Mad or not!

Well I asked the question of Rolos breeder about the timing of a possible litter he is going to have this year with a view to a sister for Rolo.

He said he is going to have puppies available around April time (we thought it would be about the anniversary of rolos homecoming to us), so this is earlier than we had in our heads and puts Rolo around 9 months old when the puppies are available (rather than 14months from our timing).

We now have to decide what we would maybe like to do and whether having a 7 month gap is going to realistically be any difference to a 12 month gap).

Or wait or not!

Wait. Why rush into it when Rolo isn't even mature yet? at 9 months, chances are he will be well into his teenage phase with hormones surging. Young dogs are often a real handful at that age & the last thing you would want is having the puppy pick up on bad behaviours.

Focus on your current dog and then add one when he is fully mature.

Definately wait. He's only just hitting adolescene and he's already getting a bit cheeky with his recall Let him get through adolescence, get his training properly naile. Then you can concentrate on new puppy. I know it's tempting (cute puppies, yay!) but you might make life really hard for yourself. I think you'll be able to enjoy a new puppy more if Rolo has matured a little before hand so you can focus on puppy's training.

I'm afraid it's another vote for waiting over here!

Dogs change so much over the years, even more so during adolescence. The pup you have now may not be the dog you have in 1 years time.

Getting a bitch would definitely be the way to go, but I would wait until Rolo is at least 2 before considering another Springer. At least that way you will have all the training in place and will be ready for another unruly pup.

If you are going to have the chance to get a dog of the breeding you like more within your time scale I would wait for the next one.

If this is your only chance to get the dog of the breeding you want then go for it.

Just had a glance at your profile - and Rolo is your first dog? I would 'enjoy' him and learn from him a little more first

You are the only ones who know how you feel with regards to 'coping'.

Wait and see where you are in a years time, i'm not for one minute suggesting that this will happen with you because you seem to be doing everything right, but just for info most springers come into rescue between 6 months and 2 years because the cute little puppy turns into an adolescent monster and people don't have time to sort them out.

Id wait, at least till your existing dog is 18mths.

Well after a few more emails, we think we have decided that as it isnt Rolos mum that the puppies will be from (this chap breeds and trains dogs to an amazingly high level for shooting people and gentry), he has said there is a possible chance of a litter from his best bitch (rolos mum) later in the year (and even longer if it has to be), so we feel that may be best for us to wait etc.

He has made us an offer in that he will have Rolo back to him while we go on holiday and train him, and if we did want another he would take both for the same amount of money, so now we are thinking that even if we dont get another one so early that the offer of him training Rolo for two weeks for the same fee as we are paying for boarding with a house boarder, may be a good thing, (unless he moves an impractical further distance than the hour he already is away from us when he moves next month).

We know he kept a boy from Rolos litter and so have asked for his advice also on the only aspect of Rolo that we need assurance on keeping a quality of recall that until last week was amazing, and without resorting to only flat parks on a long line!

Since i posted this I have had lots of emails with the breeder and well a lot has happened since! I think we have found the ideal solution, and it really is a case of a dog finding us.

After emails back and forth with the breeder about the wise thing to do and the thought of introducing a small puppy to Rolo at any age etc and meeting the needs of both dogs and everything involved.

He came back and offered us the chance to meet a 9month old bitch that he had bred and trained on that whilst she would make a working dog, would be ideally a pet and she is perfectly trained and a very lovely nature. He told me her name, and I have a very strong personal connection with her name, and it really felt that this could be the answer. He sent us some pics yesterday and we had a long chat about her and our current dog, with the upshot that he would let us meet her today and would make no guarantee that he would sell her to us, but he wanted to see Rolo and us as a family and see how he thought the girl would be with us and obviously how we had done with Rolo and how the whole thing would gel.

Well he loved Rolo and although he thought he was a little skinny he was very impressed with our care of him and the new little bitch seemed although slightly timid (she loves the breeder full gundog trainer), seemed to warm to us well and loved my kids who were very gentle with her and the two dogs were just great together. She is Rolos half sister (share dads), and he then bought out Rolos littermate sister and then a slightly older boy, and it seemed Rolo really did gel well with the little bitch.

We had a long chat about how it all fits and he said he would be happy for us to have her, and he has offered further free training for us with Rolo.

So we have a little girl coming next weekend and she is so different to Rolo in terms of temperament and training that he (with extensive knowledge) feels we are perfect for her, she will suit us better than a much younger puppy with a bigger age gap to Rolo as their walking needs will be more in tune, and she is an amazingly calm and gentle temperamented dog, which is a better option to introduce for us than a young pup.

It has been an emotional day because the dog is named the same as my dearest nan who died 5 years ago this week and today for the first time I have visited her grave this morning (had just the right amount of time and my daughter by complete fluke played footie down the road from the cemetery in a place I very rarely go to and if i do i never have the time or the courage to pop in).

You may shoot me down, but I really believe that this dog has found us, albeit not what we set out to get and earlier than we set out to get anything, but we feel this is the right option!
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Congratulations Some dogs do have a way of finding you, I know my two did. I think you'll still have your hands full but seeing how she's already had extensive training, your life will be much easier than with a tiny puppy (not all the pooping, weeing, play biting etc!). I hope it works out well for you and that Rolo loves his new gf. You must post some photos.

Btw, what is her name?