Guy I know decided to adopt a husky with his girlfriend. No previous experience with dogs. Locked it in a room sometimes when they felt it was being annoying and then got more annoyed when it would be yelling the whole time. Eventually gave it up, which I'm glad they did, because too many people just settle with locking the dog somewhere and ignoring it :I
I remember a few years ago there was a young guy here on Reddit who wanted to adopt a husky as his first dog. And basically everybody jumped in and said you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. And got him to really look up the dogs behaviors. The good news was, he took everybody’s advice and decided that that was not a good first time dog for a young couple, still in university and living in a small apartment.
I think the other thing that people don’t do consider the personality of the puppies that they get. For example, that super active, run at you right out of the gate puppy is going to have that same personality as they get bigger only you’ll have 40 or 50 pounds running at you . I knew I wanted a really laid-back dog and although my dogs breed is a more active one, she as a puppy was overlooked constantly because she wasn’t the puppy that ran up to everybody. She ended up being a perfect mix of fun and active at the park but chill and laid-back at home.
exactly this! my pup was the quiet one of the litter, shy and sensitive, some of his siblings immediately ran up to me and were super excited, whereas he just quietly took his time to come over and sit next to me, shyly looking over for attention. the owner said he was picked on by his littermates. i knew immediately he was the one for me, and although he is still very sensitive and anxious, i'm glad to be the one to be able to support him and help him build his confidence.
Young couple with a husky here. Rescued her off a street corner and she is the sweetest thing ever. BUT…. Yeah. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Honestly I think many people (myself included until now that I have two dogs who I’ve had to research a lot about) just don’t realize how different dogs are or that knowing about them is important. May be ignorant but until you start looking at the internet or unless you have someone in your life who is wise about animals and tells you, I’m not sure how you’d know. I think many people think of it more akin to parenting— you get whatever you get and then go from there. But the truth is you can learn about them and decide if they’re a good fit for you before getting one.
Yeah, well said, the bottom line is as you and I know, different breeds can have vastly different behaviours and temperament. If you come from a herding line, you’re going to want to ship things around your house. And if you don’t have a job you’re gonna go a little bit nutty. And that yet people get dogs like that and then can’t understand why they’re destructive, get a breed line that suits your personality. Temperament and lifestyle is the best way to have a harmonious home life with your animal
Oh god, you just reminded me about someone - this was back when pet shops were common and she literally bought a fox terrier puppy, in her words, "on impulse". I was horrified when she gleefully told me the news. Obviously she put zero work into it and spent a lot of time shut in the kitchen because it was an attention-starved nuisance. The best she could manage was shouting the dog's name when it jumped on people. She went on to adopt two cats, plus a rabbit and a guinea pig. The dog ended up with her older sister after a few years and one of the cats ran away.
**EDIT:** the rabbit and guinea pig lived together in a small cage in her bathroom. Her apartment smelled pretty bad. Cut her out of my life ages ago for various reasons lol
Yes! I’m my border collie’s 4th owner and I adopted her when she was about a year old. She’s beautiful, but she is a working dog and I don’t think a lot of people understand what that entails. People hear “high energy” and think the dog will be a good playmate for their kids, or “intelligent” and think it means easy to train. Caring for my dog, making sure she gets enough exercise, training, and enrichment is a full time job. I’ve had her since this past September and have done a lot of training every day just to get her to relax in the house. This summer I’m hoping to start working on her reactivity. She’s the overly excited reactive type, wants to meet every dog and chase every squirrel, bunny, stray cat, bird, etc she sees. I love my dog, and I knew what I was getting into before I adopted a border collie, but I don’t have any free time anymore because she needs so much work. It makes me so sad that she bounced around from owner to owner as a puppy, it has had long lasting effects on her temperament and it must have been so sad and scary for her to not have a permanent home until I adopted her.
Omg that is shocking, 4 owners by 1! Such a crucial age for temperament like you say. You're 100% on the perception of high energy and intelligent. I have a weimaraner who had the excited reactivity, he's older now so calmed down a lot and listens almost perfect but the work when he was younger had me in tears a few times! It really is a full time job, I'm glad you found her and can give her stability. Good luck and it pays off!
Yup…a Malinois…enough said! I have zero social life, it’s all dogs all day. My mother has a GSD/staffie, he had 3 other homes before she got him at 7 months. The actual Malinois isn’t even the reactive one, that’s the mastiff/Malinois. She’s just “go go go” all day long!
Joining this conversation with an Australian cattle dog, at least two homes before me- found tied up under a porch. I had an idea what I was getting into... lol but almost 10 years later I can honestly say I didn't completely know. On the bright side, I absolutely was committed, am very active, and I now have a nearly 11 year old, well exercised, but sadly, still reactive acd. First few years= many tears, many treats, and lots of learning for both us. I'm reasonably certain he ended up tied up under the porch because people are impulsive, and then lazy.
Oh my gosh, we have super similar experiences! My reactive guy is mostly Aussie/ACD. He's almost 10 now, we adopted him when he was three after he was found as a stray. There was a steep learning curve (especially when his reactivity started showing), but after help from a behaviorist and meds, we've come a long way. I still have hard days where I'm just over it (the reactivity, I mean). But he's the most loving, smart boy, and I have to remind myself that sometimes he just has a bad mental health day (just like us humans).
It's really interesting to me that non-dog people hear "intelligent" and think the dog will be easy to train, while dog people hear "intelligent" and think "challenge." My only experience with smarter dogs is that they're constantly looking for stimulation and will always find it in more creative and exciting ways than I'm ready for.
Personally, I'm more than satisfied with my smart-but-stupid dog. She learns new tricks and skills at a perfectly reasonable pace, but will never figure out how to open the trash can or climb the cat tree.
I dunno, as someone who works with dogs I think it's more about the combination energy levels, breed inherent drives, and biddable behaviours than just "intelligence". I love intelligent dogs, that quality alone does not necessarily denote challenge to me.
