Puppies, Puppies and More Puppies - I can't Choose!

New Topic

Posted : 4/12/2007 3:14:11 PM

ORIGINAL: chewbecca

ORIGINAL: DumDog

No slight against shelter dogs, but BEWARE of adopting and older dog if you have young children!! i cant say this enough! older dogs, even when they used to be good with kids, sometimes lose that nanny dog nature. just like when grandparents get older and grumpier and end up scarying the kids.... older dogs can be dangerous. just keep that in mind please. i love dogs, but i love kids too and it breaks my heart a million times when i hear about one getting hurt by a dog.

Um, actually, before adopting ANY dog, you should be taking your entire family (you, your wife, kids...) to meet with this dog and a behaviorist/trainer. You should be able to safely see how this dog will be with your child. Ask them to bring in another dog and have them temperament test right in front of you. Well, certain parts of temperament testing. Have them meet you in a busier place (when we did the introduction for our dog that we adopted, we met at a dog training center so it was busy and I could see how she was with tons of distractions.)
But, in reality, your best chances of getting the dog you want is to adopt a mature, non-puppy dog. Mature dogs have already developed their personality and what you see is...well, what you're basically getting.
Too bad you want a low prey-drive dog, because an American Pit bull Terrier is probably the BEST dog with children that you could ever find.

Some APBTs actually have a low prey drive (few and far between though, probably.... did you see the dog for adoption on PBF that is great with the foster mom's rabbits??)

Anyway,
the othe problem is that he doesn't want a dog with energy to burn... and he probably won't find that in an APBT.

Too bad, though, cause they are really great dogs, and wonderful with children as Chewbecca pointed out!

Matt S

Posted : 4/13/2007 6:15:48 AM

Thank you all for the great advice. You can't beat advice from experienced dog owners. I will go through it all carefully, review all the links and let you know what I decide.

Matt

Lydia Genove

Posted : 4/13/2007 8:52:04 AM

I can't say that all dobermans and boxers have a high prey drive; I happen to own both and have found that they really don't seem to care in chasing after poultry especially my dobe; having said this I think that most dogs are instinctionally prone to chase or attack so it's the luck of the drawer and personally I have come to the conclusion that most dogs tend to be on their best behaviour whilst in the company of their owner but once they're on their own things can take a different turn altogether so hence no dog should be left on its own with prey animals....I don't doubt that there are dogs out there that can be trusted 100% but they would have to be very few and far between; training from day one is extremely imperative and having the pup spend a considerable amount of time with poultry or livestock could ensure that once it matures it won't see these animals as prey but simply as an extension of its family....I would nevertheless steer clear of terrier breeds and dogs meant to flush birds though.

Also, it's the belief of some people that some breeds need an exorbitant amount of exercise but this is not always the case....I think it really depends on how the dog is raised....a dog can be raised to be a "couch potato" irrespective of its breed if that is what one desires, so to speak. My dobe and Boxer would very happily come for a very long walk with me if necessary but they would be equally happy to spend the entire day watching telly by my side[

]