Thank you so much for your response. It’s such a tough decision because both could fit into my life well I think.

One is younger and really friendly but has never lived in the house and has some crystals that have shown up in her urine before. I don’t know if part of why she was so friendly was due to her being kept in a kennel for the most part, I’m sure this has to do with it. I get the impression that the owner doesn’t know her very well and her quirks etc. She doesn’t know any basic commands even sit and she is a year and a half old, but she was totally fine with eye contact (even sought it out), being handled etc. and was very sweet and trusting, would put her whole weight in my hand when rubbing her belly etc. She could walk on a leash ok but needed some work on that too. I don’t know how she is with other dogs but owner says she is fine, she lives with her dad and has been raised around German Shepards so I assume this would be true. I don’t know how she would do being left alone and I don’t think the owner does either. While she didn’t bark at all while I was there, I also don’t know how she would do with this when left alone.

The other dog is 3 years old, totally healthy, has been screened for everything, lives in the house as a pet, has done agility, knows a lot of commands etc., lives with other dogs and is fine with them, ok being touched everywhere, didn’t bark, good on a leash. I feel like it’s a much more known situation because her owner knows her very well and she is used to being in the house and being left alone etc. She was very calm and relaxed. She was very aloof though and didn’t seem all that interested in me, she did come up to say hi when I first got there but was kind of pushed out of the way by the other dogs, she was also very distracted by what was going on around her and other sounds/movements, she didn’t respond to come but did respond to other commands like sit, stay, touch etc. She lives with 3 other dogs and does have to compete for attention, and had been home all day getting attention when I met her, so I wonder if she would be more attention seeking if she wasn’t competing with other dogs for attention, and would be more investigative if she hadn’t been around people/dogs all day and was more wanting that vs. being relaxed at home. having had attention all day, if that makes sense. She didn’t really seek out eye contact or touch at all the way the other dog had. In both of their cases the owner is willing to let me have them on a trial for a couple of weeks.

Do you currently have other dogs? What type of activities would you want to do with the new dog? Do you have friends with dogs that you would like him to play with? What will his schedule be like? What is the dog’s current environment? How similar is it to his future environment?

When looking at a new dog, I think about how his new environment, routine, and schedule are going to be like. I try to get as detailed as possible. Then, I try to evaluate how well that dog will fit into that lifestyle and routine.

If they are all good choices, you are already starting at a very good place. 😀

Congratulations on your soon-to-be new furry family member!

I have so enjoyed reading your blog, as I have been thinking of getting a Shiba for well over a year now. I have been looking for a young adult dog and have just been contacted by three different breeders that have dogs they’re looking to sell. I have met with all of them and all of the dogs come from good homes and have been well socialized etc. There is nothing wrong with any of them that would be a deal breaker so now I have to decide on the right dog. Such a hard choice. Do you have any suggestions for how to go about picking the right dog?

Thank you!

This article has a good list of pros and cons for puppy vs adult dog.
http://www.austinhumanesociety.org/article/should-i-adopt-puppy-adult-or-senior-dog

If you have small kids, puppies are probably not the way to go. Puppies play rough and can accidentally hurt children. They are also very fragile, so they can be easily hurt by kids.

Another comparison from PetFinder-
https://www.petfinder.com/pet-adoption/dog-adoption/puppies-vs-senior-dog-adoption/

Thanks for you honest feedback.
That sounds reasonable…although it’s not quite what I wanted to hear xD I guess I’ll have to keep waiting…
Great site, btw!

Personally, I was extremely busy at the end of both college and grad. school. I had to travel a bunch for interviews, decide on what I want to do, get a new place to stay, pack up my old place, etc. It was a very stressful period and it would have been very difficult for me to deal with a dog as well.

Dogs can also get very anxious when they have to deal with large changes in their routine and environment. This is to be expected, since they have no control of these things, and do not know what the end result may be.

For these reasons and more, I decided not to get a dog until after I got a stable job, a more permanent home, and a more consistent routine. This is of course based on my own experiences and situation.

It will be a very lucky Shiba! 😀

Talking about lucky Shibas, I think you will enjoy Lulu’s page-
https://www.facebook.com/lulushibainu