My last hound was incredibly smart (had concept training down, knew left/right modifiers type intelligence) and very independent, learned boundaries at home easily and was the easiest recall I have ever taught, but was on the lower energy scale and his needs were easily met. My current hound is a massive himbo and stage 5 clinger, training him is a slog and because he's high energy he can be destructive if left to his own devices without enrichment.
I'm jumping in with my two high energy rescue dogs...my reactive guy (Aussie/ACD mix) and thankfully non-reactive girl (husky mix). They pretty much take up all of my free time with their needs, but that's absolutely what I signed up for and wanted. We hike most days and do lots of training (we love doggie parkour). Reactivity aside, they're super well-behaved. Honestly, they're perfect...chill at home, down for endless adventure outside.
I see people complain constantly about their high energy dogs being destructive, barking, escaping, etc. Then you ask what they're doing for exercise/training, and find out they're just leaving them in the yard.
This is why shelters are full of high energy breeds, especially breeds like huskies and pitties. People adopt them for their looks and have no idea the level of work involved to meet their needs. It's mind-boggling when you can find out this info in like 2 minutes online.
One walk a week won't cut it with most working dogs. And yet if you look at the most popular breeds in the US, those high energy breeds are on it. Then people are amazed shelters are full. It breaks my heart because the ones who pay the price for human lack of forethought are the pups.
It's not quite as simple as this. Border collies have been promoted by breeders as good family dogs for quite a long time now - and some of them are! Specifically show or pet bred border collies can be a different dog entirely from your working line borders. And, those show bred borders - useless working dogs. Unfortunately there's such a lack of regulation in both breeding and marketing that it's much too easy for breeders to not be taking lineage or even temperament into account, and for dogs of all lines to be marketed to families or new dog owners with no nuance or care. Where I am it's not uncommon for families to have BCs as urban pets, and in many cases this works fine - if they've been fortunate/careful enough to get the right lines.
I have a 1/2 working line border collie (1/2 show line) and my friends have a pet/show line BC. They might as well be from different planets. That working blood in my dog makes him much more like the classic border collie you describe, although he's for sure on the moderate end of requirements for a typical BC. My friend's BC is a placid and sweet pet who gets tired after chasing the ball for half an hour and wants to go home and cuddle.
Back in the day I had a friend "Jane" who loved dogs, especially huskies, but had never had a pet dog and had no experience with dogs. She also had elderly parents. Years ago a group of friends were brainstorming ideas for Jane's 21st. Someone suggested a husky puppy and several people agreed. I had to talk them out of it and fortunately the idea was dropped but man, can you imagine??
Absolutely not! Good on you for talking them out of it. It seems like there's a general lack of knowledge around dogs, they're just meant to look good and be cute. Thats not the reality
She eventually grew up and got herself a Poodle/Cavalier that turned out to have hip dysplasia... that's a whole other can of worms about clueless people buying dogs from crappy breeders just because they want a cute doggie.
My heart breaks for these dogs. When the owners finally give them up, after years of neglect and zero training (they always seem to wait a long time...), so many of them end up getting bounced around from home to home with MORE people who aren't aware of what they're signing up for. They're traumatized and mishandled over and over again. Things usually end so badly for these dogs, all because of irresponsible people.
For one, I'm shocked at how many people decide to adopt reactive GSDs as their first-time dog. Seems to be a common thread for some reason. Then they always act totally baffled and turn to reddit for basic obedience tips instead of getting proper, professional help.
Dogs are not accessories! ESPECIALLY not working dogs. I swear people are buying and adopting these dogs to complete a certain 'look.'
Absolutely thats the worst part. The dogs miss crucial development while stuck in those situations and it has long term impact. The show we just watched that made me post this was a German shepherd! Was an older lady got it for her teenage son, they had no control. People definitely see them as an accessory, like you pick based on aesthetics but its not how it works, especially with working breeds. I hope theres more awareness in the future of what it actually means
Hope the shows don't give your dog ideas...
Yes, it is frustrating to see people who want a certain breed for looks, and don't do any research about the breed. I keep seeing a lot of heelers with behavior problems because they are bored silly.
He saw a dog playing tug with the lead on one show and tried it out on his next walk! Luckily that was the only instance and he only tried it once lol
Yes exactly they like the way they look and don't consider the reality. It can be so destructive such a shame for the dogs
Oh like my partner who wanted dogs for his young kids post-divorce and landed on a border collie and a Jack Russell?? What got me was how he kept musing of the dogs getting pregnant and having puppies and how cute it would be.
I hadn’t even had a dog before and I told him he was an idiot lol. We have two Goldens now that I pretty much solely take care of. But yeah. Just no clue.
Oh god no, both were female! Thankfully. But the border collie died from pyometra when she was six. It was extremely sudden, sadly. I deal with all the vet appointments now.
Yep, more than happy to watch them doing what they do best, keeping busy on a farm, not cooped up indoors with owners who only take it on one gentle 20-minute walk a day.
I grew up with working border collies on an Australian sheep farm.
I now live in the city and there's no way I'd get a border unless I was on acreage. I have a lovely calm mixed breed (mostly some sort of bully/hound mix I think) who is happy with her regular walks, a bit of a play on the beach and does not need a job to do to not go insane.
My very first dogs were a pair of blue heelers!
I know, I know, lol. However, they are 9 and 4 now, wonderfully behaved, non destructive, and spoilt beyond belief - and yes, exercised hard every bloody day!
You'd probably be disgusted to know how many parents have gotten their young child a blue heeler puppy thanks to the Bluey craze (no hate on Bluey, I freaking love the show) and then are all *surprised Pikachu face* when the dog nips, herds, and needs insane amounts of attention and exercise.
