3 kids under 6yrs plus a rescue dog= Madness?!

[cranleigh]

Hi there,

A bit of background: We are emigrating to Hong Kong from the UK in a few months where there are many dogs in need of good homes. I've been looking into getting a dog, in particular a rescue for sometime. Not only as a family pet but also because Im interested in doing animal assisted therapy with children. I plan to volunteer at the local rescue centre to gain more experience (only had a dog as a child) and get a better understanding of the different breeds/ temperaments and learn about training. We will have a full time live-in helper who will help with children (1yr,4yr,6yrs) as well as helping to look after any pets. Other than volunteering etc, Ill mostly be at home. I'll definately have the time and commitment for a dog but Ive got the following concerns:

A) how sensible is it to get a dog with young children. would a puppy, youg adult or older dog be better?
B) how sensible is it to get a mixed breed rescue when so many have been very badly treated or abandoned. I know the rescue centre does rehome appropriate dogs with young families if they are confident (as much as they can be) that the dog has no agression issues etc. Some dogs are obvious crosses (labs, sharpei) but most are "village dogs" which can pretty much mean a mix of anything.
c) training a rescue for pet therapy etc

Sorry for waffling but want to make the right, informed choice.

Any opinions, advice or personal experiences greatly appreciated.

Many thanks

[Sabrina]

Hi! Welcome! Good for you for thinking about/researching before you add a dog to your household. That's not waffling at all - that's being sensible!

I don't know enough to answer your questions, but moving is stressful (even if it's "good stress"!) so you'll want to get yourself and your family settled in your new home/culture before considering adding a dog to the mix. Dogs pick up very quickly on our stress levels.

Once you are settled in your new home, you'll want to assess if you can keep both your children and a dog safe. Will there be an adult you can trust completely supervising them at all times when they are together? Is there a safe place for the dog so s/he can have a break so that the normal activity level of the kids doesn't become a constant source of mounting stress?

Also, do you know your live-in helper already, or will he/she be someone that you meet after you move? It's really important to have consistency in training so if you don't already know this person you'll want to find out their idea of "how dogs should be treated" and how open they'd be to following your lead completely when it comes to how your dog is treated.

Volunteering at the shelter for a while before deciding if you want to adopt a dog is a great idea.

This site is a fantastic resource for training. This link is a great place to start: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=11503 . Be aware that what many call "aggression" is actually fear, so it would be well worth your time to read about working with fearful dogs.

Anyway, welcome again!

(EDIT: it would be clearer if I said: many people don't differentiate between "aggression" and "fear", and just label everything "aggression")

[JudyN]

Welcome!

I'd just add - your post will probably be seen and responded to my more people if you repost in the Dog Training section. (I know what you're asking isn't really a training question, but think it would fit best there.)

[cranleigh]

Thanks to both of you for your responses. So good to get helpful input. I think it's right that we give some settling in time before adopting. I hadn't thought about the dog picking up on our stress. See I am new to this!

Re: posting on dog training section. Sorry to ask dumb question but how do I transfer my post to another section? Been trying to do it with no luck.

Thanks again

[JudyN]

Re: posting on dog training section. Sorry to ask dumb question but how do I transfer my post to another section? Been trying to do it with no luck.

Not a dumb question at all - but you need to be a moderator (i.e. Emmabeth) to move posts. But feel free to copy your post and repost in the other section.