Help me choose a breed

Greendiamond

Hello everyone,

After 12 months deliberation we have decided to get a dog !

I had planned to go to <a rescue or shelter> but a number of people have mentioned you might be getting 'problems' with a dog that's been neglected or abused and it might be hard to break habits/traits.

So question one is: With that in mind is it better to get a puppy that we can train from scratch ?

Question two: if we get a puppy from < <a rescue or shelter> will we avoid behavioural problems?

Question three: what type of breed will suit my family best? We are 2 adults and 3 children aged from 14 to 10 years.

Decent sized back garden. I work 5 mornings so dog would be alone from 8-1 5 days a week although a neighbour will pop in daily if required. Want a trainable dog( we will put time into training) who is intelligent and good with kids. Not too heavy a shedder. We walk a lot so don't mind a dog with a bit of energy and don't want one to docile.

Would prefer to get one from < <a rescue or shelter> as there are so many unwanted dogs do we really need to breed more ? However it needs to be the right fit for us so am leaning towards puppy. How much work is a puppy V an older rescue dog?

Any advice ???

Mince Pie

I have two rescues and to be honest theres been hardly any training or issues with them at all.
You have to remember that most dogs are fostered so the rescues have a good idea of their personality to place the dog. Another point is rescues don't want dogs returned so won't place an unsuitable dog with an unsuitable owner.
And lastly, most dogs are surrenders these days due to peoples circumstances changing so will most likely be housetrained but just needing a new home.

Just to add, nothing would convince me these days to get a puppy no matter how cute judging by the amount of threads on here. I never realised they were so much work.

missmyler

All of my dogs have been rescues and they have been great. I have been able to train them at all ages and the only issue I have had is them pining for their previous owners. Like previous poster said they are not all abused and beaten prior to being in a shelter. Most dogs and puppies come in when people circumstances change, the dogs get lost or the owners just cannot be bothered anymore.

Dogs from a breeder aren't exempt from being problematic. Nor are rescues or puppies.

If you are unsure I would highly recommend fostering a dog with a view to keeping permanently. Lots of rescues do trials with families and fosterers usually get first preference on keeping the dog if they cannot part ways

Greendiamond

missmyler wrote: »

All of my dogs have been rescues and they have been great. I have been able to train them at all ages and the only issue I have had is them pining for their previous owners. Like previous poster said they are not all abused and beaten prior to being in a shelter. Most dogs and puppies come in when people circumstances change, the dogs get lost or the owners just cannot be bothered anymore.

Dogs from a breeder aren't exempt from being problematic. Nor are rescues or puppies.

If you are unsure I would highly recommend fostering a dog with a view to keeping permanently. Lots of rescues do trials with families and fosterers usually get first preference on keeping the dog if they cannot part ways

That's actually a really good idea ! I didn't realise that might be an option

anniehoo

Greendiamond wrote: »

That's actually a really good idea ! I didn't realise that might be an option

Both of the organisations you mentioned are always looking for fosterers if you follow their facebook pages. It really is the best way of finding the perfect dog for your family. I homecheck for another charity and visit people's homes to help the charity assess which dog would be suitable to place with them.

You can foster for as little as a few weeks,will have lots of support (well with the second organisation more so than the first in my opinion) and you are under no obligation to keep the dog if it doesn't work out.You could end up being a Failed Fosterer and find your forever dog through this process.

I really would recommend this 100%.I wish more people would do it and save themselves so much heartache further down the line when they realise they've made the wrong decision.

Mince Pie

I'm a failed fosterer as well. Couldn't give her back.

ShaShaBear

Definitely recommend giving fostering a go. More often than not, the dogs in rescues are there simply because of a change in the last owners circumstance. It's not a rehab house for dogs that have been beaten and tortured, contrary to people's misconceptions (ironically the people who have this opinion are usually the same people who usually justify buying puppies off shady websites!)

