Advice On New Dog

[dididog]

No-one is saying cross breeds don't make wonderful companions but if you want to make sure that you limit the unexpected surprises with your new family member either go with purebred dog or fully grown cross breed from a rescue. Obviously there are never any guarantee's in life but do what you can to minimise the risk of a problem down the track.

I agree, after my experience I don't think I'd get a puppy from rescue again. Honestly if you are wanting to add kids to the family in the near future and thus wanting a stable temperament I would avoid a puppy from rescue, they are normally in rescue because no care has been taken with their breeding and the end result might reflect this with poor genetic health or temperament. I'm sure most pups from rescue coast through to adulthood with no problems but it's really playing the genetics lottery with all the same problems as buying a petshop puppy except that you are using an ethical source and pups are kept with their mother/litter for the right amount of time. If you are still set on a cross breed/rescue then I think an adult that has been fostered long enough to get an understanding of their temperament would probably be better.

Probably less of a concern for you since you are wanting something smaller but I also don't like the fact rescue pups come desexed, my Dane cross girl definitely shouldn't have been desexed at 8 weeks and her structure reflects this but I wasn't aware at the time the negative impacts of desexing so early.

Also, the size of your yard does not necessarily mean you are limited to small dogs... my 45kg dog leads a very good life with only a small deck and patch of grass for toileting, I definitely wouldn't consider it cruel!

[westiemum]

Well its all here for you Melissa - just wanted to add my support and congratulations for doing your homework, taking your time and thinking things through.

As for a kelpie x - only if you are a really active family who run a couple of times a day!! Friends of mine, against my advice I might add, bought a BYB kelpie cross - told it was a collie/kelpie x - the poor thing is in a suburban backyard, jumps six foot fences, looks to me like a whippet/kelpie x (not much collie there if its there at all!) and the dog is turning into a menace. This busy family can't exercise this extreme energy dog and the poor dog is bored out of its brain without a job to do in a suburban back yeardand its driving them nuts. So I suggest you slap hubby with this thread and tell him unless he's prepared for at least an hour and a half a day of exercise and training to not even consider a kelpie x - beautiful as they are.

I think the suggestion to describe the temperament you want so we can see if its more chi or jrt - or maybe something else and go from there... well done and good luck!!

[Dame Aussie]

I agree that purebreds may provide an amount of certainty re size and temperament but IME my cross breeds have had better temps than my purebreds, and I got them all as pups, so I don't think it's as simple as saying that a purebred will be better with kids etc.

But yeah that's why a rescue dog/pup that has been fostered is also a good choice as you know a bit more about temp and personality.

Edited July 1, 2015 by Dame Aussie

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

I've had a house full of cross bred dogs for over 10 years and there's rarely been a bad dog.

I test them (carefully) with other dogs, cats, my neighbour's kids. I had to euthanase one dog for severe aggression with people and other dogs but that may well have been a brain tumour judging by other behaviour.

I've had quite a few purebreds amongst them and rescue Italian Greyhounds.

One of the most difficult dogs was purebred - a Whippet.

Whilst I'd be careful about cross breed puppies, the dogs I've taken have all been adults and some of the most wonderful dogs on the planet - you simply couldn't fault them in any way, loving, well behaved and more.

[Steph M]

Firstly I say good on you for looking into this subject, and doing due diligence on finding an ethically sourced puppy. I'd say there is 3 things (beyond obligatory certifications, health, DNA testing) that you should have as non-negotiables when selecting a breeder 1) That you can visit the breeders property, ask questions and meet some of their studs/bitches/puppies. 2)That the breeder is happy to put you in contact with some families of previous litters. 3)That the breeder is genuinely committed to an ongoing relationship and commits to supporting you should you require it.

I would consider it a breach of my privacy if my breeder handed out my details to potential puppy buyers without asking, and if asked to be honest I'd probably say no. Not that I don't think she is awesome, but I just don't think I'd be comfortable doing so.

I don't think you'll find that a condition many breeders would put forward. Some have Facebook groups or similar, but as a non-negotiable I find this strange.

[BullBreedBoy]

Firstly I say good on you for looking into this subject, and doing due diligence on finding an ethically sourced puppy. I'd say there is 3 things (beyond obligatory certifications, health, DNA testing) that you should have as non-negotiables when selecting a breeder 1) That you can visit the breeders property, ask questions and meet some of their studs/bitches/puppies. 2)That the breeder is happy to put you in contact with some families of previous litters. 3)That the breeder is genuinely committed to an ongoing relationship and commits to supporting you should you require it.

I would consider it a breach of my privacy if my breeder handed out my details to potential puppy buyers without asking, and if asked to be honest I'd probably say no. Not that I don't think she is awesome, but I just don't think I'd be comfortable doing so.

I don't think you'll find that a condition many breeders would put forward. Some have Facebook groups or similar, but as a non-negotiable I find this strange.

Fair enough I guess we are all different. I always ask on pick up day if it's ok, and explain why. Have never had anyone say no. But we try to stay in touch with all of our families, and have regular get togethers, puppy play dates etc. Of course if someone wasn't keen on that then I wouldn't pass any details on, however I kind of think that they'd be filtered out during my vetting anyways.

