Quote from Cesar Milan re: rescue/shelter dogs

Liesje, I want Yahoo to quote you! []  My hound spent five months in a shelter because he howled in the kennel.  Guess what - now he only howls when I leave in the morning, but only for a few moments until he hears the truck start.  (He taught Sequoyah to do it, too LOL, but her voice isn't that deep melodious bay - hers is more like coyote pups [8D]) .  Sometimes, he greets with a couple of howls when I'm on my way in the door.  Other than that he's a lovebug couch potato and doesn't make much noise at all. 

I say quotes like that all the time b/c I made the same mistake myself.  I think it's a mistake everyone will make at some point!  There was this big lab that was REALLY hyper, always jumping, spinning, and barking so I always avoided him.  One day, he was the only dog left that hadn't gone out, so I didn't really have a choice.  It was hard to lasso him, but as soon as we got outdoors....he was the most inherently well behaved dog I've ever walked (inherently as in I didn't have to command or correct him AT ALL).  He walked at heel, went into a sit anytime I stopped, knew "down", didn't pull or lunge, etc.  I mentioned my surprise to the behaviorist and she also said that he was one of the best dogs she's ever worked with.  Since I've been a volunteer, he's one of the dogs that's been there the longest.  If Chopper hadn't come along, I would have seriously considered him for adoption.

I think what he was trying to get at, is that just because a dog is no longer a puppy does not mean that it will be easier. Alot of times when someone doesn't have alot of time to spend with a dog or is a first time dog owner, the recommendation is automatically to get an adult dog from a shelter or rescue. That is fine, but it doesn't mean the dog will need less time or training. Many shelter dogs were stray, or came from owners that did absolutely no training, not even housebreaking. Many have never lived indoors. People adopting an adult shelter dog should be prepared to have to train and housebreak just like if they got a puppy. They may get lucky and get that perfect dog that was well trained and socialized and loved and who somehow ended up at a shelter, but probaby not. I don't think CM's comment was really off base. It sucks if it has the unintended consequence of discouraging people from adopting from shelters, but I think what he was trying to do is prevent dogs from being returned to shelters.

What I cannot believe he said that????[>:]He is usually always promoting rescue this seems to totally contradict what he is all about!!!This is not good.He has a lot of fans and I'm sure some of them are idiot people who will then go to BYBs ARGH!!!!The tireless work of animal rescuers just took a few steps back thanks to this stupid quote!I am quite angry, frustrated and almost in tears thinking about all the dogs' lives who will be lost due to this quote from CM!!![:@][][]

Here is the entire article.  It's from his blog.  I don't normally read it, but came across it.  You can see he is right on with most of his ideas.  People do need to consider the energy level of an animal vs. their own.  Maybe he didn't mean it the way it came out, however when you are on an international stage and people look to you as an expert (eh-hem), you have the duty to be careful in how you say things.
 

"Choosing a Dog That's Right for You!Posted Tue, Jul 17, 2007, 12:05 pm PDT

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With these things in mind, I hope you'll be better prepared to form a powerful and healthy bond between yourself and your prospective companion. I'll leave you, as always, with a helpful [linkhttp://www.cesarmillaninc.com/interact/seminars.php]Dog Behavior[/link] tip: dogs use constant energy to communicate."

Placed in context, it's a little better. True, some dogs land in shelters because they have too much "energy" for the family they were in, which can also be a crock of crap. The young man next door has a female lab that spends all of her time alone in the yard. He's got enough energy play basketball, go to church, he had enough energy for a while to own and wreck a new Mustang. He's had enough energy to mow the front yard a little and none of the back yard. And granted, someone who is not used to high energy dogs might want to study first, or a person who has a physical disability that keeps them from taking short walks every day might not want to get a large dog. But I still don't see how the shelter is any worse a source for dogs than JQP selling "registered purebreeds" at the Home Depot parking lot. And any large breed dog and some medium breeds, such as Aussies, can be high energy, whether you get them from a legit breeder or a shelter. So, it's still a slam against shelters. IMO.
 

I sure wish he had been more specific as to what the "other sources" were. I think that sort of statement gives the average dog owner the impression that it's better to buy a puppy from a BYB than rescue a dog from the pound. I think it's puppyhood that's hard! A well-adjusted adult dog is the easiest dog a person could acquire, you just have to know the dog you're adopting, which is why fosterhome dogs are so great!

For what it's worth, our first dog Ananda was adopted from and returned to the pound TWICE before we adopted him and he was a really, truly, wonderfully magnificent easy to own dog. He was our first dog ever in our lives and we were able to train and manage him just fine (with the one notable exception of poor recall, which was our fault for being totally ignorant, not his, though he paid the ultimate price for it). The last people to adopt him and bring him back said he was 'too wild' and honestly I can not imagine what they were expecting out of a dog because he was just...a normal dog. There was nothing wild about him in the least. Perhaps the people who adopted and returned him wanted some kind of lawn ornament or stuffed animal because that is the only way he could have not met expectations--in every other way he was a normal, totally issue-less, moderate energy level, biddable, special wonderful gorgeous dog.

And having volunteered myself in shelters, I've seen that same scenario played out again and again and again.

