AgileGSD
Posted : 4/2/2008 12:06:06 AM
erica1989
Thank you for putting down shelter workers. Most are highly knowledgable about their dogs. They know their temperments, and how they react to different things. Yes - shelter enviroments are not ideal for many dogs, but many shelters have certified trainers to help their dogs and many are starting to have behaviorists on site.
I am not trying to put down shelter workers. I am sure most got into rescue because they love dogs. The majority IME are kind hearted but not all that educated about dog behavior or about breeds (if you doubt that one, just one look around petfinder at all the breed misIDing shows that it is true). That is fine but doesn't make them the best judge of what dogs and people match up. I have seen some very sad situations where a shelter worker convimced someone that a totally unsuitable dog for them was the one that was a perfect fit. It is great that some shelters are lucky enough to have knowledgeable trainers but not all do.
AgileGSD
I know many greyhounds that do extremely well in homes with children. But, as always, it depends on the dog.
BTW - Labs shed a TON. And not all are good family pets due to inbreeding and such. Many are great. I would go with an older, mature lab if that's what you are looking for.
As a breed, Greys are just not my choice for kid dogs. That isn't to say that some aren't great with kids but my experience in general makes me hesitant to suggest them.
How exactly does inbreeding make dogs bad pets? That sort statement has to be one of my biggest pet peeves and shows a lack of understanding about breeding in general. I'm not trying to be mean, it is a common thing I hear (that and "overbreeding" causing problems). I think you mean indiscriminate breeding - where breeders aren't striving to produce good temperament, good health and general soundness. I agree with that and agree that you have to be careful with dogs from indiscriminate breedings, as they may not have the proper temperament for the breed. Most rescue/shelter purebreds are the outcome of indiscriminate breeding but being there are so many, I think someone could find one with a good temperament for a famile pet. With Labs (good point about the shedding) for people looking for pet Labs I usually suggest looking for someone with English show lines - on the whole they tend to be calmer, more laid back and easier to live with than any other type of Lab I have seen but still are trainable.
Another really good and often not thought about option for a Lab (and some other breeds too), if you aren't set on a puppy is to contact service and guide dog organizations and apply to adopt a "washout" of their training program. Dogs washout of that sort of training fairly easily for things which wouldn't affect their ability to be good pets. These dogs are adopted out to pet homes and they are already trained for basic obedience (many have much more), well socialized, all vet care done, hips xrayed and lots of info about background, temperament and training. Might be worth checking out! Other dogs which you can find through service dog orgs, depending on the group include: GSDs, Poodles, Goldens, Golden/Lab mixes, Viszlas, Smooth Collies, Dobermans, Boxers and Doodles (Labradoodles, Goldendoodles - which are all mixed breed dogs).