For goodness sake! This puppy hunting lark is taking forever! Prop me up please

[WTFwasthat]

I had my name down with a breeder for a boy in August but she only had bitches and two boys in litter, I was 3rd on waiting list....Then I was waiting on a breeder who had had a pup returned after a few weeks as the owners 'could not commit' , I mean wtf! Then after waiting a few weeks she decided pup would need an experienced owner. Ihave spent al my time since trawling rescue sites and applying for dogs that I want without success and looking for a new breeder with a pup ready NOW. It is totally exasperating. A breeder in Lewes had a liter with no yellow dogs. it is totally pissing me off tbh. I can see why people (of lesser characther ) resort to byb's and unethical breeders! I won;tdo that obvs but I am frustrated! Rant over

This post made it sound as though you would only consider a yellow boy who was ready now, which is not only realistic but also puts you across as choosing a dog based on looks and suitability for your lifestyle. < should read not realistic and based on looks rather than suitability for your lifestyle.

After years of dreaming of liver and white, male springers were were finally in a position to give a dog the life it deserves so off we went to get our springer. Nothing else would do. We were smacked us in the face by the god-awful reality created when, for some reason, a dog doesn't suit the owner any more and they are left to the mercy of the rescue centres.

We didn't come home with a springer and not out of any sense of duty or obligation about rescue dogs. It was because we found a ginger, wonky-eyed, 3 year old JRTX bitch with queen-anne legs far too short for her body. She was just perfect for us. Watching her settle in and blossom has been one of the great joys of our life. She is clever, up for anything, laid back, greedy, cuddly, she burps like a sumo wrestler and so funny she makes us roar with laughter just to look at her.

OP, please do keep an open mind and if us DogHouse people seem snappy, I'm so sorry (MN eh!!) It's because we know it's about the right dog, not the right type of dog.

Why does no-one give me suitable dogs for my family?

I always get the broken ones that drive me to tears, push my relationship to the brink, destroy my house and use up all of my time and energy fixing them.

S'not fair!

It got worse when I sent for a reference from the rescue I work with for a dog behaviour and training course I think they are conspiring to show me what a crap trainer I would make by sending me broken puppies.

Well it's not going to work. I am fixing puppy, he is almost, nearly fixed now.

There are loads of labs in rescue at the moment.

Have you tried breed specific rescues?

I never get "suitable for my family" dogs either.
I get the ones that are broken. And untrained. And absolutely determined to torture me.
I refuse to be broken.

LittleDog will pass his bronze if it's the last thing I do.

It may well be the last thing I do, given the time it's taking to get him to actually listen to me, rather than ignoring me.

And he point blank refuses to let me or anyone examine him for more than 3 seconds which may cause a slight issue.....

And I have a 4 week foster coming this weekend, who apparently "doesn't like being on the lead"
So I'm going to assume he is like BigDog was, he used to alternate between trying to bite anyone who came near him with a lead, or pulling everyone's arms out of their sockets whenever we went out or sitting down in the middle of the street refusing to move.

That's going to be fun, I shall have to do 3 seperate walks with 3 seperate dogs at first as LittleDog is training and cannot be walked with BigDog who distracts him, and the FosterDog hates being walked at all.

Puppy is nearly fixed. I've kinda fixed the hopping into bed with us every five minutes during the night issue, well when I say fixed what I mean is I have allowed Devil Dog, who is trained to sleep only at the foot of the bed and is much smaller and calmer than puppy, to sleep on the bed, puppy is scared of upsetting him so won't get on our bed with Devil Dog is on there

Now all I need to do is fix the snapping when you lead him by his collar (I intend to do this by teaching him to heal so there is no need to move him by his collar) and fix his issue with The Tree of Bounciness.

Then he will just need normal training, like normal puppies do

Dooin, would he prefer a harness? Patch seems slightly less anxious since we've walked him with a harness rather than using the collar for the lead.

It's not when we walk him on lead Lougle. He's fine with that. It's when we hold his collar by hand, normally inside the house.

He was very poorly trained when he came to us and only knew 1 command. He still does not know "off" or to recall/follow inside the house. So if I need to get him off the sofa it is tempting to hold his collar and gently lead him off, this is when he snaps.

He is also wary of going into some places in the house, mainly the yard and kitchen, again it is tempting to lead him by his collar.

He is fine with the slip lead and treat lures. I will be teaching him the commands "off" and "out" soon and I am doing lots of clicker training and games to build his confidence plus extra treats for going into the yard or kitchen.

Oh well ignore me, then Sounds like you're doing a great job with him. You're so right about collars being a temptation..why is that? Thinking about it, we'd never grab each other by the collar to lead them.

Poor chap, sounds like he had a rough start.

OP, considering this is a dog that you should own for the best part of 15 years or maybe more, it's a really good idea to make sure if you are looking for a puppy you find a responsibly bred one.

Have you spoken to the breed clubs? They should know of a breeder planning a mating who they can put you in touch with. Obviously this means a long wait, but you can go on the waiting list of several breeders if you are honest about this and it also means you can spend a lot of time with your puppy from as soon as it is old enough for you to visit, which also means the puppy will know you when it comes home and settle in much better.

It might help to be more flexible about colours, gender etc. There really isn't a huge difference between dogs and bitches in most breeds anyway.

My dogs are rescues and are a right hotch potch of breeds/colours/personalities. But to be fair on the OP if I were to pay hundreds of pounds to a responsible breeder for a dog (and I can see why people do) I would want to pick a breed, colour and gender too.