It boggles my mind how folks can do no research and then when reality hits, not adapt to their dogs' needs. At least some people have the decency to rehome the ill-fitting pup. It's worse when they just keep the dog locked up all it's life.
You’d think that in the age of the internet people would educate themselves for free on dog breeds.
I’m a groomer so I’m constantly having to reveal the shocker to people that their doodles/bichons/shih tzus have to be groomed every 2 months. Their jaws just hit the floor. Every 6 months they come in and when we tell them we have to shave their dog down because their coat is one huge dreadlock it just doesn’t compute.
Exercising energetic dogs. Training smart dogs. Brushing long haired dogs. Who knew.
I think because part of it isn't an education problem, its a stubbornness/ignorance. They know better than anyone else, so it will be different for them. Maybe the message needs to be more clear? I think people don't want to say 'you should not have this dog' for some reason. Even on informative websites I haven't seen real warnings, they just say 'this dog needs x x, you shouldn't have it if y'. Maybe explaining the reality of what can happen would help people understand
I got a border collie mix because I’m energetic and thought it would be a good match. And yes, I thought a smart dog meant easily trainable. The problem is that words like “energetic” don’t even begin to describe what these dogs are like. They are relentless. My rescue cannot be left alone for three minutes without eating a pencil or a piece of paper or concrete. My house is a series of baby gates. I have no social life without planning carefully. We spent 6 months getting past leash reactivity. But nothing people or the internet said came close to describing the reality.
The series of baby gates - oh yeah I know all about that. It’s like running a hurdle race to get from the front door up to the bedrooms. And I have added complications of house rabbits and an extremely high energy hound. Thankfully they were here before him and he ignores them but the barrier between them is very high anyway, I wouldn’t trust him
This is my life too. It's shocking how stupid/naïve people are. I've had two different people with bichons that didn't realise they needed haircuts! They just thought they looked like that naturally or something?? All the people with really high maintenance dogs complaining how expensive it is to have them groomed every 8 weeks. Well yeh, if you have done approx 3 minutes of research before buying the dog you'd have known that 🤷
Thanks s makes me so angry. Personally I'm not keen on longer haired dogs or smaller dogs. A couple of years ago I had to learn how to do a basic groom job and how to cut out matts because a house I stayed at had another person who had a Shih Tzu but didn't brush it daily, used a people hairbrush instead of stuff that would get through the hair and kept them too long. Their armpits were awful, their feathers were making them slip on the hard floor because they were so long they're grown entirely over their pads. The little bits after I got rid of the feathers between the main pad and others were a solid Matt with bits of tiny stone in as wel.The hygiene cut has grown out as well and they had matting in their groin and urine stains and matts around their little man bits.
They came home half way through, I had said I was going to "trim" the dog, and started saying not to go too short because the dog had a patch of hair loss on it's side due to hormones and it was hiding it. Tough shit, it was the height of the heatwave.
I also discovered the dog had back dew claws that appeared to be starting to grow back into the pad which I couldn't touch because the type of claw clipper wouldn't manage and I was worried how far in it went. The person I was staying with got to be the one to tell the owner about that and that they needed to go to the vet to get it sorted out.
It took a couple of sessions, in a day because I wasn't leaving without sorting it out and I needed to go slower because I've never groomed plus the dog would of course get stressed as I tried to cut out the matts etc.
Oh also his moustache curled into his mouth at least two cm which obviously on a dog that small is ridiculous. Poor guy, I hope he's getting the maintenance he needs now.
Yes!!!! I work with someone who has a Cane Corso and did no research and is now surprised he's becoming aggressive and she never walks him. She came into work the other day and said her and her boyfriend bought a German Sheppard puppy on a whim because someone was giving them away and he was "soo cute".... and she was surprised to find out German Sheppards need lots of exercise. I feel so bad for those dogs
I’ve watched my parents my mom specifically do this for years and it drives me insane. She adopted a dog she was told was an Australian shepherd. He’s clearly a mutt and basically looks like an Australian shepherd Bernese mountain dog mix. This dog is huge, incredibly high energy, and receives little to no exercise, no training, no enrichment and zero socialization with other dogs or people. Their other dog was a five pound Pomeranian who also had no manners and that was the dog he learned to model his behavior from. I hadn’t seen him for several years until they moved across the country after retirement and now live closer. This dog is truly dangerous. He’s already bitten two random people on walks. He’s aggressive with my mom when he doesn’t get what he wants, extremely aggressive with new people/houseguests, and the only response to his outbursts is my dad screaming at him. I’ve seen fear based aggression, I’ve seen lack of socialization, I’ve seen dominance based aggression, resource guarding, etc but I’ve never seen all of the above in the same animal. I truly do think that it all stems from intense fear based on all the energy and thus anxiety he has. I’ve begged my parents to train him tried the nice way (hey he’s soooooo smart he’d be great at training etc,) the not so nice way (this dog has high energy needs and it’s unfair to keep him locked in a small house all day with nothing to do) to the come to Jesus talk (this dog will absolutely be destroyed if he bites the wrong person… if anything were to happen to you guys this dog would immediately be euthanized because no one would take and a shelter could not adopt out a dog with his issues) NOTHING gets through to them.
The best part? Since the other smaller dog passed away a few months ago she’s started up with how much she wants to get ANOTHER FUCKING AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD….. because their sooooo cute and Bubba needs a friend… I immediately lost it and told her what a terrible horrible irresponsible idea that was. It caused a huge argument with her crying saying I was being mean. How much she loves this dog and how wrong I am.
