How Do We Go About Changing Perception?

[Dame Aussie]

I think sometimes it's a form of snobbery. Some pet people who buy pedigree dogs think that their dogs are better than non peds, and often the people who buy non peds also think, I only want a pet, only people who are "up themselves" buy pedigrees.

Yeah there's a lot of this.

[WreckitWhippet]

I try to explain it as pet owners deserve to have a well bred and healthy dog which care has gone into producing. There is no 'just' in pet. Just like there is no 'just' in family car. You still want something that is well engineered even though you will never take it on the racetrack.

Pretty much what I say to them. They don't deserve a second rate animal just because they want a "pet"

[WreckitWhippet]

I think sometimes it's a form of snobbery. Some pet people who buy pedigree dogs think that their dogs are better than non peds, and often the people who buy non peds also think, I only want a pet, only people who are "up themselves" buy pedigrees.

But they should be and they are, if purchased from a registered breeder who breeds for type, temperament , structure and soundness. The "pedigree dog" is the superior product. If it weren't there would be no dedicated registered breeders who believe in the dogs they produce.

[Malakita]

Yesterday my dogs and I were out and we met a couple also owned dogs.

Anyway, along the line they asked if mine are pedigreed and I said yes. They said their Maltese isn't as they only wanted them as pets. Long story short, they said they knew of someone else with a Maltese. And as the pedigree only goes back 5 generations, so before that, they claim that this other person's Maltese had Dachsund DNA.

My brain went huh!??. The Maltese needed a blood test for something or rather, and it was then the owners found out the the Maltese wasn't '100 % Maltese despite having a pedigree.

Seriously, is this even possible? Unless the breeder was dodgy.....

[tdierikx]

I think sometimes it's a form of snobbery. Some pet people who buy pedigree dogs think that their dogs are better than non peds, and often the people who buy non peds also think, I only want a pet, only people who are "up themselves" buy pedigrees.

But they should be and they are, if purchased from a registered breeder who breeds for type, temperament , structure and soundness. The "pedigree dog" is the superior product. If it weren't there would be no dedicated registered breeders who believe in the dogs they produce.

I agree with you for the most... but that kind of "attitude" displayed by those with pedigeed dogs can also be a put off for the average person...

T.

[Rosetta]

I was pleased to see in a segment on the "Today" show the other morning about "pocket pooches" that Katrina Warren encouraged people to only buy from registered breeders to ensure the health of the pup you were getting. I would have liked to see her ad something about the appalling conditions some breeding dogs are kept in to supply pet stores as well. Though Ben Fordham did say something about not liking to see pups in glass cages for weeks on end - so that was something anyway and I almost liked him for that comment :)

[BlaznHotAussies]

Good on Katrina Warren!! Always knew I liked her :)

[Alkhe]

Yesterday my dogs and I were out and we met a couple also owned dogs.

Anyway, along the line they asked if mine are pedigreed and I said yes. They said their Maltese isn't as they only wanted them as pets. Long story short, they said they knew of someone else with a Maltese. And as the pedigree only goes back 5 generations, so before that, they claim that this other person's Maltese had Dachsund DNA.

My brain went huh!??. The Maltese needed a blood test for something or rather, and it was then the owners found out the the Maltese wasn't '100 % Maltese despite having a pedigree.

Seriously, is this even possible? Unless the breeder was dodgy.....

DNA tests aren't particularly accurate - I was looking into getting my Poodle X tested just out of interest, to see what other breed/s were in there, but decided against it after reading so many stories like this. Sure, it could be that there was a randy dachshund that somehow got into the pedigree some how, but it might also be the fact that the tests aren't as robust as they would need to be yet.

Also - most breeds were developed from combinations of other breeds, so as I understand it, if particular breeds were used in the development of another breed, they may turn up.

A woman at my park got her Koolie/BC type dog tested and it showed the main breed as being Poodle. This dog looked like a Border Collie but mostly white with some merle patches and blue eyes. Poodle? Yeah, maybe way back.

