 minutes. Help!

 

[Mermaid02]

has the dog lived with children??

 

[NikiM20]

Watch how he interacts with the other dogs..is he playing nice or snippy and snarly?

Has he had all his shots? Get copies of his records

Has he been fixed?

Watch how he is around your kids--if hes skittish that is not a good sign.

 

[JoyG]

has the dog lived with children??

Yes. Small kids. But he wasn't a good fit for their family owner says it was due to the other pets in her house not the kids.

 

[Uncle Remus]

I responded to an ad looking for a new home for an older dog.

I am going to meet the dog with my kids at a local park to play and see if he's a good fit for our family.

It's been years since I've owned a dog and my kids have never had one.

What are some things we should ask the owner or look for in the dog's temperment to see if he would be a good fit? Any warning signs or red flags I should watch for?

We leave the house in about 20 minutes. Help!

Take a peek inside that dog's mouth, make sure he looks fairly
healthy, last thing you need is a sickly dog, kids don't like that.

 

[bekkiz]

Touch him all over--pick up his feet, touch his tummy, his ears, open his mouth etc. Make sure he's not shy or anxious when being handled.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Yes. Small kids. But he wasn't a good fit for their family owner says it was due to the other pets in her house not the kids.

Yuck, that is a red flag.

First thing is...does the dog happily greet you. I mean happily, not lowered head, greeting you.

If the dog does not fawn over you and the kids it is not a match.

There are other tempermant testing things you can do however this is something prepared to set up.

I would suggest a second meeting to determine further temperament.

Look down the page for the testing for a dog. Note the warning for testing an older dog.

http://www.nrta.com/breedforfoundation/temptest.html

 

[rainy~daze]

Touch him all over--pick up his feet, touch his tummy, his ears, open his mouth etc. Make sure he's not shy or anxious when being handled.

OP you probably left the house already, but if you do all this, be sure to wash your hands when you get back!!




that is good advice, though. I never thought about all of that. I will have to remember all this when we next get a pet.

 

[JoyG]

Yuck, that is a red flag.

First thing is...does the dog happily greet you. I mean happily, not lowered head, greeting you.

If the dog does not fawn over you and the kids it is not a match.

There are other tempermant testing things you can do however this is something prepared to set up.

I would suggest a second meeting to determine further temperament.

Look down the page for the testing for a dog. Note the warning for testing an older dog.

http://www.nrta.com/breedforfoundation/temptest.html

I told the owner we were definitely not taking the dog today even if we like him, this is just a meet and greet. I don't have time to check that link now, but I will when I come back.

So not getting along with other dogs is a red flag huh? Oh no.

The dog is a 4 year old, male (I've never had a male dog before) mini schnauzer.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I told the owner we were definitely not taking the dog today even if we like him, this is just a meet and greet. I don't have time to check that link now, but I will when I come back.

So not getting along with other dogs is a red flag huh? Oh no.

The dog is a 4 year old, male (I've never had a male dog before) mini schnauzer.

Yes, when someone is wanting to dump a dog because it is not "getting along" in the household, it means dominant issues right off the bat. The fact that it is "the animals" it is not getting along with is neither here nor there. It is a testament to the dog's character.

And a 4yo male is SET in it's temperament. There is no changing that. You can realign the pack structure in your house to make sure he knows his place.

So further testing is needed to determine the level of dominance.

And to boot, dominance issues are a pain to handle.

So....good luck, you never know. Go in it with open eyes. If you see bad, nervous, shy behavior, that is a dog to pass up for a family.

 

[JoyG]

Well we're back.

That dog was the cutest little guy. It's a good thing that I went in having already decided we were not taking him home today no matter what. Even with that decision, I almost changed my mind and took him right away.

Here's what we saw.

He came right up to us eagerly without barking and jumped up on us. He jumps up on everyone. He was friendly and he wanted lots of cuddling. He didn't nip, he wasn't skittish around the kids.

He let us feel and touch him all over. Then I tried to irritate him. I did this on purpose knowing that I have young kids who will probably get on his nerves.

The owner had said that he likes getting his stomach rubbed but when he's had enough he does a little growl. So I rubbed him all over...rough enough to feel like a little child...trying to get a growl out of him; nothing. I then tried to pick him up from an awkward position. That's what got the little growl.

We spent about 40 minutes with him and during that time I observed some "guard dog" behaviors. When strangers walked by in the distance he growled at them a little and then barked.

I've had a schnauzer before who was the sweetest thing who did the same guard dog stuff, but never the growling at pick ups.

So any advice from the dog pros? What does this personality sound like to you?


My two oldest kids loved the dog, my youngest child is skittish around him (he hasn't spent any time around dogs ever). He didn't want to get too close to the dog b/c he was "afraid of his tongue" which wasn't doing anything but panting and licking people the whole time we were there.

 

[Nana Annie]

Not seeing exactly how the dog behaved, there are two warning flags that are trying to wave here.

The growling at both being picked up and on his belly.

The ultimate dominance test is to roll a dog on its back and hold him down gently in that position - basically an alpha roll. The dog should always submit to the human and submit for as long as the human wants to scratch its tummy or even hold him down.

Puppies are temperament tested by rolling them on their backs and then gently squeezing their front paws. A very dominant puppy will struggle and fight to get up. A very submissive dog will just relax. And then you have degree of struggling in between.

I would say growling, especially by an adult dog, would place him on the very dominant side. A dog that struggles or worse that growls at the human does have some dominance or alpha issues. Picking up the dog is much the same thing - the dog is being put in a vulnerable position by being picked up by the human. A submissive dog will just endure it as long as he is not being hurt in any way. A dog that growls when being picked up sounds like he may have some very big dominance issues. If that is the case, it is not insurmountable. It just means that the owner has to be more vigilant is keeping the dog in its pack order and very strict with their discipline. It means that the dog can never be allowed to break the rules, ever.

