Quote from Cesar Milan re: rescue/shelter dogs

I'm not sure that a shelter dog is any more or less likely to have issues than any other dog.  Personally, I think a dog that has no issues whatsoever is about as rare as dogs that are truly human aggressive (ie, rare indeed).  A lot of people I know that have "perfect" dogs just aren't aware that some of what their dog is doing is naughty and/or bad for the dog.
 
Anyway, one thing I see/hear a lot at the shelter coming from dog newbies is the assumption that a shelter dog is thankful to you for "saving" it and thus is going to inherently behave better.  I'm not saying that dogs will instantly forget their past or cannot be grateful, but come on!  A dog is a dog whose main focus is food, exercise, and shelter, regardless of whether or not we humans think it should be appreciative.  I don't think it's shelter dogs that are the problem, it's the assumptions made by the humans. 
 
Along these lines, I see too many newbie owners feeling so sorry for their dog and being so obsessed with the fact that their dog was abused or neglected that they are continuously reinforcing the dog's overly submissive and nervous behaviors (example: dog enters new home, hides under a chair, and shakes - people start giving the dog treats, petting it, cooing at it and saying "it's ok boy!"  So, they've just told the dog that hiding and being withdrawn = treats and affection!!).`

ORIGINAL: g33
Some shelters are really great about asking pointed questions (and what will you do when the dog destroys your couch when you leave him home alone for 30 minutes to run to the bank? what will you do when you realize the dog doesn't understand housebreaking since he's been in a shelter for several months and pisses all over your thousand-dollar persian rug?) but the majority of them do not.

That reminds me. When I adopted Ixa, I expected to have to furnish proof that I could house the dog, with either a mortgage slip, or permission from a landlord. Nope. Nadda. Zip. I was not asked one question about my capacity to care for, feed or shelter the dog in any way shape or form. I was told that if it didn't work out, I could bring "it" back within 30 days for an exchange. [] And, they were letting me walk out, as a first time dog owner, with a cattledog/chow mix. [8|]

I will say that, IME, the LA animal shelters are very clean, and the dogs under their care are very healthy. I respect and admire the shelter workers, who do this kind of work for their love of animals. I feel for them, doing the best they can in overcrowded, underfunded environments.

And, here in LA, abandoned dogs recieve much better treatment than abandonded people.

I bet Millan would be the first to agree with you! Unfortunately, temperment testing, and even an informative, or reliable in-shelter report about a dog is often not available, here in Los Angeles, where Millan lives and works. I'm amazed that some posters have so much background info on their adoptees! That's great! Is it common for the shelters of other cities to provide so much information?

 
It depends on how the shelter is funded.  I volunteer for the Humane Society of Kent County, which, despite the name, is NOT affiliated with HSUS.  Our ONLY source of funding is private donations and fundraisers.  No money from HSUS, no money from the government.  Our dog adoptions are $125 which includes spay/neuter, temperament test, rabies and other vacc.  Cats I think are $75.  Sometimes there are discounts.  You have to fill out an application, go through an interview, and do a dog meeting before you can adopt.  If you have kids or other dogs, every family member and dog has to meet under supervision of the behaviorist or shelter manager before the adoption is approved.  We have a full time professional behaviorist and two part time dog trainers.  ALL dogs are temperament tested before being placed up for adoption.  We do not have to put animals to sleep because of time/space constraints, they are only PTS because of severe health or temperament problems.  I'm not sure if the county shelter does temperament testing, but I do know that they have to PTS b/c of space.  I also know that at one event, they brought a dog and we brought a dog and their dog attacked a little girl and ripped her face open.  I don't hold this against them b/c they are the county shelter, so all animals involved in court cases, all animals picked up off the street, and most surrendered animals (b/c it is free to surrender there, $25 at our shelter) end up there.  Our shelter will take overflow from them when we can.

ORIGINAL: ark3

ORIGINAL: g33

ORIGINAL: ark3

ORIGINAL: g33

So while I won't say that all shelter dogs have these kind of issues, I wholeheartedly agree that they are not for novice dog owners. 