[Santo66]

It did make me wonder if this is why some people turn to other avenues to get puppies, because they don't want a show dog.

They don't want to pay the money for a papered breed, because they are not going to show or breed and just want a pet, they don't need to spend the money to purchase qualities in a dog they will never use. If the papered dog was the same price as the Gumtree mutt, they would choose the papered dog of breed choice........it's all down to what monetary value they think a pet is worth IMHO

I have had several wealthy people turn their nose up at me spending 2K on a pup.......these people would spend 2K a week on rubbish stuff half their luck, but their dog was sourced from Gumtree for 100 bucks and brag about the good buy they got

There are a lot of people who can't afford a papered breed within their tight budgets.......the intention is to buy papered until they learn what their breed of choice is worth where most are over the $1000 mark now which is a lot of money for some people to save up......so they buy unpapered in their breed of choice half price or buy crossbreeds etc they can afford.

Edited July 27, 2013 by Santo66

[mita]

I was pleased to see in a segment on the "Today" show the other morning about "pocket pooches" that Katrina Warren encouraged people to only buy from registered breeders to ensure the health of the pup you were getting.

Thanks for that, Rosetta. I saw a pic of that segment on the Facebook page of one of the experienced tibbie breeders...obviously praising it. But I didn't know what it'd been about.

Just a general comment... there's a pile of reasons why we've got purebreds as pets from registered breeders. And it's just as much about how they raise & keep their dogs, as it is about the care that goes into their breeding decisions for conformation, health & temperament.

Our adopted ex-show dogs, come with the most amazing good, well-socialised natures.

And that doesn't mean we'd ignore as pets, mixed breeds, like those that come thro' ethical rescues. But not designed mixed breeds, direct from pet stores, puppy farms & backyard breeders.

We loved our little mixed breed dog that was thrown from a car as a puppy. Our 'star', Grandma as she was eventually called, lived until she was nearly 23 yrs old. Lovely little dog, with exceptional health (she looked like a poodle that looked like a spaniel :) ). Our purebreds we've got from the good registered breeders have had good health, too.

Edited July 27, 2013 by mita

[Santo66]

And that doesn't mean we'd ignore as pets, mixed breeds, like those that come thro' ethical rescues. But not designed mixed breeds, direct from pet stores, puppy farms & backyard breeders.

We loved our little mixed breed dog that was thrown from a car as a puppy. Our 'star', Grandma as she was eventually called, lived until she was nearly 23 yrs old. Lovely little dog, with exceptional health (she looked like a poodle that looked like a spaniel :) ). Our purebreds we've got from the good registered breeders have had good health, too.

Ethical rescues are still for the most part recycling the same stuff from the pet shops, puppy farms and the like placing product from irresponsible breeding's of unknown ancestry......a mutt through rescue means it may have a had quick vet check and the temperament is tested pet worthy, but the background and nitty gritty on the dog is not even close to what a registered breeder can provide who has years of breeding and bloodline experience of their respective breeds. Good rescues do a great job, I admire their work, but it's not in the same league as a good registered breeder.

[Little Gifts]

I think that is a misconception that goes back a long way when people who bought pets with pedigrees were likely to be better off and a bit snobby. My parents only ever bought from breeders because the cats and dogs they liked were not super common, even though they had no interest in breeding from them. But we also took in strays of different varieties as well, just because we've always been a family of animal lovers.

Back when I was a kid, even if the puppies were cute a bitsa was still a bitsa and you had to give them away - no-one was going to pay you for a dog that wasn't purebred and didn't have papers!

Things of course changed when people started breeding supposed purebreds that just didn't have papers and offering them at a cheaper price than a breeder. I really don't think a lot of people still have a clue about the importance of what they are getting from a breeder when they get a dog with a guaranteed lineage, good vet care and socialisation. And the value of that in the long term!

I've recently joined an international shar pei page on FB and the questions on there shock me some days. If these pups were coming from a breeder they wouldn't be asking people on an FB page about diet and skin/coat issues. There is even one on there recently that is definitely crossed with something else but the owners are convinced it is pure bred because they were told it was.

