Why do owners who retire their show dog rehome them???

If you do take a retired show/breeding dog...I don't think you should expect a dog that will be everything you ever desired..although it could end up that way. You are getting a dog that has been raised differently than you would raise a puppy...and sometimes it will not be socialized even though it comes from a home filled with others. 

 
Boy that could be said about any non puppy dog being adopted from ANY source...lol.
 

I think your scenario is pretty close to perfect and a role model. In this situation what would you do if for some reason one of the puppies was returned? Would this be a case by case basis or automatically staying with you?
 
I think breeder re-homes are usually successful and the dogs live happy lives without having to go to a shelter or have difficulty that is necessarily overly traumatic. I think there's a certain amount of trauma every time a puppy leaves and I could never, ever be a breeder at all. One of the reasons I made sure Tasha was spayed at a very early age is that I know DH would be devastated at finding homes for an accidental litter. I wouldn't be far behind.
 
It's difficult for me to understand, because rehoming one of my dogs would be completely unacceptable to MY happiness. This thread has been very thought provoking.

And there's a difference between re-homing a dog that was returned to a breeder because it didn't work out with the purchaser versus the breeder keeping a dog through it's show career and then re-homing it once the show career was over.

Gosh, I hate it when that happens! I think I've made a good post and everyone ignores it. []

Self Edited.

So the sticky slope with some folks who don't show or understand the desire to show, is that people are breeding lots of pets anyway

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And they are!  

I think its a lot different to breed your dog and sell the pups, then it is to re-home your retired show/breeding dog, especially when you are the one that was doing the handling.  Bubbys breeder did often handle her..sometimes she had a handlers..but the strong bond and relationship was formed with her breeder. She was so proud of her.   Now I have that relationship and I am proud of her..but in a different kind of way.     But to have that needed relationship and just give it up when she is retired is not something I can understand.  Bubblegum is like my child now...I could not give up my child..how can I give her up?  Its different to show the dog while you can and then let them retire to a happy home life....then it is to move her out of the way for your next show prospect.  

I think whether or not people should be breeding dogs should be a different topic. This debate would probably be more coherent if we all assumed there was nothing wrong with breeding dogs responsibly.

So I can indeed maintain fewer than five dogs in the house, compete at all times, breed responsibly, and never feel the need to re-home one of my show dogs.

But how concerned are you with advancing your breeding program?  You're not going to "go" anywhere with the program if you maintain that many dogs unless you constantly go outside to other studs or bitches (and then there goes your uniformity and type).
 
That's part of the issue.  The breeders doing these rehomes ARE concerned with where there programs are GOING, and to maintain that, it often times requires rehoming the oldies and the washouts.  It's no good if their program comes to a standstill so they can keep EVERYBODY (especially when dogs start clashing with other dogs).

That's part of the issue.  The breeders doing these rehomes ARE concerned with where there programs are GOING, and to maintain that, it often times requires rehoming the oldies and the washouts.  It's no good if their program comes to a standstill so they can keep EVERYBODY (especially when dogs start clashing with other dogs).

I think this is because they have to care more about their program then they do their dogs.  I don't really mean that in a mean way..but for those of us feeling we could not give up our older dog to make room for the next....we probably just could not go the show dog way and rehome that dog when it is of no more use to us. 

ORIGINAL: dyan

That's part of the issue.  The breeders doing these rehomes ARE concerned with where there programs are GOING, and to maintain that, it often times requires rehoming the oldies and the washouts.  It's no good if their program comes to a standstill so they can keep EVERYBODY (especially when dogs start clashing with other dogs).

I think this is because they have to care more about their program then they do their dogs.  I don't really mean that in a mean way..but for those of us feeling we could not give up our older dog to make room for the next....we probably just could not go the show dog way and rehome that dog when it is of no more use to us. 

Precisely.  I plan to have at most 3 dogs in the future, one retired agility dog, one currently competing agility dog and one up and coming agility dog.  And it may not work that way but that is my ideal.  I certainly would not rehome a dog I got for agility if I had to retire them early because of some health reason.  The dog would remain with me, retired and playing for fun if possible, till they passed on.  This feeling on my part, is why I can't agree with rehoming older show dogs.  Differences of opinion and attitude.

Someone wrote:
"?I think this is because they have to care more about their program then they do their dogs.  I don't really mean that in a mean way..but for those of us feeling we could not give up our older dog to make room for the next....we probably just could not go the show dog way and rehome that dog when it is of no more use to us."

The thing is? We need those breeders who can put the breed first. Most reputalbe breeders I know do keep SOME of their dogs- usually the ones that htey're the most attached to- after retirement. But at least some of them move on to become pets, career-change obedience/performance dogs (like Chopper), service dogs (like springingpups' Grady), junior showmanship dogs. And there's nothing wrong with that. A breeder who keeps everything is breeding on such a small scale that they're really unlikely to make a big impact on the breed- or else they end up as hoarders (like the Valient Collies lady.)

