Interview with a dog. What to look for?

[Unshifted]

Hey again, everyone!

You were so helpful with my last question, so I figured I'd try again :)

The dog I was telling you guys about is coming to meet my boyfriend and I on Sunday. While I've had a dog before, my mother picked him put when I was about 7 so I've never picked out my own dog.

I have absolutely no idea what an interview is like and I want to make sure I get the right dog! We live in an apartment so I was very clear to the woman I am speaking with that a more laid back, quieter dog was important to us. I said that since the dog is young, I realize he will have a certain amount of energy and I realize that all dogs bark, but that we want a less vocal, more laid back dog.

She told me that he was more laid back and good with children and other dogs (two other important qualities to us) but how do you make sure of that in one visit? I don't live with children, so I can't really test it there. I don't have any other dogs, so I'm not sure about that either. She is bringing him to our home, so I guess that's good. But how can we test the dog out, so to speak? We don't have any friends in the area with dogs so that's not even an option.

I know a lot of people on here have adopted before and I just want to know what you did to ensure the dog was a good match for you. What was the interview process like? I definitely am not going to give the dog back because for one, I think that's really sad for the dog. And two, I know I get very attached. But that's why it's really important to me that we make the right choice and don't just take the first dog we see, if it's not a good match. I just don't know how to tell if we're a good match :(

Any help would be wonderful. Thanks again!

[benali72]

Hi,

I'm not sure how to tell in one visit.

But I know how to tell if you take him home on a trial basis and interact with him over the space of two or three days, so maybe this info will be helpful.

1- Stick your hand in his mouth when he's grooming his paws or such. A gentle dog will just move his head to drop your hand out of his mouth... an aggressive dog will use his teeth to get YOU to remove your hand from his mouth.
2- How does he react to shots and other probing in that first necessary vet visit? A gentle dog will squeal and struggle to get away if a shot hurts him... an aggressive dog will turn and snap instead.
3- How does he react to new people he sees when you walk him outside? Best case is that he is eager to say "hi" but does not if you give slight pressure on the leash.
4- Your honesty with the woman about what you need (minimal barking) is fantastic. Hopefully she's being honest in return. The idea here is to approach the situation as "we want a match that is both good for the dog and good for us." What you don't want is a person who's too eager to hand off the dog (regardless of the match quality). So you must judge the person you're getting the dog from, as well as the dog!
5. Given that you live in an apartment, be sure to ask about exercise needs. You need to be sure you can provide the dog the exercise he needs, otherwise this is a major source of barking ("too much energy, I just can't help it, I have to bark! bark! bark!"). So add "exercise needs" to your list of criteria. Generally small dogs or elderly large dogs work best in apartments.
6- If you know the breed check the dog profiles on doggies.com, puppydogweb.com and other online sites to see the barking and exercise levels for this dog.

Hope this will be of some help to you. Good luck to both you and the dog!

[katiem]

I have several rescues, but Jeanie is the only one I went through an actual rescue to get.

The best thing I can say is be honest with yourself, don't let his cute face win you over if he's not the right dog for you. Also, ask how long they've had him in their rescue, if its been a short time then they really won't know him all that well and may not know some of his problems. Ask why he was given up too. If he was given away for non-stop barking then you know he's not right for you.

Expect him to take a little while to actually settle in, and understand that you might not get to see his rel personality until he does.

Jeanie was a doll at the foster home I saw her at. Quiet, sweet, calm. She was lovely for the first few weeks at home too. Then she got comfortable...what a little monster!

Interviews are different depending on the rescue, but most will ask questions like:

Dog experience?
Other pets?
Training plans?
Will you crate?
What will you do with the dog when you travel?
What vet will you/ have you used?
Any kids in the house?
What behaviors will you not tolerate?

You might want to have a vet reference and some personal references available too.