[mita]

And that doesn't mean we'd ignore as pets, mixed breeds, like those that come thro' ethical rescues. But not designed mixed breeds, direct from pet stores, puppy farms & backyard breeders.

We loved our little mixed breed dog that was thrown from a car as a puppy. Our 'star', Grandma as she was eventually called, lived until she was nearly 23 yrs old. Lovely little dog, with exceptional health (she looked like a poodle that looked like a spaniel :) ). Our purebreds we've got from the good registered breeders have had good health, too.

Ethical rescues are still for the most part recycling the same stuff from the pet shops, puppy farms and the like placing product from irresponsible breeding's of unknown ancestry......a mutt through rescue means it may have a had quick vet check and the temperament is tested pet worthy, but the background and nitty gritty on the dog is not even close to what a registered breeder can provide who has years of breeding and bloodline experience of their respective breeds. Good rescues do a great job, I admire their work, but it's not in the same league as a good registered breeder.

Read what I wrote.... take a good hard look at the word 'direct'. I put that there to help along readers' comprehension.

I said I was not interested in buying designed mixed breeds direct from pet stores, puppy farms & backyards.

But I would adopt mixed breeds from ethical rescues.... wherever those dogs have come from.

Got the difference? I don't give direct support to the pet stores, puppy farmers & backyard breeders.... but I support homeless dogs that ethical rescues have taken in.... wherever the dogs have originally come from.

Didn't I also indicate that our preference has been adopting from the ethical registered breeders? And I even spelled out the reasons... which are unique to that sphere. I indicated clearly that we still retained a spot in out hearts/home where we'd help out a dog, not so lucky to come from that world .... thro' rescue.

Those 2 positions, as I've spelled them out, are not incompatible. It's possible to keep two thoughts in the mind at one time.

Edited July 27, 2013 by mita

[Little Gifts]

And that doesn't mean we'd ignore as pets, mixed breeds, like those that come thro' ethical rescues. But not designed mixed breeds, direct from pet stores, puppy farms & backyard breeders.

We loved our little mixed breed dog that was thrown from a car as a puppy. Our 'star', Grandma as she was eventually called, lived until she was nearly 23 yrs old. Lovely little dog, with exceptional health (she looked like a poodle that looked like a spaniel :) ). Our purebreds we've got from the good registered breeders have had good health, too.

Ethical rescues are still for the most part recycling the same stuff from the pet shops, puppy farms and the like placing product from irresponsible breeding's of unknown ancestry......a mutt through rescue means it may have a had quick vet check and the temperament is tested pet worthy, but the background and nitty gritty on the dog is not even close to what a registered breeder can provide who has years of breeding and bloodline experience of their respective breeds. Good rescues do a great job, I admire their work, but it's not in the same league as a good registered breeder.

Sorry but I take offence to this. You can't compare the two like that and make those assumptions. Rescue is not in competition with breeders but it is part of the continuum of dogs being bred and abandoned, regardless of who has bred them. I am with a specific breed rescue group and some of the numerous dogs we have come through have come from a registered breeder. A lot of blood, sweat and tears goes into bringing them back to good health and assessing their suitability for rehoming. A lot of time is also taken by the person who runs this rescue working with owners to try and avoid them being surrendered in the first place. Our vet bills are astronomical because it is felt a dog in pain and poor health is not going to show its true personality. When we do public events people are shocked that a rescue group for this breed of dog is even needed. It is and with a lot of effort and money many beautiful dogs have gone to their forever homes. In a perfect world this breed would all be well bred, without health and behavioural issues and if an owner could no longer keep the dog then the same registered breeders would take it back and rehome it. We are far from living in a perfect world.

[keyleigh]

Our girl is our first pedigree breeder dog. I'm shocked at the amount of times I've been asked since we bought her home (two months) if we plan on breeding her. Because why would we bother buying an "expensive papered" dog if we weren't planning on making money off her?

