[Starlite]

A Hypothetical!

You are offered a dog who has lived kennelled all his life (the way the breeder operates) which means he is not used to children. Could you take him on and keep him as a kennelled dog?
What are the chances of introducing an older dog to children having never been socialised with them?

The dog has great pedigree, will help prevent bottlenecking within the breed but there is a high chance he could not be part of your family as you have kids I just dont think i could, and i can imagine the SSPCA being called as well!

 

[LahLahsDogs]

Funny question, but no I couldn't take it on. I want a dog to be part of the family not an animal that lives in the garden.

 

[Happy Paws2]

If someone offered me a dog like that, sorry I wouldn't even consider taking a dog like that on.

 

[Vicki]

I wouldn't keep a dog kenneled. I want my dog/s to be a part of the family. However, there is not necessarily a problem that the dog hasn't been socialised with kids. Some dogs would quite easily get used to living indoors and with kids. But there are of course no guarantees, so personally I don't think I would want to, at least not unless I could have a trial period first.

 

[bluegirl]

I'll answer by telling you a true tale. My FIL used to breed and race greyhounds. The were all kenneled outside and although he took great care of them they were not pets and neither were they petted in the way a house dog would be. When FIL had his first heart attack he took measures to reduce by rehoming the number of dogs he had and the last one (a bit of a favourite) he decided to bring indoors. From the minute this dog got his paws through that front door (and he must have been at least 4 yrs old by then) he took to life indoors with immediate effect. He was as gentle as they came and he was slowly introduced to all the new sights and sounds, including other members of the extended family and children and he was absolutely. I guess its not the same breed but just because a dog has lived a certain way doesn't mean they can't adapt and do well in another type of environment. Guess the real question is are you prepared to try?

 

[Freyja]

It would depend on the breed racing greyhounds spend the life in kennels but make good pets and live happily in the house as part of the family. I have a whippet who came to us after living in the breeders kennels and she is fine. I don't have any young children my son is 19 but I have no doubts that she would be fine with them.

 

[Sarah1983]

Think it would depend on my life to be honest. If I were at home most of the time and the dog was just going to be stuck in the kennel then no, I don't think I could do it. If I were going to be out and about for a good part of most days and the dog was going to be with me then maybe I could.

But unless the dog had shown a serious dislike of children I'd probably try introducing them slowly. Just because a dog hasn't grown up with children doesn't necessarily mean it will hate them and vice versa.

 

[Julesky]

No i wouldn't do this.


I know a few rescues that take ex kennelled 'farmed' dogs, some are really really old and never lived in a house, dogs are assessed as individuals but more often than not they rehome to a house with a resident dog to show them the ropes- i think you'd get a fairly good idea about if they were ok with kids from a foster or slow introduction scenario.

i know this is a hypothetical question but just because it has 'good genes' why should it not deserve a life in a home - maybe without children if it cannot deal with living with them-

I guess it depends on your standards- if i had a family dog in house and one outside separate to us I wouldn't be able to sleep easy in the slightest.

 

[Thorne]

How hypothetical is this? Have you been offered a dog like this?

Anyway, it's a difficult one! Breeze was kennelled and only brought into her previous owner's house to have her puppies. She wasn't used to children but we bit the bullet and introduced her to my sister who was 10 at the time - she didn't bat an eyelid and while she's not a fan of children she is incredibly tolerant. She made lots of young friends on the school run; I'd let calm children who asked to say hello give her a treat and a quick fuss.

If there were children in the house I'd let the dog and child/ren meet on neutral ground before committing myself. Just a walk with no direct interaction at first. If the dog had NO experience of children (assuming there were some in the potential owner's house) and seemed agitated by their prescence I would walk away regardless of how good the genes are. Not to say the dog couldn't learn to live with them but it's a bit of a risk to take!

If the dog in question would be going from a kennel where they were kept with other dogs to one where they would be alone then I probably wouldn't consider taking it on. But if they dog preferred to be outside and was overall a great dog, then maybe. Would they be out all the time or would the dog be allowed in the house during the day when people are around?
But I'd rather try having them in the house, you don't know whether a dog will take to it or not until you try it and from what I've seen, most dogs do

 

[PoisonGirl]

It would depend on the dog, the breed, it's age etc.

I would (and have done in the past) take a dog on if it was very likely the dog would adapt to home life (her only issue was being scared of loud noises as she was gun shy, she would have been shot if someone hadn't taken her asap).

But if it was a dog unlikely to adapt to home life then I could not do it, I could not have a dog that wasn't included in the family as much as my current ones are. The dog might not know any different but I just couldn't do it.

Most kenneled dogs would adapt, and I think if the dog had a life or death situation then I would attempt to make it work, have the dog ina kennel and introduce it gradually to family life, if it didn't work and the dog couldn't live happily with children, then I would rehome it with people who didn't have children, or allready kenneled dogs that it could live along side with and be normal.

