I need advice on puppy adoption!

Okay I have never used a forum before, so please be kind!

1) My housemate adopted a German Shepherd/Lab/Boxer mix, Georgia, a few weeks ago. She is about 13 weeks old, so she's very much a puppy, and a lot of fun! We've had a great time training her (so far), and she's picked up on sleep schedules, crate training, and where potty is acceptable very quickly. She's pretty hyper and mouthy right now. Housemate is a great dog owner, even though it's his first go at it.

2) A friend of mine has a litter of Newfoundland/German Shepherd puppies that are just opening their eyes. The pregnancy was accidental, so they're not looking to make any money beyond covering the first shots. They just want the puppies to go to good homes and any that are not adopted by (responsible) friends or family will be going to The Humane Society. I have wanted a Newfoundland or Newfoundland mix for ages, and I have a wonderful job that would allow me to have a dog at work with me during the day. I would love to adopt one of these puppies (when they're old enough to leave the mother, of course), but am not sure that the timing is right with a puppy that is slightly older already at the house.

I know raising puppies together has the possibility of being an enormous pain, so I'm trying to consider all the pros and cons very carefully. Georgia is at home all day, whereas my own dog would be at work with me from morning to evening, with an afternoon jog and play/pee/walk breaks somewhere in the middle. Is the age gap too small or large for this to potentially work? Is it just a really terrible idea? I don't want to negatively influence the life of Georgia or a new puppy OR my housemate in any way, though he is strongly encouraging me to get a puppy as well (I don't know how much he's read up on the potential dangers of the situation, though ).

Does this situation sound like it would potentially work? If the pups are separate from each other most of the day, have playtime in the evening and sleep at the same house, is there as much potential for them to bond with each other to the point that they don't bond with us?

I've been looking at forums and blogs nonstop and figured I'd just put it up for discussion, since this specific situation doesn't seem to be all that common. Most posts I've read are about litter mates or dogs that are separated in age by a year or so. I'll try to be good about responding promptly as well, so feel free to ask me any questions that might help!

I really appreciate the feedback, thanks!

No one can accurately predict the outcome for you, but I would advise that if you are going to have one of the pups to get a male so that you don't have the potential problem of two females not getting on. That's not to say that two bitches can't get on together, but with the ages being pretty close, it is, in my opinion, better to have opposite sexes. Of course, with that comes the responsibility of accidental matings so you do have to be responsible and it's often better in such a situation to neuter at least one of the dogs.

Tricky one. I would have thought that if the dogs were sewerage for a large part of the day then they would be able to bond with each of their people as well as each other. If you were to get it I to would get a male and would not let the pups play endlessly in the evening. Make sure both are crate trained and get them used to accepting that sometimes they had to be separate from each other in the house. You could also use it to your advantage and train them along side each other so that they learn that they still had to pay attention to you when there is another dog nearby. Clicker training would help them catch on a lot faster.

Hi Betsy Jane, first welcome to Dogsey and if I may say so that's a pretty impressive 'first use of a forum' Most people just write a few things relating to their problem and leave out lots of relevant information.

We have two Newfies and they are indeed most wonderful, loyal, and faithfull dogs. Both are female (and of course speyed.)

All of the problems with dogs that the media like to write about can be traced back to the human owners, the media never mention this but it's true.

So what's the future for you and your housemate will one or both of you move on to different houses, jobs, countries, at some point. You don't mention any kind of 'relationship' so assume it's purely platonic.

If you intend to stay in your job for the next ten to fifteen years (How wonderful that you can take a dog to work with you) then getting a puppy is fine, I don't see a problem, even if you think you might change jobs that too is fine, provided you are planning on keeping the dog with you for all of it's life.

Dogs live by routine and once a bond has been established it is pure torture if it breaks up. Humans seem to me to be so fickle in their relationships (Increasingly so in the modern world) but dogs are not like that.

The worst thing that could happen is that the two dogs come to see them and you and your housemate as one pack and when the humans go their seperate ways the dog 'pack' is broken which will cause a lot of pain to them. So, as mentioned above, you want to concentrate on your dog and keep interaction with the other human and dog to a minimum.

But maybe the other human in this situation is not just a friend, maybe you are intending to live together forever, that seems to be a rare concept in this day and age, but let me assure you it is NOT a rare concept in the dog world. Dogs are nowhere near as fickle as humans which is one of the reasons I love them so much (More than most humans actually)

Hope that helps.