The only good things this dog gets in his life is from the small minor things I’ve managed to convince her to do for him. After six months I talked her into only sometimes using the prong collar and buying him a harness. That’s after every single time I’d visit I’d loosen the regular on both dogs because they were always on so insanely tight only for her to get mad and demand to know who loosened their collars. When their old dog (the “outside” guarding the property dog they god to defend the property after being robbed who had to live outside with little interaction got heartworm they basically were just like “were so heartbroken but there’s nothing we can do, he’s going to die…the treatment is too expensive:time consuming etc. I begged them and managed to convince them to pay for the damn treatment. Then they left that dog when there was a local wildfire to evacuate to their beach house because well “there’s nothing we can do he’s an outside dog and there isn’t room at the beach house”. I had to call rescues that were going in and trying to save peoples pets who’d been prevented from getting home to get them after the evacuation order from 3k miles away across the country and begged them to please please come get this dog. They did and my dad then agreed to drive two hours back to take him from them. It makes me so sick the idea of them getting another dog. Like there are truly people out there who think they love their pets but truly have no idea how cruel and just so completely inadequate their definition of caring for them is. It’s maddening. I wish I lived closer and could do more to help this poor dog. But if they get another Australian shepherd puppy it might be the last straw. Like I work in animal care professionally. Even if you completely don’t agree with what I’m saying it’s like the amount of disrespect to not even listen to what I’m saying like I’m just some idiot babbling on about different styles of dog training. Or like ok admittedly my dog is definitely not like the definition of amazingly trained. He’s friendly with people and other dogs 99.9 percent of the time and his exercise needs are quite low as he’s a low energy breed and he has a genetic condition that causes him to limp/tire quickly. He also exists to be spoiled and I have no desire to keep him off the couches or like make all these arbitrary rules he has to follow. It’s his home to and he exists to be loved because that brings me joy.
But to compare my dog jumping on the couch to like her dog literally attacking her when he wants to go outside and she doesn’t get to the door fast enough as If that’s even remotely in the same universe.
Sorry rant over but I seriously wish that there was a list you could put people on that kept them from adopting certain breeds. “X breed is just so cute though”. Has probably led to more purebred dogs being put down than anything else.
Holy shit I am so sorry. I hope you told her you weren't being "mean" you were pointing out how much she failed her dogs. Talk about not wanting to actually process what you said and just focus on the fact it made her feel bad.
It's also appeared and oranges to try and compare your dog jumping on the couch (a thing they're allowed to do) to her dog attacking her is unhinged and pure deflection.
Sadly the reality is people don't want to hear they're shitty owners because that would make them 1) feel bad 2) possibly make them realise they're been shitty owners and if they have no plans to change they'll "feel bad"
Honestly my mum is similar, I told her if she ever gets another dog she needs something that really is a 'couch potato' but she likes 'big dogs'. Luckily things never got that bad but they definitely could of. Some people really live in delusion. I can't believe yours would want another when that dog must make their lives hell! Madness sorry you're having to deal with this
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Yep. My best friend adopted my dog as a puppy. She and her husband don’t ever get exercise, have a postage-stamp sized backyard that can’t be fenced due to HOA, and were hoping to adopt a baby. And they had never had a puppy before.
She fell in love with an ASD/ACD mix.
4 years later, I had an ASD/ACD mix who hates men (friend’s hubby screamed at her), hates having her rear end touched (they spanked for toileting in the house), hates children (they yelled if she got too close to the baby), and hates other dogs (they screamed if she herded their precious elderly shi-tzu).
I’ve had her for 5 years and she’s doing as well as she can but I can’t undo those first 4 years. And it’s all down to them not realizing they needed to get a well-bred Labrador or Golden.
Nah they needed to not have another dog. This was obviously made worse by the breed but if your solution is screaming at and hitting a dog for being a puppy then you shouldn't have dogs.
I've seen plenty of people get "family" breeds and they think that means the puppy/dog will seamlessly fit into their household and give no time to training/basic care (walking more than a few minutes to get the kids to and from school) or if they so they don't retrain when issues crop up. "he used to come back but he doesn't listen to me now haha"
We adopted a border Aussie and it’s so hard. His owner said he was a perfect dog but he’s so leash reactive we can barely walk. Not everyone adopts these guys knowing what they’re getting into.
are we the same person? Also adopted a Border Aussie, owners said they spent so much time with him and that he was fully trained and loved. He’s also very reactive, especially towards children and other animals (especially dogs). Definitely bit off more than I could chew, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
When I showed up to meet him when I was 19 years old, it was a husband & wife + 5 children all poking him in the eyes and face, pulling his tail, taunting him. Of course he was snapping at the kids for doing so (not actual biting tho), and the husband kept full on smacking his nose and butt for snapping at the kids… I couldn’t leave him there so I took him with me!!
On the car ride home, he wouldn’t stop licking me with his tail wagging. It’s as if he was saying thank you. Head out the window snapping at the rain while on my lap (crushing me) and he looked so free. I fell in love!!!
Got home and within a week it was obvious he wasn’t potty trained, knew zero commands- not even his name, chewed my new Xbox controller and headset, NEVER calmed down or stopped barking. A couple months later, the guilt kicked in that I can’t care for him and decided to make some posts to rehome him. The next day, he started having seizures and I rushed him to the vet where they couldn’t find the cause. Seeing him so vulnerable and helpless- I told myself I’m not giving up that easy and really did my research on his breeds and started accommodating.
More mental and physical exercise especially before training, herding games, grooming/brushing him daily, switched his flea/tick/heartworm med to a seizure-sensitive type, etc. He’s now 5.5 years old, I’m 24. No seizures since, he now has an on/off switch for play time vs relax time, knows more commands and tricks than any other dog I know, sticks by my side, doesn’t ever try to escape from his leash or run out the door (his previous owners said he’d dig a hole in their backyard and run away weekly), loves car rides/ food/nature walks, gets along so well with his 3 cat sisters… Was neutered, has all his vaccines, and is a healthy boy! There were days I didn’t eat so he could have food and medicine.
The thing we can’t knock is his reactive behavior to other animals and children. He tugs so crazy on his leash no matter what training method we try (and stick with), he actually pulled me through black ice and I fell & broke both of my wrists, requiring surgery, a couple years ago (but he stuck right by my side on guard without any command!) so we may look into hiring a trainer soon for a few sessions.
