Shelter vs Breeder for a puppy?

[JJsMom]

I'd like some opinions on this. We do not want an adult dog. We specifically want a brand new puppy. I'm going to limit the options to just those two bc I don't know anybody with puppies or "backyard breeders" so I'd like opinions on just those options.

[Pragmatist]

If you want a puppy, I would find a good breeder. It really does make a difference. We got a German Shepherd puppy last year and it was obvious the breeder truly cared about her dogs, and did everything she could to match the family with a puppy that was a good fit for them. With a shelter, you really do not know what you are getting.

[librarianjojo]

I have big feels about buying from a breeder when you aren't planning on showing or breeding or working a dog. For me there should be a reason for spending lots of money on a dog when there are litters of puppies waiting to be adopted at a shelter.

As far as the "you know what you're getting from a breeder," it isn't always the case. One of my best friends spent $500 on a bred Rottie puppy. He is now a full grown head case with so much anxiety that he can't be let out of the house w/o being muzzled. This friend has been hundreds of dollars on trainers, behavior modification, and now is just having to keep him drugged when other people are around because he will attack them. My family adopted an AKC registered purebred beagle when I was a child from a family that was moving overseas. She was without a doubt the worst dog we've ever had - again, a headcase that was impossible to train.

My best dogs have always been shelter or walk-up into the yard dogs (And, I know you are set on a pup, but my best adoptions have always been of young adult dogs...). Getting a puppy is like having a baby in some ways - you don't know the issues you're getting into no matter where you get the dog because they won't show up until they are older.

Just my $.02.

[twoplustwo]

We have only gotten puppies from shelters (both when I was a kid and now as an adult for my family) & always had good luck.

Ive never used a breeder so can't really compare though.

[domesticzookeeper]

I am a big believer in good breeding And I say this as someone who worked for many years in/around animal rescue: responsible breeding is not the reason why so many dogs are in shelters

Since both shelters and breeders have their pros and cons, it really comes down to what's important for you: are you looking for specific breed traits?

[Earthmummy07]

We went for a breeder for a few reasons:

We wanted a puppy that we could take home as close to 8weeks as possible so that we could have maximum influence on training etc.

We wanted a specific size of dog, and there were a few breeds that we definately didn't want.

The local shelters had few young puppies in, they were all older than we wanted, and nearly all of them were the breed (or mixed with the breed) that we didn't want, or they were males (we needed a female)

I wanted to be able to meet both parents, see their temperaments, make sure we chose a puppy that had grown up with kids and other pets. The breeder we ended up buying from lives on a farm full of animals, with 4 kids under 5, and both parent dogs were family pets and working animals, with the sweetest/most laid back temperaments

The shelters here have very tight restrictions re. young kids, other pets and it looked unlikely that we would pass, although we consider ourselves to be a very good home for our pets

[MrsHutch]

Originally Posted by librarianjojo

My family adopted an AKC registered purebred beagle when I was a child from a family that was moving overseas. She was without a doubt the worst dog we've ever had - again, a headcase that was impossible to train.

That may just be a beagle thing. Says the girl with an AKC registered beagle. Either that, or it's a coincidence that we both got terrible, untrainable beagles.

[Earthmummy07]

I read interesting things about beagles as a breed that ruled them out for us. I'm pretty sure a reputation for being hard to train was one of them Something about them connecting with one human and then being unwilling to work with anyone else? Definately saw the word stubborn used prolifically.

[domesticzookeeper]

Originally Posted by MrsHutch

Says the girl with an AKC registered beagle. Either that, or it's a coincidence that we both got terrible, untrainable beagles.

Yeah...I'm gonna go with "breed trait" on that one



And a note on AKC registration: *not directed to any one person on this thread, just a general observation*

It is remarkably easy to be AKC registered. That is neither a good thing or a bad thing - it just is AKC registration is a way to verify lineage, which is certainly important.

But it is not a way to verify a responsible breeder If you find a breeder whose only brag is being AKC-registered, I would strongly consider moving on.

My Dalmatian was AKC registered, his parents were AKC registered, and he came from a backyard breeder Red flags ALL over the place. We did bring him home, and a few years later the local humane society siezed all of the remaining dogs. This was a breeder who was AKC registered, and my dog's sire earned "Champion" marks in the show circuit, and yet they were poorly bred, anxious animals without a thought given to better behavior or health. AKC registered =/= good breeder.

[WaitPatientlyOnTheLord]

I also have super big feelings about buying form a breeder while dogs and puppies are waiting in kill shelters.