By the way have you thought carefully about colour? We recently got a white dog and the molting is horrendous on clothes!

I'm surprised at the negativity towards the OP. She is going to get her dog from a responsible source (either quality breeder or rescue) and knows what she wants. You can have both temperament and desired colour!

The only problem with being exacting is that you may have to a long while before you find the dog that checks all your boxes. Good luck.

I think the problem here is what you put in your original post , which does make it sound like you want a yellow male puppy and nothing else. Before you lambast people for picking on you perhaps you should read what you have written before you post it to see how it comes across. A pound local to us did have a dog returned because it didn't match the woman's decor when she got it home ( I think it clashed with the curtains) .

What concerns me when people come on and say "I want a dog that is " is that it can appear that they have become enamored with the idea of a dog without considering the reality of living day to day with another sentient being who is wholly reliant upon you to fill all of their physical, social and mental needs for the next 10-15+ years.

Maybe I am wrong about OP, as I said I have not searched her posting history but that is how this particular thread put her across as in my eyes.

The breed she wants is a particular 'warning' sign to me, I mean who doesn't love the idea of owning their very own Andrex puppy? I am guilty of it myself, only last night I watched the new Andrex/Guide Dog puppy advert and turned to DH and said "After Shadow finds a home, we should do that. Look after a Guide Dog puppy and start their basic training"

What people don't always consider is that the Andrex puppy will not be a puppy for long and will grow into a very intelligent, very active large breed dog who will need daily training and long, muddy walks on the park/beach whatever the weather and however ropey you are feeling.

My own sister is also guilty of it. She asked me a few weeks ago where she could get a dog just like mine from? If she can't have one like mine then can I find her a Chiauaua, a Pug or a Jug (wtf is one of these? She keeps asking me if I know any rescues with Jug puppies in ) or a Shitzu. Any questions I asked her wrt training, walking, grooming, financial commitments were met with thsi face -> and answered with "I just want a little, cuddly dog who will fit on my knee and can sleep on my pillow like yours does" She has no idea about the specialist care my dog requires such as walking out clothes, adequate bedding, house coats, specialist collars (that often have to be made to measure because of her size) etc.

The dog clashed with the curtains!!!

When you get a new dog you have to stick with it even if it eats the flipping curtains!!!!

d0oin my SIL did the same thing.
About 2 weeks after we got LittleDog she kept asking me to see "if there was one just like him" in a rescue anywhere.

By just like him, she meant a tan coloured staffy puppy. And it had to have white feet.
When I pointed out that "just like him" also meant untrained, unsocialised, spent at least 15 hours a day in a crate, and very anxious she said "oh no I just want one that looks like him"

I had to forcefully point out that they were both at work all day and the puppy would be left alone, that she would have to spend hours training it, take it to puppy classes and when he got bigger, he would need the same amount of walking as BigDog.

She went right off the idea of a puppy. She then asked me if I thought a toy dog would need to be walked or was it ok because it's so small.

Commitment to 15+ years is what makes me hesitate about getting a dog. It's not the caring aspect that frightens me, I would love it, it's just I really don't know where we'll be in the next 10+ years. I know no-one really knows what life will throw at them but my son may be living abroad in a couple of year's time and we would want to visit a lot so it may not be fair on a dog if we were doing that. I have been considering a slightly rescue older dog, around 6 or 7 as they are often overlooked by people who prefer puppies.

What ever you don't click this link LadyTurmoil

Tantrums every one wants a dog like Whippy. No-one will ever find one. I have never known a dog like her and doubt I ever will again. I am still waiting for her mad puppy phase to kick in and her teenage years too. I suspect she is not all dog, she is possibly some kind of feline/canine hybrid

She runs off lead like a dog but inside the house she is all cat, she does nothing more than curl up in your lap and snooze and purr.

Sob

Personally I think its a bit sad that it is all negative assumptions about the op, not "you're doing the right thing by waiting" and "it'll be worth it in the end". I can't see how wanting a golden retriever or Labrador indicates that the op wants an andrex puppy?

Perhaps we should get a notice put up before anyone posts stating they need to give a full background including references before it can be assumed they will be a responsible owner

Oh Dooin, gulp - what a gorgeous old boy I LOVE the oldies.

You are an EVIL woman Dooin, don't do this to me. TBH, I still have some way to go in persuading my DH which I why I just stalk rescue websites and The Doghouse, trying to find out as much as I can for the moment. I find all the info in these threads about dog behaviour, training etc is absolutely fascinating. DH knows the time will come soon and there is nothing he can do to stop it! We've looked after my brother's dog and a friend's dog so he knows it's not all that complicated. There are so many dog walkers and doggy day cares in our area that it would be easy to sort things out for the days that you want to be out for a whole day and I would make sure to get a dog that my brother would be happy to look after for other times (which is why it probably won't be a staffie or greyhound - although they are lovely, poor things).

I'll pass on the info about Goldie the Staff to a friend who already has a 4 y/o beautiful black staffie and was thinking about getting a rescue as a 2nd dog. She was thinking about slightly younger ones but Goldie does look lovely.

Sorry. It wasn't my idea. The puppy told me to do it

WTFwasthat have you tried Dorset Dog Rescue - from what I see on their FB page they are more relaxed than others about young children and placing dogs, as they have their dogs in foster, often with children, cats etc so they can be assessed