Good afternoon, My husband and I are looking into getting a Dogue de Bordeaux. There is a 19 month old male who needs a home in my area. The reason he is being rehomed is because the people got a divorce and can no longer offer the dog a home. I am wondering if this is a good idea? They say he is good with kids, dogs, etc. I am hesitating because one of the posters on here told me it is difficult to rehome a Mastiff breed as they will have a hard time adjusting to a new home. I have also read that. Is there a way to make this transition easier for the dog? I know he needs a home and will be rehomed rather we take him in or not. I just would like some honest to goodness advice if anyone cares to give some. Thanks!
You would need to visit the dog really. Talk to the current owner/owners as to the dogs normal routines, and see how the dog reacts to you and your husband. They are generally good with kids, but do not like rough housing between kids such as wrestling. Really it's a hard call, it could be the perfect dog or a total slug. By this I mean some dogs will follow commands and some will totally ignore you, and it's hard to move a 100+ pounds of stubborn dog. Example would be Mouse follows my and wifes commands, but someone else he will just look at them with a "Who are you look", and do what he wants. You would need to visit the dog and try some one on one interaction, followed by neutral ground interaction with any current pets. There super dogs and loyal to there families, but your most likely looking at 6 months to a years before the dog looks at you as it's family. It's funny and hard to describe but it like one day they go from a indifference to total love, it's just getting from one to the other that can really test you at times. There is no real way to say yes or no without meeting the dog and some truthful one on one with the owner. Talk to the owner about the dogs habits, and socialization that has been done. If all goes well there and you can put in the work you should be fine. It's going to be your judgement there, but if you have a hard time with the dog visiting it could be a rough go for a while. There hard to rehome generally because people are looking for that bond in the first month, so they get put off by the dog, those who go into it knowing and put in the time generally end up owning the breed for a long time. On a good note at 19 months the dog will be through most of the fear stage stuff which can be a real pain at times.
As this dog is local to you, could you try accompanying them on some of their walks? At first just yourself, then with your dog too. This might give you some idea of his character before committing yourself.
