Gone2Dogs

IF you research your breeds, IF you find a good breeder who breeds for what you want (retrievers bred for field are NOT easy going and calm...they are the total opposite vs barbie retrievers bred for show or pets that MAY be calm and easy going if the breeder knew what they were doing....) IF you know what you want....and IF you pay for a quality animal you may get what you want. My point is that most people don't know what they want or what breeds are like.

You got the puppy of two high prey drive, high energy breeds apparently hoping he wouldn't be either of those things. SO, NOW ask yourself what you want a dog for.

Choosing a dog by looks is why dogs end up in shelters.

When looking at a breed look at the NEGATIVES....every breeder will tell you what loving, gentle, sweeties a breed is. But is the dog nervous, timid or shy? Is the dog often difficult to housebreak? Can it tend to be yappy? What about aggressive to big dogs? All these are pap characteristics. Oh yeah, and yes, you are likely to have to pay a good deal for one. If you are going to go to a rescue realize that you will likely then have to deal with someone else's mistake.

tankstar

opps didnt mean to re post lol

MySoulmateEmmy

Yes, sometimes, but not all the time. Some dogs from a rescue are perfectly well adjusted for dogs who either have been given up or strays or rescued from a sitation. For example, my last dog was a Doberman/Rottweiler Mix. She was my first dog, and was a stray and it could have turned out bad if she was another dog, but she turned out to be the PERFECT first dog to learn with for our family.

So, there are exceptions of course, but I agree that you are DEFINITELY correct in warning against some rescue animals and you have to be extremely cautious when picking out the right pet from a shelter/rescue.

~MSE

Criosphynx

personally, if I were you I'd go with a dog bred for COMPANIONSHIP as, well, thats what your dog will be since you don't plan to extensively train or compete.


Chis, poms, pugs, shitzu, paps, etc.



I guess I have to disagree here housebreaking is harder, but its harder (generally) the smaller the dog is. I've been around alot of chis and they are pretty sharp little tacks. Barking is an individual thing IMO.


paps will be high energy (generally) make sure you are up for that.


another note on shelter dogs.

They are not all problems. People lose their jobs and give up pets. Their landlords find out. They move. They have babies. Dog excape gates. Dogs get stolen and then lost again. They may have a simple to fix problem but the person who owned them was an idiot. I can go on and on..... Please don't write off the shelter dogs. Yes, dogs are turned in for behavior issues, but dogs that are picked up as strays can be 100% normal and need no more work (or less generally) than a puppy.

Mikey

Didn't say they were dumb-definitely smart-Gizmo picked up clicker training in a few treats-said they were hard lol they will give you a 'run for your money' and yeah -and for the most part people don't train them (fits in a purse-why train?) . But I've been around a few and they can be very yappy. Actually scrap that, when they are in pairs or more they are freaking yappy, individually not bad. I've met a lot at the dp-but then again seems MOST of the small dogs at the dogpark are barky and misbehaving.

Any rate I think we agree-NOT a beginner dog


Ditto ditto ditto.

1) You know what your getting
2) It's fixed, utd on shots, and often behaviorally screened (Either you get a great dog or the problems fully explained)
3) You are saving 2 dogs.
4) There's nothing like when that dog realizes he's home -finally. Dogs melt your heart but shelter dogs incinerate it (for lack of a better metaphor! lol)

fawkese1

i would recommend an older rescue for sure, and i would also recommend looking for a foster group near you. imo, that is a really good way to get an idea of the dog's personality in a household environment... so far you've had some good breed suggestions, but i would recommend against border collies... they are bred to work A LOT, and herding sheep requires a high energy dog... labs and retrievers can be good or bad depending on the individual, but in my experience they are also higher energy dogs bred to WORK... a smaller companion breed would be a good choice... really tho, it will depend on the individual dog...

Brittany

Don't worry so much about the breed. I would just go to shelters and find an older calm dog. You need to visit multiple times before you adopt. Visit him at different times of the day.

Also, you really need to do some real research on owning dogs and what to expect. Maybe before you adopt you should go and sit it on some training classes. It will do you good to see how other owners are interacting with their dogs. It's not all fun and play. It takes work and you have to be ready to work and make sure you are providing a good stable home for you dog and not just having fun. Deciding to get a dog is like deciding to have a baby. That dog is going to depend on you to be a strong dependable leader.

Sheltiemama

For you after the experience you've just had, I would recommend RESCUE rather than a Shelter. Often shelters are so full they don't have time/can't identify any issues the dog may have.

Rescues on the other hand almost always are a group of foster homes. The dog will be in a foster home for a bit, be evaluated, his quirks learned and any negatives will be brought out. You'll know what you're getting.

I have 2 rescues and a shelter dog. I knew with the rescues and they're wonderful dogs! I got lucky with the Shelter dog and he's a love bug. However, he's still extremely skittish after a year with us. Any odd little sound sends him running away to hide in the bedroom.

BoxLove

triple ditto this ^^^^^^^^

MySoulmateEmmy

both really good points i think.

~mse