I’ve adopted a few older dogs in my day (age 7-8+) the only thing is you really have to mentally prepare yourself for the fact you’re not going to have as many years with that dog as you would with a younger one. The way I always looked at it, I was giving the dog a good home and I was enjoying his companionship, and with that in mind it’s not that bad that he/she won’t be around all that long (comparatively.)
Plus it’s all part of the natural cycle of life and death and such.
You seem to be suggesting that giant breeds can’t be pets.
Yes, having a ramp means that you have to haul the ramp around. Most people have plenty of room in their SUVs for a ramp. When they need extra cargo room, they can leave the dog and the ramp behind.
My sister traveled cross-country with a Newf, two cats, and a buttload of luggage. If someone wants to make it work, they can.
Someone suggested a Saint. Saints are even bigger than Newfoundlands and they can have some aggression problems that Newfies don’t have nearly the incidence of. I grew up with a 200 pound Saint, the biggest one our vet had ever seen. She was a wonderful dog, but a “handful” doesn’t even begin to describe her. She was adoring and ferocious.
Oh, and she rode in the back of a sedan very well with a blanket down to catch most of the drool.
Oh no, not at all; just that they are disproportionately more maintanence than a medium-sized dog. I don’t think a Newf or a Great Dane would be the best choice for someone unfamiliar with raising dogs, although for someone familiar with the amount of work and willing to accept the tradeoffs, Newfs and St. Bernards can be great dogs.
Stranger
I am not a dog expert per se, however I currently have two dogs (a five year old rescued abuse case dog, and an 11 month old puppy I’ve had for 10 1/2 months). I’ve also volunteered at many humane societies. Puppies require a lot of time and attention, and yes Newfoundlands are laid back, when they are adults, but when they are puppies they are just as rambunctious as other breeds. Since you are not home for a big chunk of the day an older dog may be your best choice, and like you said, they are often looked over at shelters. The most important advise I could give is do your research. A puppy (or a dog of any age for that matter) when left alone for long periods tend to have at least some behavioral issues that are hard to break.
Talk to the folks who work at the shelters, they may be able to give you some sound adoption advise, Good Luck!
Here’s a hypothetical question:
The last time I had a puppy (who lived to be 15, ftr) rather than a dog I was ten, so… Suppose in 2 or 3 years I get another puppy. Odds are great I’d be away from the house for 8-10 hours a day for work, as I am now. However, my mom doesn’t work, and likes dogs. If I talked her into looking after hypothetical-puppy during the day, would that screw the puppy up? In regards to knowing who her mistress is, I mean.
Depends on the dog; some dogs, and some breeds (e.g. Chows, some shepherds, many terriers) tend to be single-person or single-household dogs. Such a dog might end up attaching more to your mother; on the other hand, if you’re always the one that feeds it and so forth, it might become more fixed on you. I think most dogs would probably cope just fine as long as the discipline is the same in both households. Look for a breed or a dog that doesn’t demonstrate dominance challenges toward people.
It doesn’t take much to screw a dog up–just leave it chained in the back yard all day and night with no attention–but it also doesn’t take that much effort to raise one properly. As long as you make the effort and follow through with consistant training and expectations, you’re not going to “screw up” the dog. They’re a hell of a lot easier than kids, and sans diapers, to boot.
Stranger
And he is a big sweetheart of a dog. He’s so well behaved. He followed me around the house all afternoon, laying at my feet when I sat down, and occasionally putting up a paw or laying his chin on my knee to indicate he wanted some cuddling. We went outside quite a few times so that he could get to know where he could potty, and we also went for a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood. All the time he was polite and gentle and sweet.
At night I decided to let him sleep in my room, so I gave him a blanket. He slept on the floor at the foot of my bed and only got up once for a drink of water. This morning he was dragging the blanket around with him everywhere, following me around the house as I was getting ready.
I took him outside with a long leash this morning to practice staying within the yard…I’m not fully fenced and won’t be until the spring thaw. However, seeing the way he behaved this morning, I might not have to fence the yard completely. Whenever he stepped across the yard perimeter, I gave him a firm “No” and he always came right back into the yard. Because he was so good in the yard, we were able to play a game of fetch with his kong toy. Does anybody have any experience with the wireless fencing? I’m wondering if this might be a good choice for us.
In short, I can’t find anything wrong with this dog, except for the fact that he’s a bit stinky and needs a bath. I hope he continues this way.
Congratulations. I hope it keeps working out so well for you two. As for electric fences, it depends on the dog. One of my neighbor’s dogs is dead because she cared more about getting out to chase cars than getting shocked. I know other people who had great success with it though. Give your dog a chance to settle in, then try to determine what will work best for him.
A bit stinky? Jes’ kiddin’. 
Seriously, I’m happy for you and for Luke. You’ve made a good dog eternally grateful, and I’m sure he’ll reward you with love & loyalty for the rest of his years. Thanks for the follow-up - it made my day.
He sounds like a wonderful dog. I am so glad you chose an older guy; they get overlooked so often.
About fencing the yard: even if he’s a good boy, other dogs aren’t. They can still come in if your yard isn’t fenced. I would do it anyway. You might also have the vet check his teeth - they often cause dogs to be stinky.
You must post some pictures! How about “Before Bath”; “During”; and “After, Glowing with Shinyness”?
I agree with YaWanna… your post made me smile
I don’t advise the underground fencing. Even if YOUR dog respects it, what is to stop other dogs from coming into your yard? With a larger dog, it isn’t so much an issue, but small dogs are often killed by big dogs invading their yard. I highly advise you to go with your original plan or getting your yard fenced in with traditional fencing as soon as weather allows. Even the best trained , best behaved dog in the world gets distracted on occasion, and I’d hate to hear that your buddy got hit.
I am so happy to hear that you and Luke are getting along so well ! May you have many wonderful years together !
Didn’t see that you were considering possibly getting electric fencing. Remember that it won’t keep dogs (or anything else) out: it will only keep your dog in. That’s not good enough.
Not sure what kind of area you live in but in the long run you’d probably wish you had regular fencing. You’ll get a jerk-off neighbor one day, or kids cutting across your yard, and an electric fence won’t help you out at all. It just seems silly to me to pay all the money for “fencing” when an electric fence only does about 2% of what a “fence” is supposed to do. They don’t charge 2% of the average price, though.