I fostered for a rescue in the Louth area, I took a total of three dogs, one for a fortnight, and the other two were weekend layovers before flying out to their new homes in Scotland. I had two puppies and an adult, and just two days with them let me see exactly what kind of dogs they were. None were problem cases. The two puppies came from "designer breeder" litters - they couldn't get people to buy them, so they dumped them at the shelter. The other was an adult GSD who got "too big" for the owner's garden. None of them ever experienced a direct act of unkindness from humans, so there were no "problems" to speak of.

Offer to foster a child friendly doggie and see how it goes - worst case scenario you decide you cant handle a dog/the dog doesn't fit with your family and you've just saved the charity a fortune in kennelling costs. Best case scenario you find a homeless dog desperate for a second chance and they stay with you forever. And the best part is, you can foster as many dogs as you like! And if you find a forever friend, there is no need to stop at that - plenty of friendly doggies looking for short term homes with families and other doggies that could use your help!

beveragelady

I understand why people expect to get 'damaged goods' from a shelter. The uplifting/heartbreaking stories are always about three-legged one-eyed dyslexic dogs who make astonishing progress because of the tender loving care of their adoring owners. These are the stories we hear because these make great stories. A perfectly happy well-adjusted dog who fits in straight away and proceeds to become part of a family by refusing to relinquish his place on the couch is hardly front page news, so we never hear about him.
Dogs don't wind up in pounds because they have failed at being pets, they land there because at some point somebody failed to look after them.
OP, tell the people in the shelter that you'd rather not take a 'special needs' dog, and they'll sort you out with a hound that's just right for you. They won't send you home with the wrong dog.

***Just re-read this and it sounds a bit strident and bossy. Sorry, I went into lecture mode. You're dead right to put a lot of thought into where you get your dog and what sort of dog you get, just don't rule out the shelters as an option. It's so exciting to be at the 'thinking of getting a puppy' stage!

Greendiamond

beveragelady wrote: »

I understand why people expect to get 'damaged goods' from a shelter. The uplifting/heartbreaking stories are always about three-legged one-eyed dyslexic dogs who make astonishing progress because of the tender loving care of their adoring owners. These are the stories we hear because these make great stories. A perfectly happy well-adjusted dog who fits in straight away and proceeds to become part of a family by refusing to relinquish his place on the couch is hardly front page news, so we never hear about him.
Dogs don't wind up in pounds because they have failed at being pets, they land there because at some point somebody failed to look after them.
OP, tell the people in the shelter that you'd rather not take a 'special needs' dog, and they'll sort you out with a hound that's just right for you. They won't send you home with the wrong dog.

***Just re-read this and it sounds a bit strident and bossy. Sorry, I went into lecture mode. You're dead right to put a lot of thought into where you get your dog and what sort of dog you get, just don't rule out the shelters as an option. It's so exciting to be at the 'thinking of getting a puppy' stage!

Not at all, I appreciate all the feedback. We just want to do the right thing by the dog and want to make sure it fits in with us and will be with us long term. All the replies are great and give me more confidence about a rescue dog.

borderlinemeath

Greendiamond wrote: »

Hello everyone,

After 12 months deliberation we have decided to get a dog !

I had planned to go to <a rescue or shelter> but a number of people have mentioned you might be getting 'problems' with a dog that's been neglected or abused and it might be hard to break habits/traits.

Highly unlikely if you go to a reputable rescue who use fosters to assess the dogs in their care.

So question one is: With that in mind is it better to get a puppy that we can train from scratch ?

Puppies are hard work, really hard. It's been over 6 years since I got a puppy, and as cute as they are, they are like having a baby to mind. Without nappies.

Question two: if we get a puppy from < <a rescue or shelter> will we avoid behavioural problems?

A reputable rescue will assess all dogs and will only match a dog to a home where they are fully confident that any issues, however small can be dealt with adequately by the adopter. Behavioural problems is quite a broad spectrum though, you might get a dog that you may need to do leadwork with, or ongoing training but serious behavioural problems will have been raised by the fosterer and no rescue will take the risk of placing a dog with a family that may be completely overwhelmed by an issue such as separation anxiety. The chances of the dog coming back to the rescue will be huge if that were the case.

