Puppy Advice (merged)

toshkininny

does make you think doesn't it.

user55

moomin5 wrote: »

i.e for me this was;
* I'm not incredibly active and don't want to have to physically wear my dog out.
* I want my dog to be laid back and not need to give him constant attention.
* easy to groom
* personally prefer larger dogs.
* Dog would need to be able to cope at home while i'm working
* Docile nature

LMAO I read your list and thought "What you need is a greyhound or 2!" and then saw that's exactly what you have :T

Me too

Emmabeth

You identify responsible breeders by taking the time to research the breed, and the breeders. Hence it taking me 6 years to find and get my pup.

For those who dont care, and would prefer to be in the dark about the potential problems their dog may have - have at the free ads.

Pedigree dogs have their problems but it would be foolish in the extreme to assume that this automatically means mongrels do NOT have any problems - of my five dogs, it is the pedigree who is the only one without inherited problems. All the free, cheap, rescue mongrels... have got inherited problems.

And then of course theres the lovely xbreed breeders, making a mint out of selling designer crosses, focusing on the so called 'hybrid vigour', and flogging dogs out of un health tested parents, themselves often very badly bred... and making a killing. And now everyone who has seen that program the other night is running straight into their arms. Wicked.

foreign_correspondent

Emmabeth wrote: »

Pedigree dogs have their problems but it would be foolish in the extreme to assume that this automatically means mongrels do NOT have any problems - of my five dogs, it is the pedigree who is the only one without inherited problems. All the free, cheap, rescue mongrels... have got inherited problems.
of course, that can happen, but anecdotal evidence is limited in its value - (I have never had a cross breed with an inherited illness) - but statistically cross breeds are healthier overall. Insurance companies know this, hence the lower premiums for crossreeds.

And then of course theres the lovely xbreed breeders, making a mint out of selling designer crosses, focusing on the so called 'hybrid vigour', and flogging dogs out of un health tested parents, themselves often very badly bred... and making a killing. And now everyone who has seen that program the other night is running straight into their arms. Wicked.
Some people will always fall for these sales tricks - but maybe some more sensible people will realise that commercial dog breeding is an unscrupulous business altogether and if they want a crossbreed have a look at the rescues which are full of crossbreed dogs and pups

I still think it is difficult for mr or mrs joe public to work out who the 'good' breeders are - after all many of the ones on that show, who were involved in such un-ethical practice, were breeders of champion dogs, that were, in breed circles, regarded as the best in the country

orlao

Emmabeth wrote: »

You identify responsible breeders by taking the time to research the breed, and the breeders. Hence it taking me 6 years to find and get my pup.


Pedigree dogs have their problems but it would be foolish in the extreme to assume that this automatically means mongrels do NOT have any problems - of my five dogs, it is the pedigree who is the only one without inherited problems. All the free, cheap, rescue mongrels... have got inherited problems.

Very true, with mongrels there is less chance of inbreeding.....or there used to be! Now that most people neuter their pet dogs there are a lot less accidental litters but there are still people who believe that a dog should have one litter, usually at 6- 8 months old in their first season and as dogs don't get to roam as much as they used to,which at least kept the gene pool varied, the father is very often a related dog as it is from the same household.

Also, as pups will sell for £2-300 in free ads and local papers, does anyone really think that these breeders research their bloodlines, care properly for the mothers, worm and deflea the litters, socialise the pups or introduce them to indoor life? Do they heck:mad: These pups are usually kept in a shed, mothers fed on the cheapest available, never ever see a vet as they are a commodity purely kept for their earning capacity and the buyers are seen as mugs, to be taken for all that they are stupid enough to give....just like puppy farms, if you buy from these places you're just encouraging more breeding. The sad thing is that pedigree breeding has, in many, not all cases has gone like this, IMHO due to easy availability of KC registration. Some 70% of dogs are pedigrees now because of the lack of accidental litters IYSWIM which isn't a bad thing but it has restricted gene pools even further and increased the market price for dogs ( When I was a kid, we never "bought" a dog, they were all given to us as there were always pups available, the only pedigree dog we had was a German Pointer who was a wedding present to my parents:D ) encouraging unscruplous breeders after a quick buck.

As we all know, many of these dogs end up in rescue and some of the rescues themselves make it very difficult for a lot of people to adopt due to understandable rules about people who work or have small children leaving even more people planning on buying a dog. I don't know the answers to this but I can see dog ownership becoming even more restricted due to the costs of dogs from cradle to grave, most people having to work and the ever increasing dog control legislation especially in urban areas. Is that a good or bad thing? I don't know!

orlao

foreign_correspondent wrote: »

I still think it is difficult for mr or mrs joe public to work out who the 'good' breeders are - after all many of the ones on that show, who were involved in such un-ethical practice, were breeders of champion dogs, that were, in breed circles, regarded as the best in the country

Mr and Mrs Joe Public assumed KC registration was a stamp of quality, fairly enough.......the Kennel Club was/is seen as some kind of arbiter of good practice which of course it isn't.

Very, very difficult for anyone looking for a dog, rescue is probably the way to go but as I said in an earlier post that isn't an option for a lot of people.

gemmalouanna

Don't know what area you are in but I can highly recommend Manchester dogs home, they were fantastic and we ended up with our perfect 1 year old golden retriever cross. There are so many dogs there it is really sad but equally nice to know that you can give one a good home...I agree about greyhounds, I would have 5 if my boyfriend wasn't allergic

I found the RSPCA to be quite difficult saying that we could only have really old dogs due to us working despite the fact that I wanted a younger dog to take on long bike rides.

lowis

some breeders can be very cruel indeed...makes me so cross.

MissKate1986

Not all Breeders/Dog showing people are like that. The program forgot to say how much health testing is going on in breeds alot of us are very careful not all of us are cruel vile people.

I was also upset about the content of the program.

All breeds have problems and many of us are trying hard to sort it out.

If you do buy a pedigree dog please check that its been health tested and research the breed. Good luck hope you find what your looking for

Please try this site http://www.petplanet.co.uk/dog_breed.asp

foreign_correspondent

MissKate1986 wrote: »

Not all Breeders/Dog showing people are like that. The program forgot to say how much health testing is going on in breeds alot of us are very careful not all of us are cruel vile people.

I was also upset about the content of the program.

All breeds have problems and many of us are trying hard to sort it out.

If you do buy a pedigree dog please check that its been health tested and research the breed. Good luck hope you find what your looking for

Please try this site http://www.petplanet.co.uk/dog_breed.asp

looks a bit spammy to me!!