Rescue dogs are "problem dogs"

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

I did not want to highjack another thread but was concerned by a few comments re rescue dogs.

It is just not correct that rescue dogs are difficult dogs or all of them have problems.

80% of people that have had a rescue dog say that they will rehome a rescue again.

If you are getting a rescue dog there is a huge variety of dogs to choose from - giving you more chance to get the right dog for your family.

You will know of any health issues with your dog as they will have had a full vet assessment

A good rescue will offer support and training and life time help for your rescue dog. They will have qualified staff to help.

Often there is less training required with a rescue dog than a puppy.

You can see the dog fully formed. With a puppy it can be hit and miss what you are going to get in the way of behaviour, health etc by the time you find out your dog is 18 months old. If you are inexperienced with dogs take a behaviourist with you at this point to help you choose the correct dog.

Things to consider when getting a rescue dog

Foreign street dogs may look cute but they have been feral and have learnt how to survive on their own - they will all need extra special care and training so not for the faint hearted.

Do choose a reputable rescue not a rescue without backup.

Do not be insulted if the rescue say you are not suitable for a specific dog - they have the dogs interest at heart and be encouraged that this rescue will find the correct dog for you.

Be very clear in your expectations of the dog and what you are able to offer to the dog and make sure the rescue knows of your life style.

Be prepared for it to take time for the rescue to find you the correct dog - it is worth the wait.

Consider where you are rescuing from and where they get there dogs from.

Be aware that a dog can be rehomed for many reasons, death of owner, relocation of owners, ill health of owners, financial difficulties of owners. Often the rehoming is through no fault of the dog at all.

Having a new dog will always demand changes from you to allow it to thrive whether that is a puppy or a rescue dog. You will have to make major changes to your life style when getting a dog and this is no different from getting a rescue or a puppy.

Please do not dismiss all rescues.

Of course it's not impossible to get a puppy and work full-time - we've just done it!

Our puppy is six months old and very settled. We use a fantastic local daycare for the three days a week we both work, then he's home with me two days and my partner two days. He was toilet trained in a month and is an all-round fabulous dog. And I know plenty of other people who've had puppies and worked full-time. I think it's a bit of an MN myth that you need someone home 24/7 for months in order to settle a dog.

It's not the dogs that are the problem the the arseholes that have made them
That way

I'm really pleased to see this thread! Our boy is not a rescue - we wanted to rescue but had huge difficulty finding a good match, not helped by my discovering when we did some fostering for a rescue that I have become allergic to shedding breeds!! However, we had several staffie crosses on foster with us at various times and only one had any real issues as she was quite dog reactive (and I think this could have been managed/improved with behaviourial help). Ironically, our poodle boy (who we got at 9 weeks from a lovely breeder and with really friendly and laid-back parents) has quite a few issues and my daughter and I have frequently said that we wish we had found a suitable rescue as it would probably have been easier!! When we can afford dog no 2, it will very definitely be a rescue, not least because I don't think I could face the puppy stage again! A lot of rescues foster out their dogs first so you know what you are getting and whether they are good with other dogs/children/cats etc - so in fact, you know a lot more than you might do with a puppy

I had a rescue dog with problems but we worked hard on them and overcame them.
Another rescue, for DM, was just perfect. She was middle aged, quiet and well behaved and settled in immediately. DM and dog were totally devoted to each other.
Our most difficult dog by far was bought as an eight week old puppy from a very good home.

I used to work with a reasonable sized animal shelter as a trainer. All of our dogs were assessed by qualified behaviorists and if possible were fostered in a family home. We did not allow families with children to re-home a dog who had not spent time in a foster home and been assessed by a qualified trainer interacting with children.

We only came across one dog who was unsuitable for re-homing at all. This dog was worked with in the kennel where he came on in leaps and bounds. He was then moved to into my home where I could watch him in a home environment before deciding if he could be fostered or adopted. He came to me because he still had a few minor issues that couldn't really be trained well in kennels (guarding the sofa in the office, mostly)

Once at home with me he showed a lot more issues including fear aggression around normal household objects like bags and vacuums to the extent that he would display extreme signs fear making me think he would attack if the offending item was not moved. He also had major guarding issues, not the minor ones he showed in kennels and fear aggression towards strangers especially children. I worked with him for a year before deciding he was manageable but ultimately un-re-homeable. He would have needed to be re-homed to a dog trainer or some extremely knowledgeable about dog behavior. I kept him. He lives happily with my children because of the work I did with him. Despite training him and desensitizing him for fifteen years, I would still deem him to be unfit for re-homing due to fear.

Which might make you think he is a problem rescue dog. He is. He was also 7 weeks old when he came into the rescue and nine weeks old when he moved in with me.

Most of his issues stem from being removed from his litter too young (we suspect he was puppy farmed).

The point of that story? Puppies have issues too.

If you go a reputable rescue, you should be safer with a rescue than with a puppy.

Let's face it, it's normally people who are the problems, not the dogs, most of the time.

• ppl want to get a puppy for parents, who'd be far better off with a retired greyhound or (practically) any older dog rather than an exhausting, jumpy puppy who needs lots of training.

• ppl want a puppy to grow up with their kids. Jumpy, nippy puppy who will nip the kids, chew toys, pee and poo everywhere. Kids will lose interest after a few weeks and the parent will be stressed and tired not realising what they got themselves into. Having to drag unwilling children on walks, when they're ill, when it's pouring with rain etc.

-ppl who underestimate the cost, the inconvenience, the planning that needs to be considered.

• ppl who don't know about puppy farming, buy off Gumtree, want a dog cheap, don't realise a fluffy Cavachon might have awful health problems later in life.

All of my dogs have been rescued from reputable centres. I have been very lucky with all of them, apart from separation anxiety with the first, which we worked on and overcame. My last dog died earlier this year from hemangiosarcoma and I miss so so much. He was the perfect pet and companion and I could tell he appreciated the seven years he had with us. I will never ever get over losing such a perfect, loving boy.