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]Puppies are cute but they are also liars.[/b] They dont tell you that they'll chew your furniture, your underwear and everything else while they're teething. They dont tell you that you'll have to be very diligent about housetraining them. (I know several owners whose small-breed dogs have never gotten totally housebroken.)
However, if you adopt an adult, or even a teen-aged, dog from a rescue group, you'll get an honest dog. The rescue groups dont want to stress a dog out by having him adopted and then returned so they'll tell you everything, good and bad, about the dog. They'll tell you if he's good with other dogs, with cats and with small children. He'll be housebroken and probably learned how to accept being crated. They may also go to your house to make sure you have a fenced-in yard because they really care about the dogs they adopt out.
I've been adopting older dogs for many, many years. I realize puppies are cute but give me an older dog any day. Rescue dogs appreciate a loving home SO much. You can see it in their eyes and their facial expressions. Yes, an older dog doesnt live so long as a puppy but, then , no loved dog ever lives long enough.
Please adopt a dog from foster. These dogs have been kept in a home atmosphere and have been vetted for health and temperament. Each of our last dogs, one is a purebred, have been wonderful, and cost $150.
Talking on parents on site, we wanted a Lab that was a specific color, red. Labs come in lots of fun colors but they dont all occur randomly, sometimes they are bred to be that color and its at the expense of their health, like the silvers. They are very pretty but not healthy.
We found a breeder that had red labs and we drove out to get our pick. We got the first one out of litter, they were 11 weeks old and fat little rolly polly puppies who were with their mother. Every one of them red. Mother was red. Dad was a champion show dog, also red and they did not allow breeding rights. Dad was not on site, he lived out of town but was used for his stud services. It was also the mom's first litter at 2 years old.
Good breeders, responsible breeders will have extensive records of who the parents are, how often the mom is bred, bloodlines and breeding techniques etc etc. Good breeders ensure good and healthy diverse bloodlines. And even with all of that, Luna was only $800 and a 5 hour round trip drive.
Pet stores just say look a cute dog, dont you want her.
I was at a pet store, we like to go look at the puppies, and a little girl and her mom brought in their little pup and surrendered it to the pet store because the little girl was allergic. They were heartbroken and they just gave their pup to the pet store lady, filled out a paper and left. Later that pup is added to the "adoption" pups in the store and effectively sold to someone for a $400 "adoption" fee. No background or ensuring the dogs are going to be cared for. Its terrible
I don't know what part of the country you are in but $3K is really high too. Goodness, I am glad I like Beagles. I was told by the local beagle club that $200 -$275 is the going rate for puppies and if I pay more than that (unless it's from show lines) I am getting ripped off. LOL.
You may want to check with friends who have the breed she likes or a similar one to see where they got it. Good breeders don't have to advertise. If you are looking online only that may be why you are seeing prices so high.
Most purebred puppies in my area (a Cavapoo isn't a recognized breed either) go between $500-$800 on average. My neighbor paid $500 for a healthy purebred Maltese (quite low for that breed). Only more sought after types like French Bulldogs are really expensive no matter where you go. Since you have had a bad pet store experience, I have heard in larger cities French Bulldogs sell for as much as $10K in pet stores.
I wouldn't rule out shelters since you are looking for such a small dog. They are "puppy size" even when full grown without the hassle.
Actually finding one may be the issue. Just being honest. Small dogs get snapped up in a heartbeat in my area. Even fairly common breeds like beagles that are in shelters get adopted incredibly fast. They aren't the most desirable as they are not tiny or non shedding, but most people in HOA's or apartments can't keep dogs over 35 lbs so they meet that criteria.
I looked for 9 months for a rescue before I finally bought a puppy. I know people mean well when they say to go to a shelter or rescue but they need to be honest about just how hard it is to find small breed dogs. This seems to be the norm no matter what part of the country you live in. Not saying it's impossible just hard.
