Dogs/pup from a shelter

con1888

General question here, what is the reason a good breeder should be breeding for?

I know to ask the question but what answer am I looking for.

vickynleon

you should be careful getting a dog older than a puppy because they are in a dogs home/shelter for a reason, it may be a genuine reason and no fault of their own but they may also have bitten in the past but people will lie and say the dog is gentle.
my aunty once picked up a dog from a dogs home, it was less than 3 year old but cant remember how old exactly, he was a cute small breed and seemed lovely, not a mention from dogs home that he had been mis treated or had harmed anyone in the past, he was fine with everyone except one day my cousin visited while wearing a peaked cap, soon as she walked through the door he just charged straight at her and bit into her t-shirt and would not let go, she is very lucky that they eventually calmed him down and she wasnt injured, but i'm assuming from the way he acted that he may of been mis-treated by someone wearing a hat because he had always been fine with my cousin when not wearing a hat, at least with a puppy you can train them and you know then how they have been treated. after this he was then taken back to the dogs home but imagine if he had charged at a child, he would of been in shot of their face, could of seriously injured a child and scarred a child for life.

gettingready

to improve the line - not to make profit

they carefuly select a partner for their dog/b1tch, they do not mate the 2 together just because they happen to own a male and female dog

good breeders will often get a partenr for thier dog from far way, even from abroad to ensure a good match/health/characteristic

all pups look cute when they are little....but it is many years commitment so pls stry to spare yourself possible health issues/worry and temperament issues/worry - do your research well, do NOT rush into putting a deposit down on the first lot of puppies you see....

gettingready

And - if you are determined to get a GS (as you seem to be) - perhaps start a new thread with GS in the title so all the GS slaves (I mean owners) can see it and hpefully help you out?

con1888

I'm verging towards a pup more now. As much as I would love to rescue an older dog I just think in my circumstances a puppy would be better.

gettingready

I would say with cat/s a puppy is the only sensible choice.

con1888

thanks going to start a new thread just now as def GSD.

vickynleon

con1888 wrote: »

I'm verging towards a pup more now. As much as I would love to rescue an older dog I just think in my circumstances a puppy would be better.

glad to hear this, you hear so much about dogs biting or even killing children that it has totally put me off dogs, at least with a puppy if you treat it right then chances are it will turn out to be a lovely dog, my nan had an gs and he was such a lovely dog, he wasnt really a fan of children because 2 of my younger cousins used to act scared and scream and he really didnt like it but with anyone who would confidentally walk as normal when around him he was very very gentle so its a great idea to bring him/her up with children from the start so they can get used to how some kids may be weary where as other's may want to pull his/her tail. good luck in finding the right dog.

Dollardog

vickynleon wrote: »

you should be careful getting a dog older than a puppy because they are in a dogs home/shelter for a reason, it may be a genuine reason and no fault of their own but they may also have bitten in the past but people will lie and say the dog is gentle.
my aunty once picked up a dog from a dogs home, it was less than 3 year old but cant remember how old exactly, he was a cute small breed and seemed lovely, not a mention from dogs home that he had been mis treated or had harmed anyone in the past, he was fine with everyone except one day my cousin visited while wearing a peaked cap, soon as she walked through the door he just charged straight at her and bit into her t-shirt and would not let go, she is very lucky that they eventually calmed him down and she wasnt injured, but i'm assuming from the way he acted that he may of been mis-treated by someone wearing a hat because he had always been fine with my cousin when not wearing a hat, at least with a puppy you can train them and you know then how they have been treated. after this he was then taken back to the dogs home but imagine if he had charged at a child, he would of been in shot of their face, could of seriously injured a child and scarred a child for life.

Why was he taken back to the dog's home? After finding out that he had a problem with people in hats, why didn't your aunty or whoever try to work on getting him out of that behaviour instead of giving up on him and passing the problem onto someone else?
The dog I had before the one I have now was a rescue dog. He had had 5 homes before me. He had been beaten and starved before I had him and it gave him nervous aggression. If he thought he was in trouble, he used to fly at you snarling and growling, he was a big dog and I live on my own so not a nice experience. I knew that I was his last chance and if I sent him back, he was going to be put to sleep.
I tried taking him to training classes as he was not socialised with other dogs either. The trainer said he needed putting down as I would never do anything with him. How wrong they were.
Yes, it took time and patience, but having found out what triggered his aggression, I just tried to avoid those situations and worked on getting his trust. It took me a good 18 months to sort him out but he made a lovely dog in the end.
It's not fair on a dog to just send them back if they fall at the first hurdle, you have to at least try to help them, otherwise they end up like Max, each home they go to they get worse until they have no more chances. Having found out he didn't like people in hats seems to me an easy one to sort out with a bit of patience.
Poor dog, I hope he found a family who were prepared to help him.

con1888

My gran used to have a dog that hated the colour red, which is strange as I have heard people say dogs dont see in colour?

She had to prewarn people coming to the house not to wear it and he went crazy if he saw a royal mail van.