Many dominant dogs are very friendly, because jumping on people and crawling on them is being done on their terms. Being put in a submissive position is when you can get a better clue of how they view themselves in the pack order.

Since there might be some iffy issues, I think it would be worth your money to find a dog trainer that is familiar with dogs with dominance issues and hire them for an hour to go visit the dog and put the dog through some temperament testing, similar to what a dog goes through to earn its CGC or therapy dog titles.

Contact a therapy dog organization like the Delta Society to see if they can recommend a dog trainer that is familiar with temperament training that would be willing to go visit the dog with you.

 

[java]

Growling- not for me. I just can't see someone having a dog and then 4 years in all of sudden needs to dump it because of other family pets? Why so long?

Can you maybe do a "try it out" kind of thing. Like keep him overnight to see how it goes. A good test is to get between him and his food and see how he reacts. A territorial dog is a tough one. And those are the ones that are freaky about their food.

Good luck whatever you decide and I think you are being smart to take your time. (did he have a vet check?)

 

[TinkPinkPoem]

I think it is a positive sign that he wasn't shy and opened up so easily to you and your children.

My dog (a 7-year-old cannis/terrier) will sometimes growl when you pick him up. It either has to do with his mood, or whether he is napping and just doesn't want to be held. Despite that he is a very good and loving dog, so I just attribute it to that he just sometimes wants to just be on his own!


Also,is it a she after all or is there a typo in your previous post?

 

[juligrl]

I told the owner we were definitely not taking the dog today even if we like him, this is just a meet and greet. I don't have time to check that link now, but I will when I come back.

So not getting along with other dogs is a red flag huh? Oh no.

The dog is a 4 year old, male (I've never had a male dog before) mini schnauzer.

Not always. Some dogs just do better with people than they do with dogs. It just means you might have some work to do on desensitizing and/or properly socializing the dog.
My dog prefers the company of people or her little pack of other dogs to dogs outside her pack, but I've also worked with her a lot to get her to the point to be okay with other dogs.
It's really not an issue uncommon in terriers, but it can be worked with.

 

[JoyG]

I think it is a positive sign that he wasn't shy and opened up so easily to you and your children.

My dog (a 7-year-old cannis/terrier) will sometimes growl when you pick him up. It either has to do with his mood, or whether he is napping and just doesn't want to be held. Despite that he is a very good and loving dog, so I just attribute it to that he just sometimes wants to just be on his own!


Also,is it a she after all or is there a typo in your previous post?

See, I was thinking this too. My aunt had a beagle who was friendly and happy, but when she wanted time alone, she let you know with a little growl. Never bit anyone and a great dog otherwise. But my aunt didn't have small kids in the house, so I don't know.

I fixed the typo, it's definitely a he.

 

[JoyG]

Yes, when someone is wanting to dump a dog because it is not "getting along" in the household, it means dominant issues right off the bat. The fact that it is "the animals" it is not getting along with is neither here nor there. It is a testament to the dog's character.

And a 4yo male is SET in it's temperament. There is no changing that. You can realign the pack structure in your house to make sure he knows his place.

So further testing is needed to determine the level of dominance.

And to boot, dominance issues are a pain to handle.

So....good luck, you never know. Go in it with open eyes. If you see bad, nervous, shy behavior, that is a dog to pass up for a family.

The person who ran the ad is the one who got dumped on. Apparently, a friend or family member was moving and couldn't take the dog with them. They asked the person I met today to watch the dog for a couple of weeks knowing they were animal lovers and hoped they'd fall in love with the dog and keep it. Well the dog didn't fit in with their family and it's been four months. The original owner doesn't respond to phone calls anymore and never came back for the dog.

 

[JR6ooo4]

A dog park is a great place for exercise and to see if a dog is properly socialized with other dogs. It really reminds them that they are dogs.

But our dogs want nothing to do with us at the park. They realize they only have a little time to see their friends so they do not want to play ball or even have a treat.

even alone time in your back yard is not great, he/she wil be busy checking out the new surroundings.

I hope you find that he is a match. Then you can be proud to have rescued.

Mikeeee

 

[TinkPinkPoem]

See, I was thinking this too. My aunt had a beagle who was friendly and happy, but when she wanted time alone, she let you know with a little growl. Never bit anyone and a great dog otherwise. But my aunt didn't have small kids in the house, so I don't know.

I fixed the typo, it's definitely a he.

I think that if it's just a warning sign for "alone time" then there's nothing to worry about. I've also discovered that my dog got a bit crankier now that he's 7, but that's probably him!

My dog wasn't raised around kids, but everytime I take him out for a walk or run into kids in the neighbourhood he is very polite and obedient and even wags his tail once he sees them. Now, I don't know whether he would have jealousy issues if all of a sudden he had to live with kids, after all these years of having not to "share" us.

The dog you are looking into adopting is not a puppy, and has lived in other homes before. Did you find out if he had trouble adjusting to the house he is currently staying? Do you know whether his original owner had kids and if he got along with them? I would be concerned about whether he would have trouble adjusting to a new enviroment.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

I've read some of the replies..not all...but I think most are being too judgemental on the dog... You are the one who was around him... you know your instinct
Lots of dogs growl in play...I would NOT consider that a red flag unless you saw agressive behavior accompanying the growl...

And....maybe the dog doesn't like other dogs...so what?? Thats only a problem if you have or want more....