For an example: Recently I inquired on Petfinder about a young 18 mo old beagle that was only 18 lbs. I never got a response. I checked the rescue's FB page and quickly found out why. There were 25 people posting there wanting the same dog. It said "adoption pending". This dog wasn't perfect either. Ad said it was "shy at first and takes a while to warm up to people". I am an experienced pet owner and that's not a good sign at such a young age. The pup may never have gotten proper socialization. I personally would want to meet the dog first. Other people were willing to commit sight unseen so I wouldn't have had that opportunity.
Just be prepared to be patient whichever way you go. You are looking for the most sought after type of dog - small and non shedding. Sellers can charge what the market will bear. You can check beyond your local shelter too. (I wasn't willing to travel more than an hour away) If using PetFinder or Adopt A Pet also check the rescue or shelter's FB page. IME most seem to respond faster there. Good luck
Just as update I said no to pet store. Prices were to high, and the owners were a bit cocky not letting us put a deposit on it and im glad we passed.
The gf wants a Cavapoo now and im in alignment with this dog due to its size, it wont shed, relatively quiet (from what I heard).
We saw some pups basically from backyard breeders, families selling their litters for about $3k per dog. What are your opinions on going this route? We looked at our local shelter online and their wasnt anything of interest to us.
I hope you have learned, from the posts in this thread, that there are MANY reasons, other than the price being too high and the pet store owner not willing to accept a deposit, NOT to buy a puppy from a pet store.
Looking at your local shelter's online dogs doesnt really tell you much. You cant see the love in a dog's eyes and how laid-back or animated a dog is in a picture. Go to the shelter and look at the dogs in person.
I dont know where you live but I'm betting there is a Poodle Rescue (for Poodles of all sizes) in or close to your area. I promise you that you can find a wonderful buddy there.
You wont find a Cavapoo Rescue because that's a mixed breed -- you may well end up with the worst traits and health conditions of both breeds. "Breeders" (and I use the terms very loosely) should be giving them away rather than charging exorbitant prices for them.
. . .
Probably should not allow her to go into the pet store in the future.
Quote:
Originally Posted by DannyHobkins
Just as update I said no to pet store. Prices were to high, and the owners were a bit cocky not letting us put a deposit on it and im glad we passed.
The gf wants a Cavapoo now and im in alignment with this dog due to its size, it wont shed, relatively quiet (from what I heard).
We saw some pups basically from backyard breeders, families selling their litters for about $3k per dog. What are your opinions on going this route? We looked at our local shelter online and their wasnt anything of interest to us.
For decades I tried being reasonable, and validating, and patient. At some point I gave up, and started just saying "NO". Oddly, or perhaps not, I've found that often works much better. Sometimes you just have to say
"No".
So far, so good - you've successfully followed your good sense, and gotten past that moment. Now you have the "falling in love with cuteness, so cute, so cute so cute!" problem to deal with. The wisest solution is to ignore it, and to be patient until you find a dog that doesn't have red flags. That may take a while, and it may be very hard to do. Cuteness is a passing thing.
You can take everything you are hearing about Cavapoos and regard it ALL as sales hype. Do you believe a used car salesman when he tells how cherry his cars are? Nope - you look under the hood and everywhere else you can and THEN you get a mechanic to do the same, right? At least, you do if you're wise enough and patient.
The same is true for pups, but the routine is a little different. Other posters have mentioned breeders and rescues. Listen carefully to what they've said, they are voices of experience.
And, btw, IMHO, $3k or more for a pup is insane. That kind of money starts getting into what you might pay for a proven show or working dog. I can buy a young herding dog with some basic working training for less than that. I wouldn't deal with somebody asking that kind of money for a dog, not for anything. They aren't the kind of people that care about the dogs first.
However, in my part of the country, rescues are not cheap either. I can expect to pay $500-1,000 for a rescue around here. In the southern tier of states, otoh, you can find pound pups for $100. At $500, I'd expect to be in low-end reputable breeder pricing, but most of those I would expect to pay $1-2k. YMMV.
