Just curious on opinions on this. I had a discussion with my mom the other day on where I would get my future dogs from. She has a remarkable disdain for breeders (all kinds, even) and insists that all dogs should come from rescue. While I think that's fine for regular companion ("pet") dogs, if I were to raise a "working" (define that how you will) dog I would prefer to have complete control over how the dog is raised plus genetics and things like that. Though now I can't even go LOOK at puppies without her voice nagging me in the back of my mind =P

Thoughts? I've never had a dog that was any more than a pet, so they've all been rescues, but when I have a place of my own I would definitely consider going to a breeder, so my opinion probably doesn't count for much.

Ashly,
That must be a typo, when you're obtaining a dog I think ones own opinion counts above all others.

Did I say that right?
Randy

I foster dogs for a rescue agency and I also have a friend that lives in Maine that works works in search and rescue. She has had four "working" dogs during her lifetime and only one of them was obtained from a breeder and the rest were rescues. The one she got from a breeder she spent a fortune and it came from fantastic working line, but unfortunately died from cancer at the age of 4.

She now only gets dogs from rescue as she likes to get a "young" dog, that is out of the puppy phase. If you get an 8 week old pup from a breeder realize it will take years to get the dog where it will be mature enough to perform and will you have to go through the annoying(although very rewarding) things young puppies do.

Many reasons a dog is surrendered to a shelter is b/c is has too high a drive for the average pet owner to deal with. My friend's current dog that is trained in search and rescue she jokingly says, "Has batteries that don't seem to run down." And speculates that was the reason she ended up being surrendered.

If you are interested in obtaining a dog for "working" purposes I would recommend not just blindly going to a shelter, but contacting a rescue group where a rescue dog is living in a foster home for at least 2 weeks so that they can tell you the honest temperment and drive of the dog as the shelter setting doesn't exactly lend itself for "normal" behavior and it can be hard to gauge what you are getting.

If you live in the NYC area we have a lovely Dutch Shepherd named Joey who is living in NJ at a kennel excelling at training who would make an excellent candidate for a working companion.


What "working" purposes would you be obtaining a dog for?

 Quote: randy allen

Ashly,
That must be a typo, when you're obtaining a dog I think ones own opinion counts above all others.

Did I say that right?
Randy

Ha, you speak the truth. What I meant was that I have no idea if a dog you got from a breeder and raised from 8 weeks (or what have you) is any better as a working dog than an adult you got from a rescue, simply because I've never HAD a puppy from a breeder before.

Hi Ashley, I have two working SAR dogs. One from a breeder and one from a shelter. Both are great dogs. Puppies at shelters may have the traits and drive that you are looking for and there are puppy tests you can do to test for them. I would do the same tests when purchasing a puppy from a breeder.

You can google Volhard Puppy Apptitude tests or Puppy Tests for Working Dogs. JMO but I would also recommend doing your homework on the breed you are thinking about getting before you go looking. Be objective and try not to fall in love with the first puppy face you see (I know that's hard to do).

Good luck.

I currently have 35 single purpose detector dogs working. Nineteen of them are from rescues, humane association or dog pounds. Since I don't deal in puppies, any dog we get is a minimum of 12 months. The selection of the dog is based on specific behavior traits and given full physicals including xrays. I've always said, I never select a dog for training because of where it came from, but what it can do for me. While you may have to look at a lot of dogs to find the one that will fit the bill, they are out there. Organizations such as: http://www.gapdogs.org/index.htm can assist.

DFrost

I recently rescued a female who ended up being pregnant. I firmly believe that one of the pups would have made a fantastic working dog. He had drive drive drive and go go go. In fact, I almost wished I didn't have to place him as a pet because I was worried how a pet home would be able to deal with this guy. But no agency would take a dog under 12 months (and I can understand the reason).

Bottom line is that just because you want a baby, doesn't mean your only choice is a breeder. Rescues DO get litters and pregnant females. However!

My personal opinion is that if you want a working dog, you should get the dog:

1. As a puppy or yound adult from a responsible breeder who has already produced proven working dogs, and has parents on site and has either sport/field titles or working dogs.

2. As a young adult from a rescue.

I don't really know if you should necessarily get a puppy from a rescue as you just don't know enough about the dog to know what kind of temperament it will have. Depends on the work though. If your main issue is controlling exposure and socialization as a puppy, you can just as easily accomplish this with a rescue pup as a breeder pup.

On the other hand, a young adult from a rescue can be tested to see if it has the correct drives. Agencies like Search and Rescue and Drug/Bomb sniffing do this all the time. They are great for saving otherwise unwanted dogs like pit bulls, and high-drive mixed breeds who are too much for "pet owners" to handle.

I hope that makes sense...

Wow David, that is pretty cool.

Ashley, I agree with the rest. Here is another place where they get their working dogs from shelters.

http://www.lawdogsusa.org/home.html

Ashley,

I say this with all respect. I am not at all trying to be insulting here.

This sounds to me like a religious argument. All dogs have a momma dog and a papa dog, and it is very possible the mommas and papas of the dogs you have rescued came from breeders. If that is the case then, what we are really talking about is the route the dog traveled to get to you. Breeder, family, rescue, Ashley. Or Breeder, Ashley. Or ... Accidental breeding, rescue, Ashley, Or ... Accidental breeding, family, rescue, Ashley.

In any case, the most important consideration is what dog will end up with Ashley. That should be your decision, and how it gets to you should be your decision.

We bought our dog from a working line breeder. He was for our son, who wanted a puppy. I wanted a working line GSD from a breeder for reasons I've stated on this board before (health issues, sloping backs, health issues, etc.) Some day my son is going to leave home and take Hans with him. At that time, my wife and I, who are in our mid-50's, may very well choose to get a rescue, or other adult dog. Because, for us, raising another puppy at our age might not be something we want to sign up for, but we truly do love the companionship we get from Hans, who is now 2 years old.

So, different strokes for different folks. You decide what you want in a dog and where you want to get it and go from there. Rescue, puppy, it should depend on what you want, not some rule that someone hands down to you.

Edited by Rich Pallechio (03/03/2008 04:33 PM)
Edit reason: Incomplete sentence.