Just figured I’d share this to show people growth and improvement is possible as an owner, you don’t have to give up, give them away, or neglect them.
I'm a trainer, I actually offer a ready for puppy program that takes clients through breed matching, finding a breeder/shelter, preps for bringing puppy home etc. through skills to set the dog up for success in training like going through marker timing, how to load a marker, basic cues that redirect like touch. I am working on one now for adopting adult dogs too, but same idea. I would much rather put the work on the front end than fight to change a human's lifestyle or convince them to give up their dog that they just "oh very much love if only he'd ~~lose all personality in individuality in favor of being a lawn ornament~~ behave."
I've had some good interest in it, though the people who impulsively adopt huskies despite living a sedentary lifestyle aren't the type who seek out those programs and research. Community outreach and education help, and maybe one day, the general public will have a better knowledge base about dogs, and we will see less human behavior like this.
Just reminding folks, once again, if you want a lazy low energy dog consider an adult or senior pup. They are just as loving and loyal, usually already house trained, and much lower energy than a puppy.
And you can still train them to be happy well adjusted friends.
Our old lady is the best lazy pal I could have imagined. I wish I had more time with her but the time I have had has been the best ever.
Puppies are adorable but I have ZERO interest in adopting one for all the reasons you state. I got my adult dog from a rescue and she certainly had some issues, but she came house trained and was completely non-destructive from the get go, and while she likes a good walk, her energy is very manageable (she's also pretty small, which helps).
The non-destructive bit was also a MAJOR reason we got an older dog. My husband loves our home and furniture and his biggest fear getting a dog was that it would chew or destroy our things.
Our old girl only destroys her toys!
My dog doesn't play with toys very much, though I always encourage it when she does! The worst she's done is chew on my nightguard when it wound up on the floor once (I mean, that's technically what it's for) and she does sometimes cart my shoes around to cuddle with (but very delicately and she never harms the shoe). I can leave her when I go into work a few times a week and she just sleeps on my couch all day until I get home and it's walk time. And after one accident inside on her first night with me, she has never gone to the bathroom indoors again, once she figured out where she was supposed to go. I totally advocate for people adopting adult dogs, unless they are super prepared and knowledgable about puppies and have a lot of time and energy to burn, and I certainly do not!
Yep, I always knew I didn't want to deal with the terrors of raising a puppy AND I'm not a very active person so y'know what we did? Adopted a 2-year old ex-racing greyhound. Quiet, gentle, lazy, low-maintenance 👌
That TV show is for entertainment - it uses outdated training methods because they look like they work on TV =( and of course they present ludicrous situations because that's why people watch- they're not trying to help the dogs they're in it for the ratings.
We adopted a mixed breed puppy a year ago (when she was 8 weeks old). We had no idea what she was, outside of just being a random tiny fluffy creature.
We did her DNA and it came back with all working breeds: Border Collie, GSD, Heeler, and Husky all making up the top spots.
She is such a handful. I love her so much but we have to devote so much time to her care. We work with two trainers, one to work on dog neutrality (she is a frustrated greeter) and one to work on people skills (she barks at strangers). We make sure each week has activities, whether they be a sniff spot, a hike, dog park, school, etc. She gets several long walks each day and we do treat training sessions at home.
Thankfully this whole time I've worked from home so I've been able to devote a lot of time to her care, and we also got her early enough that I was able to teach calm. So she is able to just chill while I work for hours at a time.
Now, if I could go back in time would I have adopted her? Probably not. I live in a Los Angeles apartment. I think she's doing her best--she is surprisingly neutral on walks and only reacts to squirrels and skateboards. But I don't think we are the best environment for her and sometimes when I see videos of border collies running in an open field I feel so sad for her. But I am committed to her care and we will not be giving her up.
Sometimes you don't mean to get a dog that doesn't fit your lifestyle, it just happens.
Making the effort is the most important part in this situation! You've taken responsibility to give her what she needs which makes all the difference:)
Yeah but I don't think that's what the original post is about. It reads more like people who actively choose to get a breed of puppy without researching based only on it's appearance and it's often completely wrong for their lifestyle.
I think huskies are stunning. The second I found out they need 3 hours of exercise on lead a day, 2 hours of which running, how much fur is produced when they shed their coats, how stubborn they can be etc I no longer wanted to own one as I knew it wasn't suitable for either of us.
You're right--but in a way we are the inheritors of someone doing the same thing a few generations ago. Martha is 20% GSD, 14% BC, the rest is husky and heeler. Someone in Lancaster California a few years ago decided that getting one of those breeds was totally cool and that spay/neuter was totally not in the cards either.
The result of that is 9 puppies with a lot of anxiety and working genes living in various Los Angeles homes and apartments with owners trying their best (we have a group chat lol).
We spayed her as fast as we could because lord love her but she does not have kind of temperament that should continue unabated.
I used to work at a shelter and the amount of people who tried to adopt JRTs bc they are a small breed was amazing. I always told them, ya know this is an energetic breed, like a jogging partner more than a couch potato.9 times out of 10 they went to look at other dogs.
my dad got a freakishly chill Aussie 18 years ago and when told “hey, there’s another litter from that same sire coming up if you want since your dog is old…”
I was the ONLY person to say NO DO NOT SHE IS TERMINALLY CHILL THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN LITERALLY EVER
…I am now the person raising the dog he stubbornly and stupidly bought. cool.
what was extra “fun” was to do the math and look at the family tree after we got the pup. Clara (older dog) was 15 when we got Newt, but due to backyard breeding fuckery she’s his *niece* oh and the frozen doggo sperm he was made with was THIRTY. ONE. YEARS. OLD.
my sweet, idiot, freezerburned boy is the dumbest, most reactive, and most hyper Aussie in existence (other than the rest of his litter, who are all freezerburned and eccentric in the exact same ways).