Question three: what type of breed will suit my family best? We are 2 adults and 3 children aged from 14 to 10 years.

Decent sized back garden. I work 5 mornings so dog would be alone from 8-1 5 days a week although a neighbour will pop in daily if required. Want a trainable dog( we will put time into training) who is intelligent and good with kids. Not too heavy a shedder. We walk a lot so don't mind a dog with a bit of energy and don't want one to docile.

You haven't mentioned size of dog:). The size of your back garden is irrelevant really, no matter how big or small a dog, a garden is not enough stimulation. Your children are old enough to deal with a big enough dog like a lab or a retriever, which are great all round family dogs, or crosses, many of which are in rescues up and down the country.

Would prefer to get one from < <a rescue or shelter> as there are so many unwanted dogs do we really need to breed more ? However it needs to be the right fit for us so am leaning towards puppy. How much work is a puppy V an older rescue dog?

Any advice ???

A puppy can be a lot of work. House training, middle of the night toilet breaks, crate training, obedience training, socialisation training, worming, vaccinations, lead training, recall training, more toilet training... the list isn't endless.

I have a dog from puppyhood and a rescue dog and I found the rescue was far easier to train. Granted, I had a lot of experience at that stage but going back to basics was much easier. I found him very easy to please and very easily motivated.

Rescues also get in puppies from time to time, and always have lots of adolescent dogs, and not all dogs are 'damaged goods'. I remember a poster on here (Whispered?) said that the only problem with dogs in rescues is the owner who left them there. Not in those exact words, but something along those lines. As you have an open mind it's worthwhile checking them out before committing to a breeder. Visit a few rescues and you might find a dog that gives you 'the eyes'

jimf

was leaving my local shop recently with my daughter ( shes dog mad as well ) and she pointed out 2 beautiful king Charles in a ladies
car of course we had to go and have a closer look

she informed us she fostered them short term about 6 months previous and hadn't the heart to give em back she just fell in love with them and she was very proud of the fact she was a failed fosterer and was probably going to fail again in the future

handbagmad

the foster route is deffo a great option. But im sure if you go to any rescue shelter they will do their best to match you with a dog that suits your lifestyle.
Puppies can be very very hard work so maybe an older dog passed the puppy stage would suit better.
Most shelter dogs dont have any more problems than a puppy bought would have. The only fault most have is having previous bad owners. but by god do they give love and devotion to you back ten fold.
Good luck op.

SingItOut

Whether you rescue or buy a puppy there is always a chance the pup can have behavioural problems. You're going to have to train your puppy in the way you would like him/her to behave. And older dogs can definitely be trained too, my eldest dog who passed away at age 19 was rescued by us when she was 10 years old and we had no problem training her. She was extremely nervous for months given what she had been through but within a year she was a confident and overly affectionate dog

My most recent rescue puppy is a 6 month old collie X springer , she was rescued from being put to sleep at 8 weeks old along with her litter mates. She has been with us two months as of yesterday and in that time has learned all basic obedience and hasn't had any behavioural problems. She's a little sweetheart, loves cuddles and is very affectionate.

As everyone else had suggested - try fostering, the rescue will always be on hand to give you advice

sohsoh

My experiences of rescue dogs are as follows:

1. Got an 18 month old lab who had obviously been trained well by previous owners. Adorable dog who has given us no problems whatsoever.

2. Another dog was an escape artist who only stayed with us one night before we returned him as we weren't equipped to deal with a Huddini.

3. Next one was a barker and a howler who we also returned to the rescue because we weren't suited to him.

4. We got a pup from the rescue who has given us no problems. He's now three and if he ever does have any behavourable problems we only have ourselves to blame.

To summarise, all dogs are different and it's important not to prejudge them because they are from a rescue. Best of luck with whatever you do.