Where do I go to get a dog? (2 Viewers)

[CT Saints Fan]

I had a Basset Hound once and, while I loved the dog to death, he was completely untrainable. If he had any prupose other than being cute and cuddly, I never saw it.

It's ahrd to believe that any dog is less trainable than a chihuaua (sp). My buddy and his wife have on that everyone absolutely hates.

#67 Chihuahua

#74 Bloodhound

 

[covingtondog]

Frank had the best Chihuaua. Chico was is name. He is very well trained, mannored, GREAT, he is not cranky and mean like a lot of chihuauas.

Well, that changes my opinion. If they're good enough for Frank, they're good enough for me.

My friend's is still just plain repulsive, but I guess it's not representitive of the breed...

 

[SharonT]

This happened this morning:

Clothes are laid out for school for my third-grader. When I walked past the stack a few minutes later, I noticed one of his camo-crocs was missing. I immediately zoom in on the culprit - the year old red hound/lab mix. I shake the one shoe and say "NO!" then "Where's the other shoe?" while walking through the entire house looking. No shoe. I look outside, then put him out. I turn around, and see 'somebody' has placed the missing shoe at the back doorstep. Muddy, but not chewed. Whew.

Looks like I have a pound dog who, while not totally trainable, is intelligent enough to know right from wrong. ???

Ryan, I think your success will have more to do with what type of interactions you have with your new dog vs. the breed. Shelters will ask if you have a steady income, fenced yard, how many hours you plan to crate. Basically how stable and reliable will you be.

 

[kooldak]

This happened this morning:

Clothes are laid out for school for my third-grader. When I walked past the stack a few minutes later, I noticed one of his camo-crocs was missing. I immediately zoom in on the culprit - the year old red hound/lab mix. I shake the one shoe and say "NO!" then "Where's the other shoe?" while walking through the entire house looking. No shoe. I look outside, then put him out. I turn around, and see 'somebody' has placed the missing shoe at the back doorstep. Muddy, but not chewed. Whew.

Looks like I have a pound dog who, while not totally trainable, is intelligent enough to know right from wrong. ???

Ryan, I think your success will have more to do with what type of interactions you have with your new dog vs. the breed. Shelters will ask if you have a steady income, fenced yard, how many hours you plan to crate. Basically how stable and reliable will you be.

Nicely said. That is indeed the critical aspect of successful dog ownership. An ignored and disregarded dog will not do well, no matter how intelligent or well bred. While a well loved dog of mixed breeding can do wonderful things.

BTW, loved the story.

 

[CT Saints Fan]

That's true. Dog training is really dog owner training.

 

[primadox]

Advantage of a pure bred is that you have a much better idea as to what you are getting from the dog in terms of size, temperament, trainability, health, etc. If you have a specific need (show, hunting, service), or have small children, then a pure bred is probably the way to go, and get it from a breeder (a pure-bred rescue, although evaluated by *hopefully* qualified volunteers, will still have a question mark as far as temperament and health, since you don't know the ancestors behind the dog). Otherwise, I do encourage people to go to a shelter or through rescue to get a dog. Some of the greatest dogs I've ever had the privilage to work with or train have been mixed breeds from the pound. But I've also had situations with adopted shelter dogs where I've been called in to "fix" a problem in a dog that is biting the kids, even though he was soooo sweet and well-behaved at the shelter.....or the dog that is just too hyper for the apartment-dwelling owner; upon my arrival the dog really looks like it has a ton of Border Collie in its bloodline.....or the dog that was adopted as a mixed-breed pup from the shelter that just got WAY bigger than the owners thought he would. Many of these problems can possibly be caught by a very saavy shelter staff, but most could be avoided by getting a pure-bred....IF these issues are important to you. I used to work with a shelter in NJ with a friend, and would evaluate different dogs as they came in to see what breeds we thought might be mixed in there. My friend was one of the most talented trainers I've ever met, and she would do behavior evaluations on the dogs. Many that seemed fine but had question marks were watched for awhile to see if hidden problems came out, and they were adopted out carefully. Unfortunately many shelters aren't this careful, so the potential owner, if these types of issues are important (size, breed-specific temperament, shedding....), needs to do their own homework if they want a shelter dog.