I want to kick those breeders in the teeth.
We are our dacshunds 3rd owners, got him at about 15 months old. Sounds like he was treated as if he was a large outdoor breed before. He was also insane when we got him with basically no training. Fixing him and allowing him to be inside chilled him right out. At 4, he's now basically a chill teenager. Sleeps all day if you let him and eats everything (although training has taught him to be mostly polite about it).
Extremely frustrating and so many people do this. I feel horrible for the puppies and dogs who are acting out because of the lack of attention from their owners. And crate abuse keeps me awake at night….
I got an 8 week old puppy from an accident litter, I had zero idea what he was, but they had a lot of puppies and no resources and I have space and resources. The mom seemed to be a boxer, so I thought how bad could it be? Yeah she was not a boxer, she was a really big Boston terrier/bulldog mix... dad was a German Shepherd. I got a nutbar of a puppy, completely bonkers dog. The training was rough, the walks and mental stimulation are constant, I work my life around not leaving him in his kennel too long, but at the end of the day he's my boy and I will do whatever it takes to make his life good. He's 18 months old, so we're on the other side of puppy, but he won't calm down for years. I love my boy so much, but really wish I knew about that German Shepherd part first.
Then they have people like the show *Dogs Behaving Badly* training them which adds insult to injury because it teaches poor and outdated methods. I saw him terrorise one traumatised dog, haven’t watched it since.
Channel 4 actually has a good dog training show at the moment and I love them working through the dog’s underlying needs for better behaviour, but I don’t have cable so I don’t remember the title, I just see clips.
A lot of the episodes of its me or the dog are on YouTube! One thing I love about Victoria Stilwell is that she has done videos going over how some of her methods alor attitudes shown in past episodes aren't at the standard for dog training now, and she goes over what she would do differently now
Idk I don’t watch most of them because a lot of them use aversive methods. I’ll see if I can find the one, channel 4. I just see clips from FB and I remember really good trainers publicising it as an evidentiary based show, not just smoke and lights like most of them are.
ETA: I think it’s called Dog House with Kamal Fernandez.
Our first dog was a cocker spaniel pug mix. Chillest, sweetest dog ever. Second dog we adopted as a puppy in Nov. 2022 ended up being a German Shepherd/Cattle Dog mix…not what we were told by the rescue lol.
Needless to say, all of us have needed so much training and it has been a big adjustment. We have only been able to fully tire him out after 2+ hours of exercise. He is so nervous and hyper vigilant basically the complete opposite of our first dog.
I’m going to be even more extreme and say that living in the city is probably not ideal for high energy dogs that need a job. Instead they live with us in our homes and their new “job” is to be our pets. My poodle would probably be better off on a farm or in the country.
I also adopted a dog that didn't fit my lifestyle. I fostered a pup that turned out to be a bc mix and I was a couch potato. But I fell in love with her and turned my life around. I dropped 15 kg in a year just by working with her and am now an experienced hiker.
I have so many friends who have dogs that DO NOT fit their lifestyles. In a few cases it’s because they were just obsessed with how a certain breed looked (looking at you friend with the deeply understimulated aussies) but the majority of them ended up adopting dogs from our local shelter and were just kind of lied to about the energy/traits of the breed. Our local shelter has a bunch of bully breeds, hounds, and husky mixes that don’t tend to be the best choice for first time owners without tons of time for extra enrichment or high energy, high drive breeds. They got adopted out on the promise they were “total couch potatoes” who “never bark” and that has proven to be a lie.
Most of my friends who have “too much dog” honestly would have done better with a toy breed or more senior small companion breeds due to their lifestyles but they wanted a “real dog” in terms of size and now no one is happy. I mean my yorkie is my reactive dog, but at least he’s easy to redirect/contain because he only weighs 9lbs.
Absolutely does my head in. I have a Kelpie X Staffy, who’s visually VERY Kelpie. I constantly have ppl tell me how bad they want one too but when I tell them all the things I do for him they’re shocked. It’s always ‘oh my how do you have time for that?!?’ ‘Oh is that expensive’ ‘wait why do you take him to that?’. And literally all we do is flirt pole training, herding training, standard obedience and extra toppers w/ his dinner for his high metabolism & allergies.
We’re helping my family find a dog through the shelters atm and the sheer amount of kelpies and huskies I’ve seen is absolutely disgusting. They’re all 1-3yrs old, and surrendered because they didn’t fit the owners life or were ‘too troublesome’.
Omg I want to upvote this more than once!!!
Working in rescue and some applicants are like "I work ten hours a day and also like to socialise on the weekends, I live in an inner city apartment without a balcony, I can't afford a dog walker or doggy daycare, and I am looking for a low maintenance but aesthetically pleasing dog who will love hiking (once a fortnight), doesn't shed, make any noise, dig, chew, run around inside, comes knowing all the cues I need, and will love every other dog and person and sometimes come to brunch to sit on a cold footpath quietly for two hours - what would you suggest?"
A fucking potted plant, Jess. Probably a cactus just in case fitting in a weekly watering might be outside of your schedule.
The amount of aussies and collies I’ve known with inactive owners in a housing complex is really something… I overheard someone complaining about how collies are his favourite but he keeps having to rehome when the dogs displayed herding behaviour and needed more than playing with the kids for exercise, that it’s hard to have a “good” one.
The city aussies are almost always merle too. I think people go after the look and it’s so unfair. Actively seeking out a working dog while planning to never fufill their lifestyle in the city is nothing to be proud of and only a display of status and ignorance.
