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

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?

But it's not that they DIDN'T have that amount of care in the first place, it's about continuing that care.
 

Bubby could not be bred anymore so she was out the door....thats the way I look at it.

And while it seems a bit cold, that's the way it needs to be to advance one's program.
 

And to me,,,breeding is not the same as showing...which if I remember correctly is what the OP first wrote about.

Are they 100% synonymous?  No.  But they go hand in hand.  You should be showing in SOMETHING if you're going to be breeding.
 

If your showing a dog..you work with them...you almost have to form a bond...is that not true? 

It depends.  If a dog is in a popular breed, like Goldens, and you want a Nationally ranked dog, most will send their dog out with a professional handler.  The dog is gone for months and months at a time, sometimes more than a year being campaigned.  The dog bonds with the handler, not the owner.
 
You don't HAVE to give them up, but that is the choice some make in order to advance in the breed.

[blockquote]quote:

[blockquote]
If your showing a dog..you work with them...you almost have to form a bond...is that not true? [/blockquote]

It depends.  If a dog is in a popular breed, like Goldens, and you want a Nationally ranked dog, most will send their dog out with a professional handler.  The dog is gone for months and months at a time, sometimes more than a year being campaigned.  The dog bonds with the handler, not the owner.

 
I guess then that is different! Then I guess I will agree that re-homing wouldn't make a bit of difference to the owner...they are just finding someone to take care of your dog that they are giving up. And most likely the dog is better off in another home. If they are not home half the time..or you are not where they are, then what difference could it make? I guess none!
So then why have the dog to begin with?  Just to say you have champion show dog? Isn't it like having a pet dog and keeping him tied up outside? Why have the dog to begin with?
 
Please don't misunderstand my argument. Maybe that IS what you have to be to raise show and/or breeding dogs...but then thats not for me.
 
Back to the original post though...I do think that getting a retired show dog could be easier than getting a new puppy... but I think you have to keep an open mind. ITs always said that if you get the older dog like that, you know their personalities..you know their likes and dislikes...you get a trained and socialized dog. But you don't always. Bubblegum was a very hard dog to have for quite a while...I spent many days and nights getting help here on Idog.  She is STILL testy.  She was used to living with other dogs...but other dogs of her size..as she tends to not like small dogs.  She was a show dog, but can't really just walk on a leash. She did not know the command SIT...and when I tried to teach her that with  dog bisquits...she did not know what a dog bisquit was, and didn't like it.  She was afraid of everyone...she is still afraid of most men.  When I took her for a walk, she would bark at people in their own yard. She got away from me once and ran to play with a dog that was walking on leash with its owner...only she was playing her way,,,which was by running circles around the dog and trying to pick it up and throw it in the air. the dogs owner was horrified,,,so was I!!    I'm so happy that I have her...I couldn't  love her more...but I'm only making a point that because you get an older show dog..it isn't necessarily going to be easy.     I talked to a neighbor down my street that got a retired show dog (for the life of me I can't remember the breed)  it was shipped to them from out of state. They had such problems quite the same as Bubblegums and had to take it to a behaviorist.
As we were talking, neither of us has a lot of respect for how show dogs are treated.[/blockquote]

So then why have the dog to begin with?  Just to say you have champion show dog?

No.  You're proving your breeding stock before it is bred.  Sometimes the dog show world IS very cold, especially if you want to be a "name".  You can be a "name" without having a monstrous kennel...but you still generally have more than 5 dogs.
 
Some people will look at the dogs like they are machines, calculating angles, looking at structure, evaluating temperament, and studying pedigrees until their eyes bleed, so they can improve upon the next generation.

Please don't misunderstand my argument. Maybe that IS what you have to be to raise show and/or breeding dogs...but then thats not for me.

You don't have to be that way to raise or breed them, no, but that's usually how it has to be if you don't want your program to be stagnant.

I may have missed it, but can anyone here admit they do this turn around of dogs and rehoming? 