Im gonna go with "Shelter dog" but with a focus on getting the shelter dog from a rescue group.

If there is a specific breed you want, there are rescues to get them from. They rescue purebreds or whatever from shelters and then adopt them out.

Some rescues will focus on a specific trait besides breed. I was a foster parent for a puppy rescue. They just rescued and rehomed puppies. Ive also helped with a "special needs" rescue too.

You can check petfinder.com for breeds, genders and ages of pretty much any domesticated animals you want. They are all rescues.

An awesome thing about adopting from a rescue (vs straight form the shelter) is that the animals are usually in a foster home for a time before they are adopted. So in the foster home they are able to get familiar with the animals disposition and know what sort of home will be most successful for them (this is especially key with an older dog where they might have an aversion to children or other animals etc.) But all the animals from the rescues were rescued from shelters.

But, if you dont want to work with a rescue- we have had good luck getting even puppies from shelters before. A sweet little Toy sized American Eskimo.




You really cant "know what you are getting" from a breeder. My sisters sister in law just had her 2 year old pure breed from a breeder dog die on her after she spent tons of money on it at the vet trying to fix all the problems it had from its breeding.

[rcsmom]

Originally Posted by domesticzookeeper

Yeah...I'm gonna go with "breed trait" on that one



And a note on AKC registration: *not directed to any one person on this thread, just a general observation*

It is remarkably easy to be AKC registered. That is neither a good thing or a bad thing - it just is AKC registration is a way to verify lineage, which is certainly important.

But it is not a way to verify a responsible breeder If you find a breeder whose only brag is being AKC-registered, I would strongly consider moving on.

My Dalmatian was AKC registered, his parents were AKC registered, and he came from a backyard breeder Red flags ALL over the place. We did bring him home, and a few years later the local humane society siezed all of the remaining dogs. This was a breeder who was AKC registered, and my dog's sire earned "Champion" marks in the show circuit, and yet they were poorly bred, anxious animals without a thought given to better behavior or health. AKC registered =/= good breeder.

Agree, agree, agree with the spoiler part. I think if the choice is between any old breeder and the shelter it is probably better to get a shelter dog. However a responsible breeder that really has the best interests of the dogs and breed in mind will be breeding only animals that are healthy, friendly, and an asset to the breed. This may not necessarily be the same breeders that are breeding for the show ring and is definitely not the people who are breeding just for the money. A puppy from a responsible breeder should NOT have major inherited health issues, a bad temperament or turn out significantly different from its parents- both of which you should be able to see, pet, interact with. Now that being said *I* am most comfortable having dogs from a responsible breeder while I have small children in the house (a breed of dog known for being very gentle and laid back) however later in life when they are older or out of the house and I have more time and less to worry about I will probably get one from a shelter

[Amber]

I think it depends on what you want. Good responsible breeders are awesome. I was able to tell by talking to the breeder which ones were working to better the breed and which were just breeding to make some money.

If there is a specific breed you are looking for I would go for a breeder.

There is another option. You could try to find some puppies that have been fostered in a family. That way the foster family can give you an idea of what the temperament of the puppies and their mother is like. They might be able to help match up a puppy to your needs better than finding a puppy in the shelter.

[JJsMom]

Well, I posted this question on FB and a friend of mine has puppies due next week. She is awesome and I totally trust her breeding. She has purebred Havanese. The momma and daddy are teir pets and this is the Mommy's second and final litter. It really seems like the perfect fit and it's funny how things work out sometimes. I'm thrilled! Be prepared for loads of puppy pics!

[domesticzookeeper]

[Soliloquy]

I didn't answer your poll because I think it really depends. We bought a purebred German Shepherd puppy because we had a very specific need for our dog. We needed a dog that was intensely loyal, obedient, and with a shepherding/protective instinct. We have a lot of moose and some bears in our area. We live in a wild, wooded area. German Shepherds are known for being very protective of their family, especially children. Our pup is now 9 months old (he's HUGE and GORGEOUS). He never, ever lets the kids play outside without him. I feel very good knowing he's out there with them, in case a mother moose and her calf would come wandering through or a bear.

He also trained so quickly and is so eager to learn new commands and do work.

The breeder we chose keeps the parents on site and spends a lot of time with the puppies. She knew we had 4 young children and chose a puppy that had a very easy-going personality. He's just perfect for us.

We do plan to get a second dog in a year or two and we plan to get a mixed breed from the shelter. Mixed breed dogs often don't have congenital health risks. Our local shelter works really hard to guage the temperament and lifestyle of each dog and works really hard to match them appropriately.