[BullBreedBoy]

Firstly I say good on you for looking into this subject, and doing due diligence on finding an ethically sourced puppy. I'd say there is 3 things (beyond obligatory certifications, health, DNA testing) that you should have as non-negotiables when selecting a breeder 1) That you can visit the breeders property, ask questions and meet some of their studs/bitches/puppies. 2)That the breeder is happy to put you in contact with some families of previous litters. 3)That the breeder is genuinely committed to an ongoing relationship and commits to supporting you should you require it.

As for the cross bred issue, my personal opinion on it is that many cross breeds make wonderful companion pets. Some breeders get very emotional about the subject and cast very rapid judgement over those that engage in any kind of so-called designer cross breeding. I always find this a little odd, being that the breeds that we love are effectively all designer cross breeds of the past. For example Bull Terriers were originally a mix of Bulldogs and English Terriers, with the pure white coming from the now extinct white terrier. When you consider this, it seems oddly arrogant to get emotional about ethical owners of modern breeds mixing breeds to form what we commonly refer to as 'designer crosses'!

Many of the recues work very hard to place dog with adopter appropriately, so if your preference if for a cross breed then I strongly advise contacting a few rescues and see what comes up. Most if not all do a trial period, so you are 'de-risked' by this to a certain extent.

Going a little off topic here but I guess there's no harm in further educating the OP.

The issue with crossbreeds is primarily a 2 fold issue.

Firstly they are generally bred in varying conditions and health testing is typically non existent, many puppy farm breeders charge way more for a 'designer breed' than a typical purebred breeder for a dog with no guarantee that it won't end up with a genetic disease, hip displasia etc and no idea of what temperament you are getting. Many breeders refer to hybrid vigour but the most common genetic diseases are spread across many breeds so hybrid vigour is not actually a thing.

Secondly a purebred dog is such because they have gone through many generations to create a breed standard and you can guarantee to a certain extent the look, size and temperament of the dog. Most crosses and designer dogs are first generation crosses which means you breed a poodle with a cocker spaniel, the outcome of that first generation breeding is anyone's guess, you could have a dogs that more or less looks like a poodle with a cocker spaniel temperament or vice versa or something in-between. Not to mention using this example there are 3 types of poodles (toy, mini, standard) and 3 types of cocker spaniels (English, America and Working English) so this adds a further element of surprise when you go out and buy a Spoodle puppy, who know's what you're going to get.

No-one is saying cross breeds don't make wonderful companions but if you want to make sure that you limit the unexpected surprises with your new family member either go with purebred dog or fully grown cross breed from a rescue. Obviously there are never any guarantee's in life but do what you can to minimise the risk of a problem down the track.

I understand where you are coming from, but there's a lot of generalising in that post.

I think that pure bred puppies can absolutely have their fair share of surprises, particularly from inexperienced breeders. Also I've seen some registered breeders do some pretty unethical things over the years.

I'm certainly not advocating cross bred puppies over pedigree, but I just don't feel I have the right to arbitrate who gets to breed what with whom.

[juice]

There are pros and cons both ways, i have had well bred purebred dogs with a mirade of health issues, my current one is an endless pit of money, but i love the breed.

I have had x breds who never went to the vet, and others who did.

Reg breeders are not all good either, if you choose to go the purebred route ask for recommendations here,not all are made equal.

Decide what you want in a dog and then look at compatible breeds.

bullbreedboy, i like your thinking

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

My dogs with the worst health problems have been the Italian Greyhounds, my first one was also a "money pit" for 9 years.

[BullBreedBoy]

My dogs with the worst health problems have been the Italian Greyhounds, my first one was also a "money pit" for 9 years.

Yeah I actually know someone with an Italian Greyhound who has had A LOT of health issues. Beautiful dog, but they would have spent ten of thousands on vet treatment, emergency care, and alternative therapies etc.

[kami]

I would like to share my experience with finding our rescue dog Annie who is a kelpie cross.

We chose to get her from rescue because we felt that we would strongly like to get a dog from a place which rescued dogs from death row pounds.

If you don't have a particular breed in mind I would highly recommend it.

We approached finding the right dog based more on the dogs temperment when we met it than breed characteristics. We looked to find a dog which would have the right energy level for us as an individual dog, not as a breed. This we determined by meeting many dogs - we knew we wanted a submissive rather than dominant dog that was a people pleaser, rather than an overly dominant dog.

It took some time, but after meeting dogs Annie seemed like the right 'fit'. Whilst a high energy breed she is much calmer than many other dogs of many different breeds we have met before and after adopting Annie. However, it took the help of a behaviouralist, ppl on dogzonline and lots of hard work on our behalf to get to this point.

So my only main word of advice would be to ch oose the dog based on the individual characteristics you are after, and what their energy level as an individual dog is.

Best of luck hunting for your perfect dog, and remember, if you get an adult rescue dog they may well test your patience to the point of wanting to return them in the first month, but it does get better! :)