 

I understand that some of them are not the best for first-time ownership, but to say that they are all not for novice dog owners is both untrue and unfair.

Note that in my quote above, I said I don't think ALL shelter dogs have these kinds of issues.  I do believe that a great majority of them do.  I stated my comment based on my personal experience, and I do have shelter and rescue volunteer experience as well.  My point is that a novice dog owner is kidding themselves if they believe everything is going to be easy and hunky-dory with a shelter dog especially if they KNOW the dog has been through any kind of trauma.  Especially dogs that are in a shelter environment - that is absolutely nothing like someone's home.  A novice dog owner is foolish to believe that anything said to them about a dog at a shelter is going to still be true once that dog gets into a home environment.  It's a recipe for frustration on the part of owner and dog.  I just think that CM was injecting a bit of reality into a situation that too many times is colored with hearts and flowers, and I agree that adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue needs to be a serious consideration and not all first-time/novice dog owners have the presence of mind to do that.  Some shelters are really great about asking pointed questions (and what will you do when the dog destroys your couch when you leave him home alone for 30 minutes to run to the bank?  what will you do when you realize the dog doesn't understand housebreaking since he's been in a shelter for several months and pisses all over your thousand-dollar persian rug?) but the majority of them do not. 

My apologies for misunderstanding. I was going on your last quote which says, "I wholeheartedly agree they are not for novice dog owners."
My point was that there are plenty of well-behaved dogs who go to shelters not because they have difficult personalities but because of many other situations which the dog has nothing to do with- shelter dogs are not necessarily trauma dogs. I think owning a dog in general (not just a shelter dog) should require a ton of consideration. I know people who have dogs that chew on furniture, pee on the floor,etc who didn't get their dogs from a shelter. My other point was that a puppy is still difficult to train if you are a novice dog owner and if you don't do it properly you will still get a dog with problems. So people shouldn't assume that dog ownership is easy one way or another.

 
We're definitely in agreement.  I would say that it is much much easier to train a dog right the first time though - from a puppy - than to have to correct months or years of bad habits formed by people who didn't take the time to do that.  It's a commitment, pure and simple.  Responsible breeders will ensure that their puppy buyers are aware of how important it is.  Not only that, it's a lot easier to handle a 15-lb rude puppy than an 80-lb rude adult!

He destroyed a futon, a leather jacket, a duffel bag, 3 couch cushions, and a bottle of Advil (didn't eat any) before I realized that he could NOT be left alone and needed confinement.

Wow, how did you get all that stuff into his crate?  [] 

As much as this is an often repeated story, we cannot absolve ourselves of the responsibility of doing our homework when we go to adopt a dog.  There is much blame to go around.  I just think that as professionals, we ought to always tell the whole story as accurately as we can.

As much as this is an often repeated story, we cannot absolve ourselves of the responsibility of doing our homework when we go to adopt a dog. There is much blame to go around. I just think that as professionals, we ought to always tell the whole story as accurately as we can

 
Agreed. And, it would seem that quote is an imcomplete thought, at best. But how many first time owners really think and prepare beforehand? I didn't prepare. Then, again, I'm not scared of a shelter dog because I speak their language, now.

My point is that a novice dog owner is kidding themselves if they believe everything is going to be easy and hunky-dory with a shelter dog.....

 
My point is that a novice dog owner is kidding themselves if they believe everything is easy and hunky dory with ANY dog. 
 
Sometimes you get a dog that just fits, falls into line no problem.  This can be a dog from a shelter or a dog you raise yourslef from a puppy.
 
A LOT of times you get a dog with an issue or personality quirk or you make a mistake in training and then you have to WORK to make things right.  ANd again, this can be a shelter dog or a dog you raise yourslef from a puppy.
 
CM is certainly right to caution owners that getting a dog is not always easy, but he should not have confined this statement to shelter dogs.  He would have been better to say; here are the possible problems but this is how you can deal with it.  THAT'S education and that's what is going to help solve the over population problem and make a better life for dogs in general.