Shedding. In my experience, all dogs shed. Some more, some less, but all dogs shed. You control that by having a good brushing once a week. Plan on that. Be VERY skeptical when anybody says "they don't shed".
Quiet. THAT will depend a lot on the individual dog. Make the opportunity to watch any potential dogs "in action" - at least in a "meet and greet". Remember though, that is not a normal situation, so there will be variance later. However, you need to do what you can to get an idea of the dog's personality.
Home breeders / small breeders. Sometimes aka backyard breeders. You'll get a lot of flack here, and so will I, but this may not be a bad option for you. You will get a chance to meet at least one parent dog - and the peaches don't fall far from the tree. You may run into issues if you can't meet both parent dogs. Example, dam is sweet and quiet. You meet her and are impressed. Stud you don't meet turns out to be vicious and noisy. Remember the peaches - and in this case you only met one side of the tree. Pups could go either way or in the middle. These dogs may not be quality in terms of their breed characteristics, but since you can meet one parent, you've got some idea of what the dog will be like. Now, if you find somebody like this - and they don't want you coming over to meet the dam - take a hard pass. Do not go there - and don't meet them in a neutral spot either. Anybody going to those lengths is probably not dealing on the up-and-up.
Cavapoos. A "designer" dog. Not a breed. Characteristics of the dog is going to vary, possibly widely. One pup might have an excellent coat, and the next pup could have an impossible coat. Etc. Personally, if I were you, I might consider toy poodles. They don't have the need to work like the big boys do, they are cute, and their coat is relatively low maintenance.
A Cavapoo is a cute fluffy mixed-breed. There is no way that the breeder could guarantee (as with purebred poodles) that the Cavapoo will not shed and will be relatively quiet (Miniature and Toy Poodles can be barkers). Why not get a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel? Or, if you want small and non-shedding, a Miniature Poodle. "Doodles" and other Poodle mixes may or may not shed; Poodles don't shed.
I was just going to post that, you are 100% right. Most people buying hybrids don't understand that there is a difference between an F1 a puppy from two purebred dogs of different breeds and F2 a puppy from two hybrids. An F1 usually has a mixed coat, possibly with parts of it curly and part straight, it may end up looking very much like one of it's parents rather than a hybrid. And no one can guarantee a dog won't bark or will be easy to train.
I mentioned the Cavalier King Charles before, they are super smart dogs and easy to train. And something else for the OP to keep in mind - $3,000-$6,000 for any dog is a product of supply and demand, people stuck in the house because of Covid will pay anything to get their perfect dog, under ordinary conditions those dogs would cost $1,000-$2,000 (or less)
Just as update I said no to pet store. Prices were to high, and the owners were a bit cocky not letting us put a deposit on it and im glad we passed.
The gf wants a Cavapoo now and im in alignment with this dog due to its size, it wont shed, relatively quiet (from what I heard).
We saw some pups basically from backyard breeders, families selling their litters for about $3k per dog. What are your opinions on going this route? We looked at our local shelter online and their wasnt anything of interest to us.
Before I proceeded with this I would ask your girlfriend about her experience with dogs. How many has she owned and how long has she had each of them? If she has little or no experience in raising a dog, housebreaking it, etc I would rethink getting a puppy. You would probably do better with an older house broken dog.
Went to the pet store today and looked at dogs, prices were between $5k-$7,500. Of course my gf fell in love with a cockapoo thats going to cost $6k when we bring it home. I find it absolutely ridiculous, and I said lets sleep on it and shes home crying about it. Is it me or are these prices insane?
There are rescue puppies too. From your other posts it looks like you live in New Jersey? So I went to pet finders and searched for a puppy not too far from you - show these to your girlfriend
We bought a rescue (a dachshund), during an adoption weekend at Petsmart. We paid $200, which paid for neutering, inoculations, upkeep, etc. Couldn't have asked for a better dog! If I ever paid $5K for a dog, that sucker better mow my yard and cook supper for us. I haven't even owned a car that I've paid $5K for!
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