When I decided to get another dog, I knew exactly what I was looking for:
Young (12 to 18 months)
I wanted there to be about four to five years between this dog and my current dog, Blue. I didn’t want to spend the time and energy needed to raise a puppy and Blue was about five when I was looking, so the dog would ideally be an adolescent.
Small (between 20-25 pounds)
Two dogs can be a lot to handle so I wanted a dog that was big enough to safely play with Blue, who is a solid 45 pounds, but still small enough to pick up if necessary. I also wanted to avoid having another similarly sized dog so if this dog did agility, I wouldn’t have two dogs competing in the same class (agility competitors know why). There was also a consideration of fitting two crates in the car.
Able to handle various environments easily
As a trainer, I know how to deal with challenging behavior but it is fabulous to have a dog that can easily travel, hang out in new situations, and do demos in class. I also didn’t want too much of a project and hoped to do agility with this dog which requires a certain level of comfort in a trial environment.
Already in the area so they could meet my current dog Blue
There are a lot of things that can help dogs get used to each other but I needed to be reasonably sure that the new dog could fit in to ensure Blue’s comfort and safety.
So why did I disregard almost all of these criteria?
The pandemic made finding and adopting a dog during the pandemic quite competitive. I asked for information about a few dogs and didn’t hear back or they already had a meet-and-greet set up with an adopter. Several dogs that were available were either too small or would be better as an only dog. The one thing I wasn’t willing to compromise on was having the prospective dog meet Blue. This meant I couldn’t agree to adopt before the dog was transported which limited my options.
There was one interesting dog but to find out more, I had to fill out an application. I decided to do it mostly because the dog seemed to be the right size and the story said they thought she would make a good agility dog. Usually, rescues say this because the dog is very energetic and I like training those types of dogs. She was also super cute and definitely my type of dog.
When I spoke with the rescue, I learned she had been returned by her initial adopter, that she was two years old and had growled at a person in her foster family. To me, growling actually shows a lot of restraint and self-control because the dog has a way of telling people they are uncomfortable so that is also not a deal-breaker but combined with her being older than I wanted, I was a little hesitant. Still, I decided to meet her and to see how she was with Blue.
When I arrived, I met her without Blue and realized she was bigger than I thought. I also learned she may be closer to three years old. She growled a little when she saw me but I had brought chicken and that won her over really quickly. That was key. I am okay with dogs being uncomfortable but it is helpful if they can get comfortable quickly. She was also easily overstimulated and had a lot of environmental sensitivity. Then I started asking her to do some behaviors and she was very willing to listen to me.
Next, it was time for her to meet Blue. She pestered him a bit but she didn’t push it and he was very tolerant. There wasn’t anything concerning with their interaction.
So, here was a dog that was older than I wanted, bigger than I wanted, would initially struggle in new environments, might not be able to handle an agility competition, and would almost certainly not be able to be a demo dog but was likely to be able to live with Blue. One out of four ain’t bad I guess so I decided to get her.
Why?
This was a dog that wanted to work
She was able to put aside some pretty significant emotional overload and respond to a new trainer. This is pretty amazing and points to some significant self-control and ability to focus. That is not typical in this type of easily aroused dog. Her initial reaction is a little over the top but she quickly acclimates showing that she can get used to things.
She could get along with Blue
If this had been a problem, it would have been the one deal-breaker. She tried to engage him in play when he wasn’t interested, but never got inappropriate.
She needed me
This probably shouldn’t have been a consideration but this was a dog that had to go to a home that could work with her on these things. She has a mind that needs to be engaged and kept busy. That is not to say that she couldn’t have been successful in another home but in the wrong home, it could go very wrong.
Demitasse, or Tasse and she is known, likes to be in a position to see all the action.
So please welcome the latest Wagline dog, the little cup of caffeine named Demitasse. She is only about an inch shorter than Blue (I realized I am not good at judging size), is incredibly food and toy-motivated (a first for me), and has already made great strides in her reactive behavior work and her agility training. It will take a while for her to be comfortable on some of the scarier pieces of agility equipment like the teeter and I am going to have to learn to be a much better handler to deal with her speed but she has the makings of a great agility dog.