I may have missed it, but can anyone here admit they do this turn around of dogs and rehoming?

Not sure of any posters here, but I know of several German Shepherd kennels that sell adult dogs.  In fact, there's not that many that don't, usually just really small, family run ones.  While I was still looking for a dog in shelters, I looked into probably two doesn't different German Shepherd kennels that had adults available.  Most breeders sell adults all the time, somtimes for 2-3 times as much as puppies b/c they are trained and already titled.  Selling/rehoming dogs of all ages is common practice, at least it seems that way to me.

The reason why I asked is most of the posters are recipients of these "rescue" (my characterization) dogs and do have an emotional attachment to the dog.  So their post are from the perspective of a happy ending.  I think we all, meaning both sides of this issue, would benefit to hear from an owner that gives up the dog on a regular basis.  

http://www.drachefeld.com/sale.php

Drachefeld's got two for sale.  I e-mailed them last week (about something else, not these two dogs) and they responded in just a few hours, so you could ask them if you need a breeder's perspective. 


http://www.mittelwest.com/German%20Shepherd%20Dogs%20For%20Sale%20pictures.htm

Mittelwest also has several titled and untitled adults and adolescents available.  I've never e-mailed them though so I'm not sure what their response time is.

Um, I've done it. I've placed Summer and Jester. Didn't breed them myself. Gina's willing to do it- she would have placed Elly with the Beagle Brigade if that had worked out, I imagine. 

DPU...I have placed dogs....and I have also already contributed my input to the OP, and addressed their original questions.

I didn't read all pages, so if this has already been said, never mind.
 
Re-homing dogs an a regular basis is a common practice in the sledding world......big named mushers advertise on their web pages......turn over is actually quiet amazing......

ORIGINAL: mrv

 A second reality is there are multiple niches of dog owners out there.  I happen to be one who participates in dog sport.  One reason I participate in dog sport is to provide balance in a career choice that is demanding and very stressful.  A shelter dog, a mixed breed, does not allow me the opportunity to travel, compete and maintain long distance friendships.

Man oh man I can't believe I've read this whole thread. I think I have anyway.  In response to the above quote...Why can't you travel and compete with a shelter and/or mixed breed dog? I happen to have 4 rescued dogs and I travel and compete in dogs sports and I know many others that do as well. Two of my dogs didn't start until they were 6 ish and one has received her Performance Dog 1 and if we did more trials, I'm sure we would have advanced even further. That same dog was also super in Search and Rescue. We also got started late in that. She and I passed 3 of our tests and then, because there was much more on my end to learn than I felt I wanted to or had the time to put into it, we left the group. It wasn't because she wasn't doing super though. I also know of other rescue dogs that do Search and Rescue and are very good at it. Two of my other dogs are also doing great with their agility...the 3rd dog just starting last year. Rescue dog number 4, has started a bit with his training and I'm sure he'll do great when he's old enough to begin. We are thinking possibly of maybe training him with frisbee as well. So I'm not quite sure why you say a shelter dog would not allow you to do this.
Added note for DPU if you read this....please do not do what you truly know is not right and buy a pup from the pet shop and thereby support puppymills. Thanks for all you do....from another rescuer.

Well, I was going to stop there, but decided...oh well, I'm already posting I might as well add a bit more of my thoughts on all of this.
As far as having to place dogs because you are breeding for the betterment of the breed....well, which came first here...that thought, or enjoying dogs for what they are...companions.
I would think the idea of breeding for the betterment of the breed wasn't the initial reason a person got involved in dogs..unless of course they were looking for a buck and those aren't the ones that are breeding to improve the breed. I would have thought the first thing that happened,
1.was that they enjoyed the companionship of dogs and
2.then they ended up enjoying particular traits of a certain breed and
3.then they thought it might be fun to get involved in the show world and breeding
4.Now they have to take on the thought of What they have to do to be a reputable breeder.