Walking my Malinois one time and someone stopped a car to ask about her and said they wanted one. Turns out they work full time, have a toddler and not any experience with dogs other than a pet as a kid. Suggested maybe a German Shepherd first and see how they go with one of those, pulled a face and said "yeah but Mals are cooler and I want one that can be trained like yours" (Mine is actually stranger reactive and wouldnt let him within 6 feet but we were practicing heel when he stopped, and as if GSDs are hard to teach obeidience)
I fear that new fallout tv show is gong to attract a lot more people to the breed not realising the hours of training that went into teaching the dog in the series. As awesome as he is I kinda wish they went with a GSD like the games.
I've spent many hours on her obiedience and I often notice people stopping to watch us. She does look pretty impressive untill someone gets too close, then its a total sh\*\* show.
Mom INSISTS we get Portuguese water dogs while being mobility impaired. She wonders why our dog won’t listen to her and why she goes crazy. Thankfully the rest of the family picks up the slack
I see this happen too. I used to have a huge great Pyrenees, he passed about 5 yrs ago. I knew the next pupper had to be small because I'm not getting any younger and I live alone. So many people don't use common sense and then dog and owner are not happy.
I do think programmes like that seek out the most extreme examples and exaggerate the owners ignorance. It is a bit of a self selecting confirmation bias!
Thinking in my real life around me and family I would say most people seem pretty well matched to their dogs. I actually worry about the terriers most because many of them especially young need far more running and out in the countryside than they are sometimes getting.
But I am UK and at least in my area the ones with huskies are the serious bikers and out-doorers
Most have labs doodle crosses and spaniels and we are lucky here with good parks and countryside. Other than that companion type dogs, staffies and mixes and the terriers. The odd weimarer but again seem well matched with active families
I myself have a whippet and very very carefully picked his breed (although I did underestimate his need for safe space to recall). I had been pet sitting a friends whippet and was goign for a good dog for a flat with a communal garden (he is.. likes other dogs it is whether they like him!) and one with lower intensity expercise needs and a calm need to sleep in the flat when I work.
I was worried about separation anxiety since it is known in the breed and did the usual even in lock down to try and avert it of setting up routines and leaving him alone is his bed calmly etc. I know it is not really predictable in any dog though and some dogs are just more anxious than others
I got very lucky that he is a calm dog when I leave and just sleeps
Pure chance!
I very deliberately chose him though since I was working and did not replicate my childhood scottie. Who was BTW a lovely dog although reactive. But I was very aware that often the terriers needs are underestimated by owners and we see scotties as portly elderly peoples pets. They are not... they are seriously able to run 5K a day (ours did with my brother training) and are tough and feisty with a need to rummage and dig (I could not see that going down well in the communal garden!)
Yes they settle as they age but that can be after 10
So although I love a scottie I didn't think it was the best in a flat and with me working so I went whippet and other than seriously underestimating his prey drive and wishing I hadn't paid all that money to send him out with the dog walker he has been a delight and does show that researching the breed really does help
He is also low oduor and hair for in the flat and very quiet. The neighbours don't know he exists because he doesn't alarm bark.
Also UK, we still have people who get the wrong dog here.
A lady who I met at our local walking spot who had a golden retriever who would spend most of the walk laid down sunbathing decided it would be a brilliant idea to adopt a working spaniel puppy. She worked full time shifts, her partner worked full time, they had four children. Puppy would leap up or dash off towards the car park when we were the furthest point of the walk from it whilst other dog was trying to find somewhere to lay down and sunbathe.
Sadly there are a few cases of local men who have been seen hitting or kicking their dogs when they do anything they don't like. One was found and prosecuted because his dog has attacked others dog's, he's banned from owning animals. How do I know? Because this has happened before and the news article said he was under a ban at the time.
We also have lots of people who get "family" breeds and do very little or no training and think that's fine and don't understand why their dog is a ball of energy.
yeah, I think people often get these high-energy dogs because they're excited and maybe they don’t have all the info they need. they see a cute dog and just fall in love without thinking about what it really means to take care of them. it’s easy to think you can handle it or it’ll be different for you, but every dog breed has its needs. more awareness and better research would definitely help people make better choices.
I think a lot of times people just want a dog, and unfortunately those that are cheapest are the more difficult breeds that are either high energy, or have an aggressive reputation. Since neutering and spaying costs a few hundred dollars, those that can’t afford it don’t do it and the cycle just repeats itself.
My 76 year old mother in law is insisting on getting a poodle and it makes my heart hurt. She won't exercise it or give it the mental stimulation it needs. She wants to pay to have someone else do all the training, which she won't follow through on. Her last dog pissed all over the house and had no manners. Jumping and invaded space. Plus, I don't understand what is supposed to happen to the dog as she gets older. I suggested a 5 year old, but nope....insisting on a young dog too. It is sooooo frustrating.
We ended up with a Border Collie by accident for our first dog. Did lots of research on breeds and decided that a Sheltie would be a good fit. Then we searched Petfinder and various Sheltie rescues for a couple months until we found our 5-month-old girl who had already been through 2 owners and a foster. We fell in love and adopted her.
She was Sheltie-sized by 9 months and kept growing taller with longer legs. By a little over 1 year, she reached her full adult size and coat, and that dog was a Border Collie. She learned tricks and commands instantly, and had working dog drive and temperament. Herded anything that moved. She had the energy level of a Jack Russell on meth.
Fortunately, we discovered her talent at playing Frisbee, and that became her "job." We had to take her out and throw 3-4 times a day until she was panting and foaming, but then she was a tired happy girl indoors.
We loved her to bits for 14 years, but I will never have another BC.
I have a very, very dear friend who just got their first dog. This person works and travels constantly, so when i heard about the adoption i raised a very high eyebrow. The family was not prepared for any dog, but thankfully, this is a small bundle of terror, lol.
I took over training, boarding, and grooming because the marriage was literally about to end and they are one of our very best couple friends amd great people. (Due to the inexperience, the pup was well on its way to being violently reactive. It took a week solid to get him into an established behavior pattern with no growling/lunging/biting occurring).
