Tomorrow we are giving a rescue dog a good home

[Amymo]

This will be my first dog, but my bf has had many and I have loved them all. Now that we have bought our own place and can get a dog we decided to go to the shelter, particularly after reading Shimmer's recent post.

We went yesterday and found a happy 3 year old boy called Toby, a Lakeland Terrier with a real appetite for life, and the kind of energy I need as a keen walker. He looks a bit like this, but is more ginger, but his coat is a little dull and he needs some care and love:

We took him out of his lead and had a good hour with him, he was very head strong but when we took him back he plonked his butt down and refused to go back to the kennels, so sad. We are now sure he is right for us and after talking it through yesterday and this morning we have decided to give this happy doggy a good home.

I wondered whether any fellow Specktra members have adopted a dog of about this age, I am fully prepared for him equipment and food wise and we are expecting to take a long time for us all to settle and get to know each other, and house train him, but wonder if there is anything special we could do to help this little guy out? I guess I am looking for some advice on helping him to settle down.

 

[tara_hearts]

Aw congratulations <3 And I respect you so much for giving this dog a second chance instead of blowing hundreds of dollars on pure bred dogs! This dog will love you and appreciate you so much more. You made a really great decision.

He should be able to adjust pretty easily if there are no other male dogs to make him feel uncomfortable. Get a bag of some doggy treats to give him to keep reassuring him your home is a safe haven for him. Good luck, and tell us how it goes when you bring him home and show us lotza pics!!

 

[urbanlilyfairy]

Walk walk walk ..doggies love walks ..helps them bond with their neighborhood and you as well .... excerise , discipline, affection ...that order i think ... is the mantra in my house ..i love my dogs ...before we move in too a new place we walk them for a good 30 mins at least before we bring in them into the new house.

My hubby is so great with dogs ..he should srsly be the next dog whisperer he just meets random people with their dogs and then helps thems with something ...they try to pay him ..he never lets them ...but as much time he spends training dogs he should get paid lol...ah well ...

oh we use a kennel for our pups to sleep ..we keep it open through out the day while we are home ..when we leave we say ..in the house ..and they go plop in their ..at first....I never kennel trained my older dog ..i thought she would be lonely in their ..but when we got a second dog ..my hubby was like they must have a home within our home ....so we got a kennel took a few weeks ..but now it's their safe spot ..and they sleep in there even when i don't put them in there ..and we have not had any inside pottying in like a whole year...

so maybe think about kennel training...

I think its great you are adopting a dog ...that is so awesome ...good luck to you ....im sure you will do fine.

 

[Hilly]

You rock!!

 

[Dizzy]

I adore terriers- my family used to keep our show dogs and breed Airedales (basically, a bigger version of the Lakelands). We now have 2 Airedales- one is the pet (our senior citizen, haha) and the other is currently being trained in schutzhund.

They're gorgeous, but they're freaking smart. Every dog is different, but in my experience helping to train my family's terriers and the other terrier's we've trained in the past, they don't like repetition. A golden retriever will sit ten times in a row if you command them; a terrier will do it once and decide "that's enough- I showed you I can do it" and then deem you boring to go play. Be careful who you choose to help train your dog- there are some people who have never dealt with terriers before, and think training them is a "one size fits all" method will work.

Since he's a terrier, he'll dig, chase small furry animals, and be a clown. He'll drink water then beeline towards you with a wet beard and 'share the wealth', he'll be willing to play all the time/anytime, and he'll love to make you laugh. Terriers are known for that.

Terriers adapt quickly, just keep in mind that they are pack animals- they need to know their place in the pack and have it reinforced. When you bring him home, let him explore and take him on walks around the neighborhood. My dogs are very curious, and love being able to explore- even if it is just around the block. I now take one of them jogging with me, and he loves the exercise and being able to see something new every day since we take different paths every day.

You've got quite a bit to look forward to! Thank you for rescuing a dog, people like you and your boyfriend are very special.

 

[browneyedbaby]

Yay! I'm so pleased when people chose to rescue dogs. We rescued ours, Sheba, about 3 and a half years ago. She hadn't be very well looked after at all and needed lots of tlc... and patience! We love her to pieces and she is such an amazing dog, currently sleeping on a leather beanbag by my feet!

We'd didn't need to do anything particularly special to help her settle in. She was just so grateful of a loving home that she did that almost in the first day!!!

 

[MxAxC-_ATTACK]

where are you from?

I adopted a 2 year old boston terrier about 2 years ago, and he adjusted quickly but then again, its in a boston terrier nature to love everyone and be fine snoring on something soft.

Being a lakeland, they like to run and jump so i suggest not leaving him in the yard all alone for a while, not being used to his surroundings he may run.

this doesn't really have to do with the breed, or how to raise him. but good food is an extremely important part of owning a dog. Look for something without any type of By-products or any type of "meal" -aka chicken meal, or beef meal and NO CORN!! corn is used as a filler and is a definite "fat dog" food ,its also awful for the skin and coat!

 

[Amymo]

Thanks for your support guys! Well oh my, I got home from work and although we were going to wait until tomorrow I found Toby snuffled up with Al on the sofa! So much for waiting til tomorrow!

Will get some snaps when he is settled as he is naturally a bit skittish and uncertain, he wants to sit by us and follow us about and seems to hate our kitchen. We are about to take him for a long walk before bedtime and then see how we get on through the night. I love his long beard, he just took a drink of water and then dribbled it right through the house, so sweet!

^ I am actually from near the Lake District in England, which is their native home so I guess he will be happy with us. Can't wait to get him down to the beach! Thanks again, Ang xx

 

[macface]

This is so nice if I could adopt every dog and take it home I will.

 

[athena123]

Very cool for adopting a dog from a shelter; you've got a great heart and have already received sound advice.

The only comment I would add is regarding the kitchen. He may have suffered abuse in some form or other and if he's scared of the kitchen, that may be where the abuse took place. I adopted a dog [years ago] that had been beaten and even after living in our home for 4 years he still quaked out whenever I picked up a broom, rake or any long-handles stick kind of thing.

 

[la.petite]

Good decision to adopt this lovely dog

My parents and I adopted a dog from a shelter three years ago.
At first he was really really shy, but now he's very sassy. But he's SO happy that we gave him this second chance, you really can see this.
I think it's always a good thing to adopt a dog from a shelter

 

[newagetomatoz]

Aww, I wish there were more people in the world like you!!
I wish I had advice for you, but we sort of rescued my dog when she was only months old. The best I can say is to just love your dog, don't try to force it to be your friend, give them time because eventually they will be glued to you, and lots and lots of walks. I take my Emily on walks to tire her out so I can have some R&R! LOL!

Best of luck!!