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Grasonville, we will definitely insist on OFA testing and going through a COE breeder. (I'm assuming the latter is a universally adopted standard?)
Unfortunately, no. But if a breeder is a member of the GSDCA (German Shepherd Dog Club of America) - AND they say they are a COE Breeder - that would mean they follow the standards quoted.
(Quite frankly if you ask someone if they OFA AND are a COE Breeder - if they know what you mean - you have gotten a good start)
In addition - DON'T be suckered into the alphabet registries - in the US anything like CKC (Continental Kennel Club) is "papers" for dogs who are not AKC registered - while AKC registration is no guarantee of quality - they ARE a registry that requires more than the signature of the breeder to give out "papers"
Just a thought, but one of my biggest criteria when deciding to adopt was a dog that had been living in a home with a family for awhile. I don't think you can get a true sense of a dog's behavior when in a kennel environment.
If the foster family has had the dog for a while but has give up their "first dibs" on the dog, should that not be a cause for concern? I would think that if they've had the dog for some time, there must be some issue with the dog for them to not want to keep him--unless the family regularly takes in foster dogs. (Is that common?)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Grasonville
But if a breeder is a member of the GSDCA (German Shepherd Dog Club of America) - AND they say they are a COE Breeder - that would mean they follow the standards quoted. (Quite frankly if you ask someone if they OFA AND are a COE Breeder - if they know what you mean - you have gotten a good start)
Should we not consider a breeder who is not a member of the GSDCA?
If the foster family has had the dog for a while but has give up their "first dibs" on the dog, should that not be a cause for concern? I would think that if they've had the dog for some time, there must be some issue with the dog for them to not want to keep him--unless the family regularly takes in foster dogs. (Is that common?)
Some people "fail" Rescue 101 and keep the dogs they foster - other people take in a foster dog with the intention of "rehabilitating" or socializing the foster till the "right" family comes along.
Rescue groups need foster people because unless they are located in a very rural region - most urban areas have limits on the number of pets you can keep - so the rescue group wants to "pull" dogs from shelters but can't if they have no place to temporarily place them while the best forever home is located.
If the foster family has had the dog for a while but has give up their "first dibs" on the dog, should that not be a cause for concern? I would think that if they've had the dog for some time, there must be some issue with the dog for them to not want to keep him--unless the family regularly takes in foster dogs. (Is that common?)
Not a cause for concern at all. Most foster families foster numerous dogs. We had 5 this past year. You can't keep them all. (In my case, I can't keep any of them, or I won't be able to foster any more...and also, my husband would kill me!)
Every dog we had was great, but none of them would have been right for us even if we were looking for a second dog. Some were too lazy (I want a dog I can run long distances with), others were too vocal (we lived in an apartment, so the baying beagle was a bad idea), some didn't interact well with my current dog (she has a rough and tumble style of play), and some were bigger than I'd want to commit to (we're renters right now, so any permanent dog needs to be under 30 lbs full grown to meet the standard weight limits in apartments, should we find we have to move).
None of those things are issues. They just weren't the right fit for my family. Each one of them though was successfully placed in a family that's right for them. The beagle has a large yard with squirrels to chase, the crazy energetic retriever mix was adopted into a family with another hyper dog to wrestle and play with, and the catahoula puppy went to a home with a couple who had plenty of time to train him out of his puppy habits!
By going through a reputable breeder, you can lower your risk of health issues. That doesn't mean it's guaranteed to not ever have hip issues, get cancer, or be prone to ear infections every month. It also doesn't mean it won't have separation anxiety and eat through your walls when left alone, have insane prey drive and slam through your fence to chase your neighbor's cat, or lunge after cars and buses on walks. Those are all common reasons why we have dogs returned to us ("issues"), but they're all training things that are solved or managed fairly easily with consistency.
A breeder dog is no easier than a rescue dog--it's just guaranteed to be the breed you want it to be, and stacks the odds in your favor for good health and temperament if you go to the right breeder.
Arielmina, where in CT may I ask? We have a friend in Bristol, so if your folks are near Hartford, there might be a chance we'd be in that neck of the woods. (Actually, we'll be driving through there in December.)
They are in the Danbury area but they are a small hobby breeder and won't have any dogs available at that time. You are welcome to contact them and see if they know of any that their friends have available. PM for contact info
Some of you may recall from my backyard-fencing question of a while back that La Bride and I are planning to get an young, adult, male, purebred German Shepherd sometime this fall.
Just wondering if anyone here has any suggestions as to a particular rescue group or breeder; we are open to both.
I like the idea of adopting, but I have this fear that the rescue groups might steer us toward a 10-year-old dog--and we don't want to bond with an animal just to watch him die in 2-3 years. We also don't want to deal with major behavior problems--e.g., aggression or shyness.
A breeder would ensure we don't get a dog with hip dysplasia or major personality issues--but they can be super expensive, and we weren't planning to spend more than a few hundred. And we don't need a show dog--just a good-tempered, healthy dog. Also, I believe breeders are going to have mostly puppies, and we want a young adult dog.