Exactly what Pwca said.  Breeders do NOT get rid of every single retiree they have!  They keep many that they've grown attached to, but if you want to go anywhere with your program (Which I will admit requires some "Selfishness" on the part of the breeder), you need to keep your numbers at an adequate level where you can maintain type and uniformity as well as improve upon it.

I know breeders who keep twelve dogs in their house as HOUSE dogs!  They rotate the dogs to prevent fights with those who do not like each other (because not everybody is going to like each other), but no dog is a true kennel dog.  Some days one set is out in the runs but they come in for the night, and the ones who were in the house all day go sleep in the runs...some have kennel rooms with just regular crating, and everybody is out during the day and they're kenneled at night.  Others are in the house ALL the time, and are only separated when a bitch is coming into season.

Breeders get very attached to some of their retirees and thus, they stay until death.  Other times they may have an animal they like for breeding, but it does not fit into their program at that time, so they sell that dog to a junior, so the dog is still out and being campaigned, a newbie is getting their chance to shine, AND the breeder can call on that animal for breeding later.
 

I certainly would not rehome a dog I got for agility if I had to retire them early because of some health reason

But that's not the same as breeding.
 
Let me make Strauss an example.  I wanted Strauss for conformation, but he didn't turn out.  However, I ALSO wanted a dog that I could show in performance.  I most definitely got that.  Had ne not turned out for ANYTHING...I would have sold him.  No lie.  I'd had pets for YEARS, and I wanted a performance animal.  Luckily, a performance animal is what I got, but had he not turned out, he would have been sold to a good family who wanted a happy, healthy couch potato.
 
I want to show in conformation so badly it hurts sometimes, so when I get my next dog, to try and ensure that I'll have something finishable, I'm going the older route, even though schematically I PREFER puppies.  I don't want to sell the dog if I don't have to, because I DO get very attached to my pets, but at the same time I'm thinking about the future of my kennel, and the kennel is only as good as the foundation.
 
I won't keep a subpar animal and breed it because it both hurts the breed, and my start in breeding.  You start in the basement as a breeder, and breeding a mediocre animal only drops you into the sub-basement, which is pointless and fruitless.  Start with something "Good" breed something "better" and continue from there.  Sometimes that involves culling in your program, whether it is rehoming, spay/neutering, or, as is the case in some areas, outright euthanizing.

I've learned a lot from posts in this thread and I am torn on where I stand on this issue...
I can see how in some working dog programs, retiring to a good home is necessary: an older police dog is no longer performing under the physical and mental pressure, and it's time to be replaced by a young newcomer. Due to the nature of the job, the dog has spent years in a kennel, went through different handlers, and now, going Home is the best retirement plan I can think of in the situation.
I see that not all dogs were bred to be companions, but on some level I can't wrap my head around one thing... How can dedication to advancing the breed overshadow the dedication and relationship you have with your dog (of that same breed)?
Is it wrong to re-home a dog so that it would get more attention and care? Of course not, but why did it not have that amount of attention and care in the first place?
As with police dogs, there is place and time for dogs do their duty and contribute, but is it really impossible to have a successful breeding program AND keep your older dogs once they are done contributing to it? In the end, it really is up to us how we define our breeding philosophy and how we quantify success... And I mean not just you and me, but reconsider the system as a whole... You define your philosophy with certain primary goals in mind: raising X litters a year, spending Y amount of dollars on travels and bills, etc. If in this list of priorities keeping your dogs is not at the top, then to satisfy your primary goal you will consider re-homing.
As with any other things our dogs do for us, we are "working" with a living being who knows nothing about his/her "employment"... If there is a bond and attachment, you just admit your dog as yours "forever", then you build all further goals around it. Is that possible?

Dedication to the breed over the individual dog is necessary for the future of the breed as a whole.  Different strokes for different folks.

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[blockquote]Dedication to the breed over the individual dog is necessary for the future of the breed as a whole.  Different strokes for different folks. [/blockquote]

Perhaps your right..but why can't you breed and keep the mom?  I believe Bubbys breeder kept her dad and brother..but for stud purposes no doubt.   Bubby could not be bred anymore so she was out the door....thats the way I look at it.
 
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I certainly would not rehome a dog I got for agility if I had to retire them early because of some health reason[/blockquote]

But that's not the same as breeding.

And to me,,,breeding is not the same as showing...which if I remember correctly is what the OP first wrote about.  If your showing a dog..you work with them...you almost have to form a bond...is that not true?  To make them work for/with you...it seems you need a very special bond.  THAT is the bond I don't understand that you can just let go. THAT is the bond that Bubblegum had with her breeder.
 
I'm not arguing the point...I really don't know what kind of attitude you need to own a breeding dog  or a show dog...I only know that its not for me if you have to give them up when their done working for you.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]