Quote: Dylan Ferguson

yea i said i was going to go back and forth but she didnt seem like it was a problem

Mmmmm.

Anyway. Does the breeder know your age? I ask this only because I don't believe that you are old enough to have legally entered into this contract.


eta
I can tell, however, that $150 would not decide you one way or another if it would not be in the puppy's best interests.

 Quote: Dylan Ferguson

yea i said i was going to go back and forth but she didnt seem like it was a problem

Perhaps if you ask her to read this thread?

All breeders approach things differently, but with that many dogs in two different homes and a few other things I think I would of talked to you a lot about if now was the right time to add a puppy.

When things work out well we both come to the same conclusion. <grin>

And this has nothing to do with your age. I have a very sucessfull placement with a girl who just now turned 12 and her pup two. We talked for over a year before she got a puppy and I talked to every member of her family and her parents a lot.

But you know placing dogs properly is a learning curve on our part also. I now talk to spouses to make sure they know the dog is coming into a home regardless of my friendship for the actual buyer and have an attorney drafting a strong (hopefully--for the bucks) right of first refusal.

Seriously, send your breeder the link to this thread. She may realize that you are not just getting cold feet but acting on some sound advice from other people.

 Quote: connie sutherland

Anyway. Does the breeder know your age? I ask this only because I don't believe that you are old enough to have legally entered into this contract.

From Lawyers.com
Competence to make a contract means each party has the legal capacity to make a contract. Generally, people are considered to be competent to make contracts if they are over 18 years of age and of sound mind.

A minor (usually, a person under 18 years of age) who makes a contract can rescind or void it, with one general exception. A minor contracting for "necessities" is bound to pay for their reasonable value. A "necessity" can be food or shelter but, depending upon the law of the particular state, it may also include cars or other items. A minor who rescinds a contract gets back whatever the other party received from the minor.

Just an FYI....

Is she a good reputable breeder, if someone even an adult came to me with this situation I'd ask them to have a think about it. Hopefully she will do the right thing if that's what you decide. Best of luck for whichever path you take, please keep us informed.

Idk what to do, i want to keep him and i was talking to my dad and he said he would watch him for the weekend. I would go back everyday to my dads house but its far away but in like 2 months we are going to be moving a lot closer to my moms so i could keep it at my dads and just go see it and feed it during the day, i am thinking i probably wont do schutzhund if i get it, it would be a well trained pet. But do you think there would be a problem keeping it at my dads and having him feed it during the day just for the week end until we move? and about the college we have colleges in my city that i would probably be going to. Would keeping it at my dads for just that long make a big difference, i mean considering just 2 days for 2 months? Thanks for all the advice, i am still trying to make up my mind .

Hi Dylan and welcome.

The $150 aside (and you should be able to recover that) what is the reason for the urgency of getting a pup now? I do think the two months matter because, it is the difference between starting off on the right foot vs winging it until your situation improves geographically.

My suggestion is to wait the two months; maybe your breeder will let the $150 go towards a future litter, if you really like this breeder's dogs. And figure out exactly why you want a pup now. When you have that answer; envision what you see as your future with this animal from puppy to old age and finally devise a plan that gets you to that goal and try imagining every possible scenario that can crop up and how you would handle it.

No cheating either, be honest with yourself......... what if you meet a girl you really like and she does not like your dog..... and the answer is not: I could never like a girl who doesn't like dogs.

I think you are here asking the questions because you are unsure and have some doubts. Good for you for recognizing it. I whole heartedly believe you will be a great dog owner but right now I think your life seems a little unsettled and Dylan, this has nothing to do with your age but the circumstances you are currently in. I would never recommend to anyone to purchase a pup right before a move.

Take the two months and introduce a pup into your home when you are settled; things will go much smoother for both of you.

 Quote: Sheila Buckley

No cheating either, be honest with yourself......... what if you meet a girl you really like and she does not like your dog..... and the answer is not: I could never like a girl who doesn't like dogs.

I was staying out of this post, I feel like a hypocrite responding as I brought home a dog when I was 16. I did not have the two household difficulties that you will experience, but we did have multiple dogs. It was not easy, a 7-3 school day didn’t work for the pup, any other school activities or part time jobs had to be put on hold, dating, the dog went with me, and as he matured loved to intimidate those I was with. This dog was in my life from high school, college, marriage, and three kids, he passed away when I was 32.

I had guidance from a female police k9 handler, she was the one that introduced me to the crate, and taught me how to manage a high drive pup around my father’s working dogs. My high school years were devoted to this dog, it’s a long commitment, consider wisely. The fact that you found this site suggests you will.

I don't post too much on here, but I wanted to say that living in two households is manageable as long as you are committed to it.

Although I am more than ten years older than you, I am in a very similar situation. I go back to my mother's house two nights a week from my own home in another state. She has a dog; I have a german shepherd puppy and another adult dog. Because of my boyfriend's work schedule it would not make sense for me to leave my puppy at home so he comes with along with my older dog depending on the week. I find that consistency is most important. My dog has a crate at both places, is around me all the time, fed by me, trained by me. It is now part of their routine to go visit Nana and it has been great for his socialization, etc. Now he is a great traveler has been exposed to way more than most average puppies his age. With all that being said, it is your level of commitment which is more of a concern for me. You have to be honest with yourself about how much work the puppy will take. Your parents both sound supportive of you having the dog, so that helps, but you have to take a realistic look at what you want to do over the next ten years. Travel, go out with friends, and maybe move away from your parents and in all of that you will already have a dependent. I have always been a dog crazy nut, so when I was younger I was always willing to work around life in order to keep dogs. They are my favorite hobby as far as training, etc. and a joy just to have in my life. If that holds true for you, then I think you sound mature enough to handle a new puppy, if after taking an honest look at yourself you aren't sure you will be as nutty about the puppy in three years, maybe waiting till you are in a different stage of your life to get yourself a dog wouldn't be a bad idea.
If you do go ahead with getting the puppy, keeping it separate from your mother’s dog the majority of the time is the way to go. A crate in your room and keeping the other dogs out of your room should be easily done and allow you to set up the rules and structure that you desire for your puppy. Baby gate blocking your mothers dog’s out of areas might be a nice compromise to crates for them as well.
It is not going to be a long term deal for me to have to travel, in fact by next year I hope to be down to just making a long day trip out to my Mother’s, so if it does happen that you end up moving closer so that you can just keep the dog at one house that would be for the best, solely in my mind, because of the amount of dogs not under your control that are at your mother’s house.
Either way, best of luck to you and you can always come back for advice the people here are wonderful and really have a great deal of knowledge and different perspectives to offer.

Dylan: I have read all the posts and i can tell you from experience that it is torture for a high drive dog to sit around and wait for anything. As much as they love you a high drive dog needs lots of attention. I can testify of this, I have 3 very high drive terriers. They look to me for their stimulation and it really hurts me when I can't get them out working in the yard. They are not happy when, like now I have to stick by my husband who has had biopsy's last week and is in pain. They keep coming to me and sitting and looking at me for something to do. They pace, and I can testify to something else, they can think up lots of ways to get their energy out.
My pups get along great together, until they are not exercised or trained for awhile, then they can get irritated with each other at the drop of a hat. So, please rethink your options. Think of the dogs, not what you want right now. I say that because I love dogs and would love to have more, and i understand how much you want a dog.
Give yourself some time, save up, learn about dog training and go to different breeders and learn about your favorite dog breeds and what they are doing to better the breed. I wish I would have done that at your age, Prepared myself and been really ready. You will do your future dogs a great favor.
sharon