I thought seeing it in context would vindicate the man, seeing as he is so heavily onvolved in rescue.  But it's not made any difference.  I feel slightly cross now.  If this is what an educated and experienced dog person thinks, I almost despair at educating the general public about the truth.

ORIGINAL: houndlove

For what it's worth, our first dog Ananda was adopted from and returned to the pound TWICE before we adopted him and he was a really, truly, wonderfully magnificent easy to own dog. He was our first dog ever in our lives and we were able to train and manage him just fine (with the one notable exception of poor recall, which was our fault for being totally ignorant, not his, though he paid the ultimate price for it). The last people to adopt him and bring him back said he was 'too wild' and honestly I can not imagine what they were expecting out of a dog because he was just...a normal dog. There was nothing wild about him in the least. Perhaps the people who adopted and returned him wanted some kind of lawn ornament or stuffed animal because that is the only way he could have not met expectations--in every other way he was a normal, totally issue-less, moderate energy level, biddable, special wonderful gorgeous dog.

And having volunteered myself in shelters, I've seen that same scenario played out again and again and again.

We are Loki's FIFTH owner! Yes, he was taken to the shelter four times by different people! I can't even imagine why, he's low energy, affectionate, doesn't wreck stuff...

I thought seeing it in context would vindicate the man, seeing as he is so heavily onvolved in rescue. But it's not made any difference. I feel slightly cross now. If this is what an educated and experienced dog person thinks, I almost despair at educating the general public about the truth.

 
I agree. And in addition to Hound's Love thoughts, it's not the source, it's the human failure factor that is the problem. A dog is just a dog. It takes a human to louse things up.[:@]

ron, you have hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head again.  Weird thing is, thats the line I thought CM took.... anyone can do it "You too can be a calm assertive pack leader!".... right?

anyone can do it "You too can be a calm assertive pack leader!".... right

So says the advertising. There are books and videos to show you how you can be a pack leader and show your dog you're in charge and it shouldn't matter what kind of dog. "No dog is beyond help", or words to that effect. FWIW, the only time I saw CM get bit was from a toy breed. The other time, he was breaking up a dog fight and got grazed, not actually bit, between two large breeds. His stuff is marketed to JQP, anyone with a television. As far as I know, the material is not branded as for professionals only. I think the statement about shelters darkens what is otherwise a decent soundbyte advocating training and caring for your dog.

his methods and opinion i believe in. i've said it before too.... you take a risk with shelter dogs. doesnt mean you SHOULDNT ever take a risk, but i think you have to consider what its worth to you. bringing home a large dog from unknown background to be a friend to your kids would be risky in my opinion. unless i know that dog is good with kids (i.e. he came from a foster HOME with kids) then i wouldnt adopt him. my kids mean more to me than that.
if i didnt have any kids then i would gladly adopt from a shelter. i have done that in the past and had good luck.
maybe thats what he meant by considering the source?
dogs dont always act their true personality in the pound. he might be spazzing in the kennel, but he calm and friendly in a home.. or he might calm and friendly in the kennel but be a spazz at home. depends if he was in shock or not i would think.

and again i think the humans that CM is directing this towards are the ones that are lazy and/or ignorant to start with.
many times on his show i have seen him give phsychology 1O1 to the owners as well as the dog....

i think he is trying to say not to rush into it or you may regret it. he's worked with troubled dogs enough and he keeps seeing the same mistakes over and over again.. like the over weight aggressive rottie that hated white shepherds. he was a rescue dog. then there was another rottie that attacked shopping carts. Also a rescue. neither owners could handle that dog and had given up trying to teach them - which is why they got SOMEONE else to do it for them.
its those people that bite off more than they can chew, or are just plain lazy, shouldt get a SHELTER dog.. foster, yes.. something a little more trustworthy and predictable... but.. honestly probably shouldnt have any dog at all if you dont want to put forth the effort in training it.... JMO though....

i do agree.. its usually the human that messes up the dog. i think personality quirks are more rare in dogs than we think... but if you've got a dog thats been traumatized and experiences anxiety as a result .. then you've got your work cut out for you. or some dogs cant stand to be alone... so they destroy stuff and then get dumped in the pound... maybe that dog just needs a friend or constant companion? there is a story, situation, or cure for all these cases... but you do have to want to chance it... otherwise you should probably wait on getting a dog until a rescue contacts you with the best dog that matches your personality and ambitions, like Liesje and Cop. she could have gone to the pound and adopted one of many shepherds, but she didnt want just ANY shepherd...

"Please remember that the shelter environment is very unnatural and every dog is under stress and suffering from anxiety. If you cannot handle certain behaviors from a dog, make sure you spend time with the dog and get additional information from the staff and behaviorist before making your choice. Most likely, the way the dog is behaving in his kennel is not going to be the way he behaves in his new home."

great post liesje,

i remember seeing a DWhisperer series where he went to a animal control shelter to pick out a dog for a family. he did make a comment that he really needed to see the dog out of it's kennel to evaluate it's nature because in the kennel, the dogs are under stress.

i can not remember which episode; it seemed to be on last week during that marathon..... and his selection criteria resonates with what you have spoken.