I try and explain that we wanted a particular breed for the traits and we wanted a good breeder so we know the history of the dog etc, but no. The consensus is I've wasted money on a fancy dog that's useless.

[RiverStar-Aura]

I find the 'I don't want to pay the exxy price of a pedigree' argument ridiculous these days. People are paying more now for their designer mongrels than they would a purebred dog. My designer dog Zeus was nearly $1500 but my pedigree Aussie was half that.

[Dame Aussie]

I think sometimes it's a form of snobbery. Some pet people who buy pedigree dogs think that their dogs are better than non peds, and often the people who buy non peds also think, I only want a pet, only people who are "up themselves" buy pedigrees.

But they should be and they are, if purchased from a registered breeder who breeds for type, temperament , structure and soundness. The "pedigree dog" is the superior product. If it weren't there would be no dedicated registered breeders who believe in the dogs they produce.

I agree with you for the most... but that kind of "attitude" displayed by those with pedigeed dogs can also be a put off for the average person...

T.

Agree. Even if it"s correct, people who have had and loved cross bred dogs will see that attitude as snobby and it will turn them off purebreds.

[Kirislin]

I think sometimes it's a form of snobbery. Some pet people who buy pedigree dogs think that their dogs are better than non peds, and often the people who buy non peds also think, I only want a pet, only people who are "up themselves" buy pedigrees.

But they should be and they are, if purchased from a registered breeder who breeds for type, temperament , structure and soundness. The "pedigree dog" is the superior product. If it weren't there would be no dedicated registered breeders who believe in the dogs they produce.

I agree with you for the most... but that kind of "attitude" displayed by those with pedigeed dogs can also be a put off for the average person...

T.

Agree. Even if it"s correct, people who have had and loved cross bred dogs will see that attitude as snobby and it will turn them off purebreds.

Maybe I haven't explained it properly. What I mean is that some people, the one who comes to mind is the woman I mentioned previously with the rambunctious Golden Retriever, walks around as if she and her dog are superior to all the rest of us because her dogs parents were shown. She almost seems to think its balls are worth listing on the stock market. My dogs are all pedigrees too. Feathers father won the 2000 whippet champ show under Phil Moran-Healy but apart from mentioning it here to try to make my point, I dont go bragging about it because I dont see that is it anything to brag about.

[sandgrubber]

I think some public perceptions are justified. Many breed standards have come to be interpreted in the extreme by show ring judges. Breeders who breed for healthy pets, with conformation as seen, say, in 1950, as opposed to show winners, are likely to be ostracized by 'the fancy'. If people want to breed for thick, grooming-intensive coats, extreme bracycephaly, or the flying trot (in GSD's) fine, they are welcome to do so. But they are not serving the needs of people who want a low maintenance family dog, and it would be good if certain people would stop screaming BYB at anyone who breeds but does not participate in the show ring or performance competitions.

The average bloke on the street reacts to the modern sloped back GSD with a WTF reaction, and will go for a more squared up, classical conformation every time.

The message that the wheezing pug is not a natural or healthy dog has sunk in to a large fraction of the population.

We also need to pay attention to breed specific longevity, morbidity, and mortality. It would be nice to be able to advertize, not that we do all sorts of tests, but that we have selected our dogs from bloodlines that have lived to a ripe old age with minimal veterinary care.

If we want to change perception, it behooves us to look at where public perception is coming from, admit that there may be some truth in allegations against the pedigree world, and have a word with those who act like snobs toward breeders who put health and temperament ahead of physical appearance in their breeding programs.

[~Anne~]

How do we change perceptions?

In the practical sense it's actually an achievable task. It requires the use of messages and promotion.

We discussed how to change perceptions in another thread in General recently. Sadly, I can't see it ever being done because it requires someone to take carriage of the task.

It requires strategic planning which in this case would involve the following steps;

• Undertaking research
  
• Developing messages
  
• Determine objectives
  
• Creating tactics
  

Edited July 29, 2013 by ~Anne~