 

[Mese]

It does kinda depend on the dogs character really
If there was no choice but to take the dog or he would end up in a bad way then I would take him and slowly introduce him (safely) to family life , children , indoors etc ... you never know he could take to it like a duck to water
Any animal can usually be trained with time , love and tons of affection ... and if not then at least I could say I tried to rehabilitate him and just continue to allow him to live outside where he was happiest

 

[Sled dog hotel]

When my daughter was 3 1/2 I rescued a samoyed who was also 3 1/2 and hadnt lived with small kids although he was a house dog, and then when she was just turned 5 took on another a siberian rescue who was about 4 with no other known history except that she was a cruelty case, and both dogs were exemplary. So with a older dog and kids its not impossible, although it would depend I suppose on the temperament of the dog in question, how stable they are and the introduction and ongoing management when you get them and until they are integrated.

Kenneled dogs must be able to adapt, again if the temperaments good. After all kenelled ex racers and failed racing greyhounds adapt successfully to home life as an example.

Would I take on a kenneled dog and continue to keep it in a kennel though?
Personally no I couldnt to me a dogs always been part of the family and I wouldnt want it any other way.

 

[8tansox]

I would. In fact, I did.



He was a Dobermann, Bruno, had been passed from rescue to rescue because he was an intermittent biter. In his 9 years he'd NEVER lived in a house.

It was agreed that I would take him on a permanent foster, so we built him a kennel outside, my thinking was, he'd have a quality of life with us, with a large garden to play in, (rather than a concrete kennel and access to a small field twice a day). He could spend his days with us, playing with other dogs, when I was working I'd either put him in the boot room or kennel, weather depending, but he'd sleep indoors.

Bruno spent 3 months with us, he was diagnosed with Cancer and the rescue charity decided to put him to sleep rather than have him go through surgery (chemo was not an option), so reluctantly we agreed.

At least he had 3 months of a home-life. He didn't spend more than two hours in that kennel, he adapted very quickly to home-life, although my husband and I were both bitten on occasions, but we truly believed that people had made Bruno wary, so it was up to us to try and make amends for human failures....

Would I do it again? probably.

 

[Kinjilabs]

Bertie was a kennel dog all his 2 yrs till he came here.
Never even thought of kenneling him myself, he came here to be a part of my family, I didnt even think of there being any problems.

When I went to fetch him I was told he didnt like men, never been a problem at all, he'd never met children, no problem he's fine with them too

So no I wouldnt take on a dog that HAD to be kept outside, I would end up sleeping in the kennel with it

 

[dandogman]

I would consider taking on a kennel dog if I was in that position and had the room/money etc... Some dogs prefer kennels to the house as that is what they are used to.
I would try in the house first, but would not put up with any negative behaviour towards children thought.

Also if it could prevent problems within the breed I would try and go for it personally.

 

[Guest]

I think it would depend on the dog, but I`m not sure

 

[newfiesmum]

A Hypothetical!

You are offered a dog who has lived kennelled all his life (the way the breeder operates) which means he is not used to children. Could you take him on and keep him as a kennelled dog?
What are the chances of introducing an older dog to children having never been socialised with them?

The dog has great pedigree, will help prevent bottlenecking within the breed but there is a high chance he could not be part of your family as you have kids I just dont think i could, and i can imagine the SSPCA being called as well!

I think it would very much depend on the breed, to be honest. I did exactly that a year ago when I got Diva. She had always been kennelled, her owners had no children, she never even went for a walk where she might meet them and only ever saw children from a distance at a show.

Although I don't have children here myself, I live in a built up area where there are lots of children and every time I take her out there are always children who want to pet her. I have had to tell them to be very gentle to start with, but it was no surprise that, being a newfoundland, she lapped up all the fuss.

She has fitted right into a home environment, took next to no time to housetrain and get used to all the indoor things, though she barked like mad at the telly when she first arrived.

Although I have no children living here, I do have my son who can be a bit OTT with animals, though he is an awful lot better than he was.

If I were you, I would take your kids to meet the dog and take it from there.

 

[newfiesmum]

Bertie was a kennel dog all his 2 yrs till he came here.
Never even thought of kenneling him myself, he came here to be a part of my family, I didnt even think of there being any problems.

When I went to fetch him I was told he didnt like men, never been a problem at all, he'd never met children, no problem he's fine with them too

So no I wouldnt take on a dog that HAD to be kept outside, I would end up sleeping in the kennel with it

Just my thoughts; it does depend on the breed. I have newfies, you have a retriever, both people dogs who generally love kids. I would never have thought to keep her outside either.

 

[Blitz]

I have nothing against dogs being kept outside so long as they have time spent with them but I would not see the point of having one that could not mix with the family outside so why would you want a dog that was going to be bad with kids.

I had a GSD that I took on. He was used to being kennelled, and we kept him the way he was used to. TBH I did not want a big dog in the house, I already had plenty of house dogs. I had a toddler and the dog was brilliant with her. It actually never crossed my mind that he would be a problem and they spent a lot of time outside together.

 

[Tigerneko]

If the dog was happier to live in a kennel than a home, then yes, I would keep the dog permanently kenneled. I would try to get the dog used to living inside first but if it didn't work, then I think it's more fair to keep the dog in an environment it is actually happy to live in, rather than force it to live indoors and end up causing behavioural issues.

However - it'd have the be the most comfortable, warm, cosy kennel in the world, I would never see a dog left in the 'usual' cold, concrete boxes.