Would you get a dog from a dog rescue centre?

Person_one

ariba10 wrote: »

Ask yourself. Why are they put there.

I would no more put a dog of mine in one of those places than I would a child.

You probably care about your dogs though.

Tons of people see them as disposable, and don't take the commitment of dog ownership seriously at all.

It seems a lot of people on here have a higher opinion of human beings than I do! For all the stories about 'not having time' 'not fair on the dog' blah blah blah I do still believe that most dogs in rescue are there because human beings let them down.

krlyr

You may want that, I would rather my dogs were confined to longlines for the rest of their life than use methods like those she used. The dominance theory is outdated, disproved and likely to do more damage than help longterm. I don't want my dog to stay by me because it's terrified to do anything else.

Mine have been able to be off-lead in the past, but circumstances have changed that. Less secure areas (e.g. field leads onto a busy road) make the small risk of one of them darting after a rabbit more dangerous, health issues have caused Kiki to become anxious around other dogs, an injury has meant I haven't been able to provide another outlet for her prey drive (one good way to deal with prey drive is to redirect, e.g. onto a toy - but as dashing and darting around would aggravate her shoulder condition, I have had to avoid it, and therefore she would be more likely to direct that drive onto the environment). I'm actually enquiring into a local field for hire to provide them with some off-lead time, now her shoulder is healed enough for that, though it's currently flooded so having to wait for it to clear.

Dog behaviour is not rigid. You can't say every dog can be trained to be off-lead in every circumstance, and that failing to do so is because of a lack of training. Some breeds will just have a much higher drive than others - for example, Greyhounds, especially ex-racing ones, will have a high drive to chase because it's what they were bred for. This means fields with rabbits, or parks where small dogs may appear on the horizon and get mistaken for prey, could be too risky. A Terrier may be fine in a park, but a nightmare in woodland where it could bolt down a badger hole for example and get stuck. A waterloving Labrador may become far too tempted to leap in the pond at the local park to try to fetch a duck.

Every environment has different distractions, and although you can try to proof your dog to every distraction, there may be some that are just far more self-rewarding than you could be, and that's where management in the form of a lead or longline come in handy.

catkins

Bestthingsinlifearefree wrote: »

Are beagles counted as hounds? I can understand if you have a dog that will not recall never let it off the lead but I had the thought that all dogs could be trained to recall.

Just wondering why the dog rescue owner made such a strong point about the hound dogs not being off the lead (is it to do with being in a public place with a dog out of your control) ie was she saying don't risk it.

Most dogs can be trained to be let off lead, some can't. It doesn't necessarily depend on the breed.


I don't agree with the idea that some breeds just can never be let off lead and can never be trained to come back. As I said, I have always had hounds and lots of so called experts so they can't be let off.


I do realise that some dogs cannot be let off but it is sad if the owner has never even tried to train them to come back. I know someone who has always had chows and she has never once let any of them off lead because she says "the books tell you that you can't"! She has taken all her dogs to the local park and there are always lots of dogs running around and playing. Her dogs always look sad that they can't join in.


I must admit my present dog's recall is pretty rubbish (he is only 19 months) so I can only let him off in totally secure fences in areas. Luckily there is a field near me that you can hire and I am hopeful that before too long he will get the idea

ariba10

We have an elderly family friend who we keep an eye on.

She has two small dogs that have to be locked in an empty room before she can answer the door.

She have had dogs all her life and three have had to be put down for biting people.

None of it her fault, or the dogs fault???

When she dies, I pity the people who get to look after them.

trolleyrun

In regards to recall, I've tried everything, both in and out of the book so to speak. I now only let Pipsqueak off the lead in a secure field where both of us know she can't escape. Otherwise, she's on a long retractable lead and harness. I can't risk her running off and getting run over, stolen (she'll go to anyone) or get stuck down a badger sett. She's gone to earth once before and it was the longest half an hour of my life before she came back. She's tiny, so can get in really deep.

I'll try again in a few months to see if she starts acting more like a grown up, but for now, we'll stick to the playing field off-lead and on lead anywhere else. Just for the record, her recall is great in the safe field, she just goes "deaf" elsewhere.

trolleyrun

ariba10 wrote: »

We have an elderly family friend who we keep an eye on.

She has two small dogs that have to be locked in an empty room before she can answer the door.

She have had dogs all her life and three have had to be put down for biting people.

None of it her fault, or the dogs fault???

When she dies, I pity the people who get to look after them.

That's your friend's fault for not training her dogs. Simple.

krlyr

ariba10 wrote: »

We have an elderly family friend who we keep an eye on.

And I have a friend who has red hair. Does that mean the majority of people in the world will have red hair?

Yes, you will get dogs in rescue with lots of issues. Some may stay there years, if not their whole life, struggling to find a home with someone who's able to handle them. But you'll find dogs with minor issues that can be fixed, and dogs with no issues at all. Some does not mean all. Like I said previously, I'd be interested in seeing statistics for your claim that the majority of dogs in rescue are ones ruined by a lack of training.

ariba10

trolleyrun wrote: »

That's your friend's fault for not training her dogs. Simple.

And you do not think that some of the posters on here are no better?

As much they do not like the fact..

They are not human beings--- They are animals and must be trained --humanly.

ariba10

We have had dogs all our married life and none of them have been allowed upstairs or on the furniture (Have come down some mornings and found a warm spot on my armchair)

Some people treat them as surrogate children. Not fair on the animal.

PlymouthMaid

I have done both. My first dog was a working cocker puppy. I had grown up with dogs but never had one of my own so did not feel I could do justice to a rescue dog who may have higher training and behavioural needs than I was capable of handling. I also wanted a cocker specifically.

Last Summer when I lost my dear dog-boy I got a rescue Springer -Collie cross. He had a few issues but these were because he had been emotionally neglected and had no idea how to be around other dogs or even how to go for a long walk. The other things mentioned by the home just were not there such as chasing joggers. He was just under stimulated as it seemed the previous owners chucked a ball in the park for him, shoved him back in the car and then left him all day alone. Not the right kind if dog for that life. However although he would like two hours walks a day he is very happy and thriving on two 40 mins a day walks (longer at weekends) but lots of play and fuss at home too. He is too intelligent to ignore. Still a little obsessed with his ball but at least now he shares it and will play with other dogs.

Not sure how this helps OP because there are so many variables. Puppies = fun but very hard work and they MUST be trained. Homing a rescue is a good thing to do and they do get young dogs (mine was only 2) and they have hopefully received some training already. I think with no previous experience, a rescue centre would not usually let you have a dog with a lot of issues. Go along and see if any of them 'talk' to you.

Edited - I see you have already been along. Some breeds are overrepresented in the rescue centres. I was lucky to get my handsome boy - he was only there 3 weeks. I can highly recommend cocker spaniels for a family dog.