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How Many People Do You Think Have The Wrong Dogs?

3K views 31 replies 21 participants last post by  Ocean 
#1 ·
It's been a while since I have been up here, but wanted to some opinions on how many people you think have the wrong dog for their situation? The rescue has been very busy lately and the main issue that I am seeing is with owners who get dogs that don't match their lifestyles. I have four of those dogs laying by my feet right now.
 
#2 ·
It's nice to see you here c:

Lugar is a cutie!

I think a lot of people have the wrong type of dog but they chose to keep it anyway because it becomes a part of their family. The ones that can't adjust their lifestyle for the dog have other underlying problems (finances, time constraints etc.) that prevent them from keeping the dog or adjusting their lifestyle to it.

I know Zeeva and sometimes even Smokey aren't the perfect dogs for me. No dog can be perfect for anyone's lifestyle. You've to be willing to adjust your lifestyle a bit no matter what when you get a dog. Those that can't will get rid of it...
 
#8 ·
Sure your right on that one!I think Lucky might have benn left on the street by his BYB after he didnt sell. The girls I dont know watching them w/ kids especially Thunder they have some exposure/ Not sure looking at Chevy's hips whether there was alot of thought re their breedin however w/ humans these girls rock,they love everyone. I think their owner ran in to personal crisis and had no plan which left them abandoned.
 
#4 ·
From a dog business (training and dog park) perspective... I would say 85% of the people I see have the wrong dogs.
 
#5 ·
Lol...classic.

I try to prevent people from making the "wrong dog" decision. Lots of times it involves a Husky since I'm Russian and many of my friends are Russian so they want a Siberian Husky without realizing what owning that dog entails.

Surprisingly...I don't see too many people with the wrong dog for them, and recently since I've started going to what I call semi-dog friendly areas (parks that allow dogs on leash but aren't used that much) I see a lot of people who do a lot of stuff with their dogs. I swear that at least 50% of the gun dogs I meet have been used by their owners to hunt/retrieve game.

Sadly the majority of dogs I do see have been so improperly bred that I question if they even have the "true" temperament that the breed calls for. Most of those dogs are just your prototypical family pets...calm, not aggressive, don't want anything out of life but to be pet.
 
#6 ·
I think most of the problem, and this is just my opinion is people buying a dog they want and expecting it to just adapt itself 100% to their lifestyle without any compromise from the humans

A good example is a coworker and friend of mine, he knew I was a dog lover obviously and came in excitedly about two years ago because he was on his way to pick up a husky puppy after work. I love huskies but I also understand their needs, and I knew it would be tough with his schedule basically forcing him to be gone from 6 AM to 4:30 PM for work alone. Add that into the fact he's young and loves to party, and knew he wouldn't be that interested in training I admit I was a little skeptical how well it would work out. I know he got the dog because of the breed

I wished him well and a few weeks later he admitted he was having issues house breaking, she chewed everything in sight, dug super large holes in his backyard, and was very high energy. the list went on. I calmly explained and reitterated that she was a young dog and needed guidance, he buckled down and it took a while but she's now a pretty well behaved dog considering. He toughed it out and never once talked about rehoming her, but not all dogs are that lucky

I'm not saying that dogs don't adapt, but expecting a dog to adapt 100% without some compromise from the humans is just unrealistic. Very few dogs can go 13 hours in a crate without having accidents or mental problems, my sister and brother-in-law's rescue is a prime example. High energy dogs that are never exercised or given boundaries become crazy and destructive, just like my parents current foster

Dogs do adapt, but the human has to adapt as well to successfully intergrate the new addition to the household and meet the dog's needs as well.
 
#7 ·
I couldn't give a percentage, but I agree, to many .
 
#9 ·
Shanna made some excellent points - yes we can mold our dogs to a certain extent but really they are who they are. I think a lot more people would be happier if they did proper research on a breed before acquiring one and then accepted the dog for who the dog is.

If you get a purebred dog you can be fairly certain they will show at least some of the traits the dogs are known for - but there is a lot of variation of temperament! I mean look at a litter of puppies. You get the shy violets, the bullies, the Mommas boys, the brainiacs, the jocks, ect.

One thing I think the average person looking for a pet - who has gone to a breeder ought to do is let the breeder pick their puppy for them. Or at least give them the choice of two or three that the breeder feels will fit their family. The breeder has gotten to spend a lot more time with the pups than you could spend in one or two visits.

I see many people who probably would have been happier with a different breed or even the same breed but they ended up bringing home the puppy with the wrong temperament for their life style.

Beth and the Zoo
 
#10 ·
I think many do including myself. Bunny is a perfect fit but Jazz would be better suited in a working capacity like herding on a farm. I take him running with me but it's not enough for him. He seems bored a lot which saddens me.
 
#12 ·
I tend to think that too many people romanticize about specific breeds. I think they mean well, but don't realize that there is a lot of work required in having a dog. Any dog.

You have folks who know what they are getting into. You have folks who will buckle down and do what it takes to raise their dog. And then you have folks who'll throw the dog away and get something else.

Then you have those special folks who'll take other's garbage and find the treasure in them.
 
#13 · (Edited by Moderator)
I think it's more a matter of people being wrong for dogs in general than them having the wrong breed, with a few exceptions (siberian huskies obviously not right for hot climates/no room to run). When you think about it, all dogs have the same basic needs, and if you can't adapt to meet them then you probably should get a cat. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, just dedication. The problem is that a lot of people get away with being THIS WAS EDITED FOR LANGUAGE dog owners by selecting breeds that have a limited capacity to cause inconvenience when they express frustration and distress. I feel so bad for all the neurotic, unsocialized purse dogs I see.

