Advice on a suitable rescue pls?

[badger74]

Hello everyone
I was wondering if you'd be able to give me some advice please? We have an almost 2 yr old cocker and we really want to get another dog. We've always wanted 2 dogs and always thought it would be easier to rescue once we already had one dog, so we've been keeping an eye on some of the rescue sites for some time now.
Our only concern is that our dog is not the most confident (she's been like that since we first got her at 8 wks) and despite lots of socialisation & training she's still shy (barking) around new ppl/experiences (she's particularly scared of children-lots of barking-eek!) but is fine with other dogs. She regularly goes to daycare and gets on great with all the other dogs there. We also puppy-sat for a 14 wk springer recently and they got on really well.
So, my question is; is a rescue dog going to automatically be lacking in confidence too? and might they not be the best companion to an already shy dog? Would we be better off getting an older dog who is calm and hopefully more confident or get a younger dog (less than a yr old) who would have the same energy levels as ours and continue with socailisation with them both and hope that they gain confidence from each other? Ours is typically very lively, loves to play and has boundless energy; so we'd always thought a younger dog would be best, but now i'm not so sure?
Sorry it's a bit of a ramble; we just want to make sure we do the best for both dogs!
Thanks so much for reading 

[PennyB]

rescue dogs come in all shapes, sizes and temperament so its often best to meet up with dog 1st and make sure the rescue assesses their dogs beforehand

[badger74]

Thanks Penny; so you would say that not all rescues would tend to be nervous dogs then?

[Nicola]

Thanks Penny; so you would say that not all rescues would tend to be nervous dogs then?

Absolutely not. Tilly is a rescue, I got her when she was 2 and she's now nearly 8 and she's most definitely not nervous; she has no behavioural issues whatsoever and never has done. She has the most adaptable, bombproof temperament; I work at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and she flew through the assessments to be an Applicant Assessment Dog (dogs of the relevant breeds belonging to staff members that deaf applicants work with when they come to the centre to see if a hearing dog is right for them and vice versa). All dogs that end up in rescue are different - like all dogs in general - and as Penny says you need to meet the dog in question and judge it as an individual.

[badger74]

Absolutely not. Tilly is a rescue, I got her when she was 2 and she's now nearly 8 and she's most definitely not nervous; she has no behavioural issues whatsoever and never has done. She has the most adaptable, bombproof temperament; I work at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and she flew through the assessments to be an Applicant Assessment Dog (dogs of the relevant breeds belonging to staff members that deaf applicants work with when they come to the centre to see if a hearing dog is right for them and vice versa). All dogs that end up in rescue are different - like all dogs in general - and as Penny says you need to meet the dog in question and judge it as an individual.

Oh Nicola, that's great news - Tilly sounds like an absolute star! I think we'll definitely go for it then and try to meet some of the ones we see locally to us. Thank you so much for sharing that. its a great help.x

[revis]

We have had Maggie a puppy farm dog from Wales for 2years. She is such a gentle girl. She. Was 7 when she was found in the dog pound and rescued by Dogs Trust . As she has on going eye problems dry eyes and in growing lashes D T pays for all her treatment. The only thing she is not too fond of are puppies having had masses during her 7 years it's understandable just gives a little growl . She has never barked! She is our fifth cocker rescue.   Good luck in finding your dog.

[badger74]

Aw, another lovely happy ending thanks Revis  that's interesting to know that DT pay for ongoing treatment too. We'll re-register with them too.x

[karendorman13]

When my in laws adopted from the Dogs Trust i had to take my dog up for a visit before Spud was allowed to go home. They had to see if the dogs would be compatible and after initial snapping and growling at each other they have not looked back and are still firm friend. My dog now and my previous dog have been Dogs Trust dogs and now i feel slightly guilty buying my cocker though a breeder now

[badger74]

When my in laws adopted from the Dogs Trust i had to take my dog up for a visit before Spud was allowed to go home. They had to see if the dogs would be compatible and after initial snapping and growling at each other they have not looked back and are still firm friend. My dog now and my previous dog have been Dogs Trust dogs and now i feel slightly guilty buying my cocker though a breeder now

Yeah, i know what you mean about the guilt. We tried to get a rescue for over a year with no success and decided to buy our puppy in the end, but have felt pretty guilty about it too ever since but we really hope that because we already have a dog more rescue dogs would be more suited to us now. Have you had more than one dog at a time Karen?

[karendorman13]

Years ago we had 3 all waifs and strays no-one wanted and I could not bare the thought of them going the pound and getting PTS. We originally took in 2 but unbeknown to us Daisy was pregnant and we ended up keeping one of her pups. We unfortunately lost Bess and Daisy in a fire and Binny had to much damage to her lungs and had to be PTS. That's when we adopted Lucy the border collie from the DT she was PTS at 8 because she had cancer and it had spread to her liver and spleen. Then I got my staffie x Bo a week later and she is almost 8 now and we always said when we got a bigger house and garden we would get another dog. I really wanted to adopt but I had my heart set on a cocker spaniel pup but who knows I will adopt an older cocker eventually   

[badger74]

Years ago we had 3 all waifs and strays no-one wanted and I could not bare the thought of them going the pound and getting PTS. We originally took in 2 but unbeknown to us Daisy was pregnant and we ended up keeping one of her pups. We unfortunately lost Bess and Daisy in a fire and Binny had to much damage to her lungs and had to be PTS. That's when we adopted Lucy the border collie from the DT she was PTS at 8 because she had cancer and it had spread to her liver and spleen. Then I got my staffie x Bo a week later and she is almost 8 now and we always said when we got a bigger house and garden we would get another dog. I really wanted to adopt but I had my heart set on a cocker spaniel pup but who knows I will adopt an older cocker eventually   

Oh Karen, that's really sad I think we would have a whole house full of cockers if we could! I've seen 2 ex-breeding cockers in Dorset today that need homes, might see what my husband thinks

[karendorman13]

This will my first cocker and I think now it will be the breed I will be sticking to. My breeder did warn me they become addictive 

[JohnK]

Badger

Not sure where you are based but there are a couple of specialist spaniel rescues. Take your other dog along and meet some of the rescues to see how they get on

[badger74]

Badger

Not sure where you are based but there are a couple of specialist spaniel rescues. Take your other dog along and meet some of the rescues to see how they get on

Thanks John, never thought about taking her along to meet some; what a good idea! We're in Sussex, do you happen to know of any spaniel rescues in the South East? I've not seen any whilst browsing...

[JohnK]

I only know of one in Stoke and one in North East, though I am sure there will be others around