First and foremost, to me anyway, is that they enjoy their dogs and make them a part of their lives...that is a home life.....that I believe was one of the ways in telling a good breeder from a bad and noting someone that was not in it for just the money.
All of this other talk, sounds to me like someone is going into this whole dog thing just for the betterment of some breed........sounds just like a money making business venture to me. My thoughts on this matter anyway.

I don't participate with shelter dogs or mixed breeds because I dont choose venues that have full options for mix breeds.  I choose purebred dogs because it is what I prefer.  I like to compete in conformation and performance events, especially herding.  I see value in dogs that have been show in both conformation and performance events.  A mixed breed dog limits my ability to continue that practice.

There are any number of reasons why an individual gets into dogs.  Breeding programs will produce dogs that dont fit the standard or need, regardless of how careful a breeder is.  In some cases, that will not become evident until later in the dog's life.  There are any number of options when that happens.   I think rehoming is a good choice in those as well as other circumstances.

One of the main issues that appears in the thread repeatedly is what appears to be a value judgment.  There are valid reasons to breed and to rehome.  There are valid reasons to rescue and adopt.  To assume one option is good and the other bad is not appropriate in my opinion.

I would think the idea of breeding for the betterment of the breed wasn't the initial reason a person got involved in dogs..unless of course they were looking for a buck and those aren't the ones that are breeding to improve the breed.

I diagree.  Good breeders breed for the betterment of the breed, period.  It is very difficult for them to sell and rehome adults, but they didn't start a breeding program to hoard dogs, they started it to better the breed.  A companion dog belongs in a companion home, not doing herding trials and ringsport.  Reputable breeders do not make any money breeding and typically lose money, so the "making a buck" point is a little lost on me.

1.was that they enjoyed the companionship of dogs and
2.then they ended up enjoying particular traits of a certain breed and
3.then they thought it might be fun to get involved in the show world and breeding
4.Now they have to take on the thought of What they have to do to be a reputable breeder.

In my experience, this is how backyard breeders get started.  They just decide for whatever reason that their own dog is fit for breeding, when often it's not.  When chosing a breeder, I look for someone that's in it to maintain the health, temperament, and working quality of the dogs, period.  If they've got a dog with a temperament issue or a health defect, I fully expect it to be spayed/neutered and re-homed as a companion.  Every breed already has enough health and/or temperament issues as it is. 

I'm not sure who made the comment a while back, but someone said that we're looking at this issue too much from a human perspective and not the dog's perspective.  Companion dogs are just that - companions.  They honestly don't care who their companion is as long as they are treated well, given food, shelter, and an outlet for their energy.  The dog isn't going to be depressed and hold a gruge its entire life because the breeder found a more suitable home for it.  We have to think about what's best for dogs, end of story.

Good post Liesje! That's just what I've been thinking as I lurk.

1.was that they enjoyed the companionship of dogs and
2.then they ended up enjoying particular traits of a certain breed and
3.then they thought it might be fun to get involved in the show world and breeding
4.Now they have to take on the thought of What they have to do to be a reputable breeder.

In my experience, this is how backyard breeders get started.  They just decide for whatever reason that their own dog is fit for breeding, when often it's not. 

I was not meaning someone that has their first dog and just decides to breed. You are right there, that is how backyard breeders get started. What I mean is, they have possibly had dogs growing up or at the very least had a great interest in dogs. This interest has come about because they understand the joy, that the companionship of a dog can bring to us. Due to this interest, they read and read and read, finding out all they can about dogs. Then the interest may develop further and they may decide they would really enjoy showing dogs, possibly in the confirmation ring and so things develop. Now, with the love of dogs and the knowledge they have gained, they might possibly be interested in breeding. They have, at this point, met many other reputable breeders, those with the same interests and understanding of the love of dogs. They go to them, to perhaps aquire their first dog and go forward with their own breeding program. This is not something that happens boom overnight. Just had to clarify that, as I see now how what I said could be taken the wrong way.