Activity level/drive always seem to be the major culprits, so I think those are definitely factors, but I wouldn't say a mismatch makes the dog "wrong." It makes them a challenge, for sure, but if the challenge is met the owner might actually really benefit from it too!


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#15 · (Edited)
Here at the rescue, we have been getting an influx of calls from people who have high energy dogs that need a job, but the families aren't able to meet the demand of the dog. I keep my numbers pretty small here at the house ( between 6 and 7 dogs) because I actually do stuff with the dogs. So I agree that the dogs should be able to adjust, but you still need to meet the needs of those dogs. High energy working dogs have higher needs. A walk around the block or throwing the ball a few times isn't enough for these guys that I am talking about.
 
#16 ·
What I see/hear about with this breed we love, some think they come fully trained and don't understand they aren't rin tin tin.

To many impulse buy on looks alone, who can resist that cute little puppy?
 
#18 ·
Ha...in my case it was who could refuse that big boy in a puppy's body:crazy: I thought for sure I wouldn't have to deal with all the puppy stuff...not true:)
 
#17 ·
I sometimes wonder if my new GSD, Midnite is right for me. I have so much that I want to do with him, but its baby steps. Right now we have to get past this reactive with other dogs business. I also got a house, but it won't be ready to move into until the middle of July. We are going to the class tonite and I pray that other people don't complain about him and he gets kicked out. I am willing to adjust my life for him, I am willing to do what is needed to get him to where he needs to be...its alot of work and the person who owned him should have never got him to begin with. They were well on their way to creating a monster(in a bad mannered, no obedience kinda way)
 
#20 ·
Also I know a lot of people on this forum said I had the wrong type of dog and I'd give bubbles up to adoption. But here I am 1 month away from bubbles being 1 years old. BC of her I'm no longer afraid of dogs and I got a 2 nd one. BTW since I have had bubbles I've also lost 6 pounds. :) and regained some muscle in my legs.

I am so proud and lucky to have my bubble

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#23 ·
I dont/cant give a percentage but it would be really high... People tend to get dogs like - GSD's,Huskies, Malamutes, Dutch/Belgian Shepherds, Dobermans ect and not know how much time and energy they take to properly exercise them they dont realize that they are high energy dogs that need much more than your average say Lab or Retriever (not that they dont need exercise too but they definitely dont need as much)

Then of course they dont realize the training and socialization that some breeds NEED to have, and assume that they are just so smart they must come pre-trained.

I see way to many people here with the wrong type of dog... There are actually several GSD's near me where I live (Ive ran into 5 so far) all of which are extremely reactive, and I had a conversation with one woman yesterday while she was walking her beautiful sable WG GSD (she had no idea it was a WL but it was obvious to me shorter/stockier bigger head ect) the dog was reactive and I had Penny in a sit stay while this dog was going off the handle and even bit the owner several times on the hand while she tried to give it corrections, she admitted this was their first walk! The dog is over a year old and has never been on a walk just the occasional trip to the dog park, are you kidding me?! So its people like this who have no idea what they got themselves into that are the problem, they want that beautiful dog but have no idea that it needs hours of physical activity a day and a good hour of mental exercise (training) as well to keep them happy...

I would love to have a Belgian Malinois but I know that I cannot get one at this point because they require to much for me to give them, so as much as I would like one I wont get one because I KNOW I would not be a good match for what the breed needs at this point, and I wish people would sit back and do the same... People need to actually spend time with the breed that they would like to get and learn to know what they are all about and what their needs are and see if it matches their lifestyle if not, then there are other beautiful breeds out there that would suit them...
 
#26 ·
Its possible to find a laid back dog. The key is the personality and the lifestyle match. If you and your prospective dog have the same needs, you'll get along famously! If not, then its the dog adoption match from h*ll and you'll be hating each others' guts before long. Make sure you and the dog are right for each other. Remember, while the breed standard is a guideline to what to expect, dogs are individuals and they vary even within a breed! Do your homework and you'll be happy and not fret you wound up getting the wrong dog.
 
#28 · (Edited)
177,350 times too many mismatches between dog and owner. That's the number of dogs in petfinder.org 5 minutes ago. Assume that number turns over 4x a year - that's 750,000+ dogs a year. There's an estimate that there's around 30+ million US households have a dog. Say average life of about 5 years per dog and that's 3.5 million+ dogs. So it's around 10% mismatches. If you ask a breeder who is reasonably selective about homes their dogs go to, they'll probably nod at that number too.
 
#30 ·
Um, if I understand what you're saying correctly, you're using numbers of dogs that are unwanted, not numbers of dogs who are ill-suited to be in the homes they are in, which is what we are talking about. It doesn't have to be in a shelter to be a bad match. :confused:
 
#29 ·
I had to laugh a little about this topic as my family and I were talking about this very thing last night around the bonfire.

My step-mom, a soft tempered, quiet, but active lady has a poodle. The poodle is very active but very quiet, high thresholds, extremely soft and so we were saying that she has the very best match for her personality with her dog. They live on acreage and hike and jog and swim daily. The poodle is involved in almost every aspect of her life (and my Dad's). Perfect match.
 
#31 ·
I guess I'm lucky -- I don't see many bad matches at all! For the most part, my friends and neighbors are responsible, caring owners who do their best to provide good and fulfilling lives for their dogs, and who work hard to resolve any issues that may arise.

Honestly, if anyone I know has the wrong dog for their situation, it's me. And Crookytail is more my husband's dog anyway, so he doesn't count. :rolleyes:
 
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