And yes, we have dog experience and know what we're getting into with the requirements of GSD ownership. Mental planning of the human-dog backyard obstacle course is already underway! Maybe someday we'll have a brood of children for the dog to herd around the yard.
Thanks for any suggestions!
I have not read ahead so sorry if already addressed. Be aware that inbreeding is a major problem in this country and don't assume a breeder is following accepted standard practices. The vast majority of LE agencies across the country have gone to purchasing dogs for its K9 unit from vendors who deal with overseas breeders only. Usually Eastern European countries as their standards are usually tougher. Even this is starting to see some problems since 9/11. More and more LE agencies are buying dogs which are drying up the sources and less than perfectly healthy dogs are coming over. Ask for contact info on past customers. Especially ones from a few to several years ago so you can confirm the dogs are as healthy as can be expected.
Thanks again to all. This decision is a little overwhelming. On the one hand, we could get a Shepherd mix from a shelter or rescue group--but then we might have huge medical bills, because the dog's genetic and medical history is anyone's guess. On the other hand, we could pay a grand and get a purebred GSD from a breeder--but unless we do what sounds like a ton of detective work, the dog might be inbred!
I would actually be amenable to a mixed breed--but the wife wants a good watchdog. And in a neighborhood full of kids, we have to rule out the other breeds (Dobermans, Rottweilers, etc.)--which would freak out the neighbors even if the dog was the best-behaved, most kid-loving dog on earth.
Thanks again to all. This decision is a little overwhelming. On the one hand, we could get a Shepherd mix from a shelter or rescue group--but then we might have huge medical bills, because the dog's genetic and medical history is anyone's guess. On the other hand, we could pay a grand and get a purebred GSD from a breeder--but unless we do what sounds like a ton of detective work, the dog might be inbred!
I would actually be amenable to a mixed breed--but the wife wants a good watchdog. And in a neighborhood full of kids, we have to rule out the other breeds (Dobermans, Rottweilers, etc.)--which would freak out the neighbors even if the dog was the best-behaved, most kid-loving dog on earth.
When you say "watch dog", do you mean a dog that will bark when someone is coming up your driveway? Because that's just about any dog in the world, unless you train it otherwise.
The breeds you've listed (dobes, rotties, shepherds) are often used as personal protection dogs, so I wasn't sure if you were looking for something more than simply notifying you of visitors. If that's the case, be prepared to spend a LOT of time and money training the skills and behaviors you want in the dog. It's not something that all dogs of a certain breed instinctively know, and is a huge liability if not trained correctly.
If you're looking for something to scare away bad guys when you're walking around the neighborhood at night, I'd go with any BBD (big black dog). Honestly, I have an LBD (little black dog!), but she's got a big bark on her. She's only 25 lbs, but has scared many a mailman away from the house. She's a love bug, but I've seen plenty of people cross to the other side of the street when I'm walking her.
When you say "watch dog", do you mean a dog that will bark when someone is coming up your driveway? Because that's just about any dog in the world, unless you train it otherwise.
Well, we want a dog that will bark when there's an unfamiliar person or noise but that also would actually bite an intruder--and hopefully be intimidating enough to repel any would-be intruders in the first place. Yet not be SO intimidating that we'll be "the people with the mean dog."
At our old house, we had a mentally ill guy come into our partially enclosed backyard during the day. So we want a dog that can intimidate (e.g., not a Lab) and is not afraid to bite if appropriate, but that will not make the neighbors think we're running a dope ring out of our house (e.g., not a pit bull, etc.).
I'm planning on obedience training and some structured exercise, but I wasn't planning on enrolling the dog in personal-defense training.
The bite thing really has to be trained. Dogs bite when they feel threatened, but they generally won't bite just because someone is in the backyard. Bark? Absolutely. Run towards them to investigate (and probably scare them off in the process?) Sure. But bite like you see in movies/tv? Probably not. And realistically, you don't want them to. If the neighbor kid doesn't ask and just hops the fence to retrieve his baseball out of your yard, or the cable guy is out there and you forget and let the dog out, you don't want the dog's instinct to be "attack!" without you assessing the situation and giving a command.
What if you're walking the dog one day and a child runs up to hug it? (Idiotic parents, yes...but it's happened several times with my dog). A dog would be far more likely to view that as a threat than someone in your yard. For one, the dog is restrained on a leash. For another, there's the speed and unpredictability of a child. One bite, and your dog is on the naughty list for life. Two, and you can probably say goodbye.
My neighbors had a german shepherd growing up that would bark his head off when you came up to the door, but once the door was open he just wanted love and attention. The barking would have scared off a criminal (because realistically, they're looking for an easy target), but if the dog accidentally slipped off its leash and escaped into the neighborhood, the owners didn't have to be paranoid that he was going to bite someone he met.
Just food for thought. Wanting a dog who is willing to bite is a huge liability if not specifically trained.
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