I think all of them -- pure-bred dogs from responsible breeders, pure-bred rescues, and shelter dogs -- can make awesome pets....just make sure that you get the right dog from the right source for YOUR particular situation.

.

 

[Loose Cannon]

That's true. Dog training is really dog owner training.

Exactly.

My family has always adopted from the pound, and I continued that with my dog. Every dog we've ever had has been beautifully trained and I get compliments all the time in public at places like the dog park about how well behaved my dog is.

It has more to do with the breed than anything. Funny that Shih-Tzu is the worst. The two dumbest dogs I've ever met were my moms, and they were some sort of stupid little dog (maybe a Basenji?) and a Shih-Tzu. A Shih-Tzu is going to be untrainable no matter where you get it from. My Lab/Doberman mix was already a year old when I got her from the pound, and she's one of the most easily trainable dogs I've ever met. Our Spitz/Shephard mix is easily the smartest dog I've ever met. Probably smarter than most humans.

Buying from a breeder for no other reason than because you like the "look" of a papered dog is dispicable. Sorry if that's too harsh, but that's how I feel. You're supporting the culling of perfectly good animals. Sleep on that.

As far as housetraining, if you don't know enough about dogs to be able to surmise what kind of a dog you are getting when you interact with it at the pound, then you shouldn't own a dog. I can pick out a loving, trainable dog in 5 minutes.

Work. Guard. Show. The only reasons to buy a papered dog.

 

[whoah whoah]

we just got a lab for $75 bucks at the baton rouge animal shelter

 

[covingtondog]

Exactly.



Buying from a breeder for no other reason than because you like the "look" of a papered dog is dispicable. Sorry if that's too harsh, but that's how I feel. You're supporting the culling of perfectly good animals. Sleep on that.

By that rationale, you should no longer date pretty girls. By dating pretty girls, you are supporting the culling of perfectly good but less attractive girls. Sleep on that.

When I take him for a walk, people actually stop their cars to tell me how pretty my dog is. He realy is a beautiful animal.

But whoever said earlier (Primadox?) that matching your situation and personality to your pet's demeanor is by far the best advice anyone has given.

 

[bclemms]

Exactly.

My family has always adopted from the pound, and I continued that with my dog. Every dog we've ever had has been beautifully trained and I get compliments all the time in public at places like the dog park about how well behaved my dog is.

It has more to do with the breed than anything. Funny that Shih-Tzu is the worst. The two dumbest dogs I've ever met were my moms, and they were some sort of stupid little dog (maybe a Basenji?) and a Shih-Tzu. A Shih-Tzu is going to be untrainable no matter where you get it from. My Lab/Doberman mix was already a year old when I got her from the pound, and she's one of the most easily trainable dogs I've ever met. Our Spitz/Shephard mix is easily the smartest dog I've ever met. Probably smarter than most humans.

Buying from a breeder for no other reason than because you like the "look" of a papered dog is dispicable. Sorry if that's too harsh, but that's how I feel. You're supporting the culling of perfectly good animals. Sleep on that.

As far as housetraining, if you don't know enough about dogs to be able to surmise what kind of a dog you are getting when you interact with it at the pound, then you shouldn't own a dog. I can pick out a loving, trainable dog in 5 minutes.

Work. Guard. Show. The only reasons to buy a papered dog.

We are still waiting for your dog to teach you a thing or two.

 

[saintfan-n-alex]

i bought a dog from a breeder - i guess if no one bought them they could be put down, thats something to sleep on.

 

[Loose Cannon]

Exactly.



Buying from a breeder for no other reason than because you like the "look" of a papered dog is dispicable. Sorry if that's too harsh, but that's how I feel. You're supporting the culling of perfectly good animals. Sleep on that.

By that rationale, you should no longer date pretty girls. By dating pretty girls, you are supporting the culling of perfectly good but less attractive girls. Sleep on that.

When I take him for a walk, people actually stop their cars to tell me how pretty my dog is. He realy is a beautiful animal.

But whoever said earlier (Primadox?) that matching your situation and personality to your pet's demeanor is by far the best advice anyone has given.

If I date a pretty girl, it's not going to cause her parents to create another pretty girl, thus creating less opportunities for the ugly girls.

If I buy a purebred dog, I am creating demand for more purebred dogs. For every purebred you buy from a breeder, somewhere, a pound dog is killed.

Bad analogy.