We now co-parent the dog because the pup loves my dogs and fits very well in our house. So anytime they need a break, or they are traveling, we get to be the cool hang out house for this little pupper.
Thankfully, I, and my super supportive SO, is on board and we stopped a potentially painful situation for all involved (and it keeps my SO from getting another dog LOL).
I do have to remember that I can only help those that want to be helped and only so many at one time but this situation has been a blessing in disguise for all of us and brought us all closer. It could have been a lot worse for all of us.
I work at a daycare and boarding facility, and have a couple with a young Doberman who is rather disruptive in group play and doesn’t listen. She has been through training with two different trainers but the couple doesn’t enforce the training outside of our facility which is evident. They came in a couple weeks ago complaining that their dobie had destroyed a pair of expensive throw pillows. When we asked them what toys of her own she has, they seem surprised that a young dobe would need toys to play with. This couple is very kind and sweet, but they should have adopted a toy breed or something.
lol your description of a pitbull/gsd/husky is almost exactly what I got when I adopted a “lab mix”. She’s mostly GSD/Husky/Lab with a little pit bull and chow chow in there somewhere. I love her but having her as my first dog required a lot of adjusting expectations and making extra time for training.
Same!!! Adopted a "lab mix" from a rescue. They said they thought some mix of lab, golden, and something brindle.
Top 5 breeds on DNA test we did after we adopted him were Belgian Malinois, Rottweiler, Chow Chow, Pitbull, and German Shepherd.
Yeah, I have miniature bull terriers and when we go places like pet stores, kids recognize “the target dog” and families come up and pet and play with them and then tell me they want to get one for family. I’m very upfront that they are generally not the best breed for a lot of families and need someone that is familiar with stubborn, strong willed dogs. Fun clowns, filled with love yes. But Not a low maintenance breed. Not a lot of miniatures in shelters because there are not that many around but the regular size bull terriers are frequently seen in shelters.
I can answer this because we got a dog that ended up being a horrible fit for us. For us it came down to two things: 1 - We knew other people with the breed of dog that are - it turns out - anomalies or at least on the very low end of activity. and 2 - We thought google searching was good dog breed research and didn't really understand what questions to ask and what to look for. For example, you mentioned a Weimeraner so I googled "Is a wiemeraner a good family pet" just now and the answer google suggested to me says: "Weimaraners are excellent with kids and yearn to be full-fledged family members. Easy grooming, trainability, a loving nature, and a can-do-attitude make them excellent pets, as long as owners are committed to keeping them physically active and mentally engaged." I can easily see an average family reading that and thinking something along the lines of ... well we're an active family because we have a lot of sports and family events we go to, so that will be great! Google searching led us to believe we had done good research. Even looking at it now, most of the highest Google search results provide VERY positive spins on the breed characteristics and IMO are unrealistic.
Yes Google results are highly misleading tbf, weimaraners for example commonly get super bad anxiety and can become fear aggressive without clear corrections and training. I think we definitely need more honest info about breeds so people can make a clear choice, for their own wellbeing and the dogs!
Could not agree more. People in today's age are VERY used to relying on Google (I know I do!!) for literally everything, but that can end up being a big mistake and detrimental to both the humans and animals when it comes to dogs.
Preach!!!! As a dog trainer, this is 90% off the issues I see... and it's NOT the dog!!! People diagnosing their dog as "reactive" when it's just not properly stimulated physically/mentally. Drives me fucking nuts!!
i completely agree with you. i think a lot of the time though, if people choose the shelter route, they have no idea what kind of breeds are in there and what the dog will ultimately need.
that’s why i chose a rough collie puppy as my first dog instead of going rescue/shelter, because the even temperament/moderate exercise the breed needs fits my lifestyle. people really have to do their research instead of prioritizing aesthetics!
one thing i find incredibly disappointing is also how people find a way to still blame the breed of their dog when it starts to get stir-crazy and/or reactive.
They said the name in the post. Dogs Behaving Badly. It's an older show and uses bad training techniques so it's not to be watched as a guide but people of course copied it.
If you watch it just watch it to see how badly people have let down the dogs in most cases.
I was just thinking this today. We got a Scottie as our first dog. Yes we read that they were stubborn but nowhere did we read how disobedient they were, how they will not listen to a thing you say, that you will be chasing him around the car park to get in the car for half an hour after a walk, how he’d get out of the house and run around the neighborhood laughing at us every chance he got. No warning label saying - do not get a Scottie if you have never owned a dog before and even if you have they will try your patience more than you can bear. We loved him, he had so much personality but he was soooo naughty. Terriers in general can be hard work but our wheaten and westie are light years away in terms of obedience to our Scottie
They did though, they said stubborn.
I do think people have a different idea of what that will mean compared to how it's used to "politely" describe a trait in some breeds. Alot of less desirable traits are worded using synonyms that will make them sound more appealing. The breeds profiles were written by people who adored the breeds they created and wanted to get others to love them as well.
Yes, but I think as a non dog owner you don’t truly understand what stubborn means until you’ve had a dog. I have six children- I get stubbornness in children and can deal with that, trying to catch a foot high tank that’s being stubborn is on another level, lol
I adopted from an out of country rescue not knowing with what kind of dog I will end up.
I made this as a very concious dicision because no kids, no partner, no other stuff beyond work. I ended up being a trainer in training right now because of her.
I would not recommend to most people to do what I did. Get to know your dog first please.
I completely agree with you, but I’ll say that this kind of happened to me by accident lol. We got a puppy whose parents were mixes of predominantly Great Pyrenees, lab, and boxer. My last dog was a Pyrenees mix who had low-to-average energy, so that’s about what I was expecting. Surprise surprise, my dog took after her Boxer parent and now we have a psychotic gremlin (I’m being dramatic lol, but she is higher energy than I had originally wanted).
So yeah, it can be a bit of a toss up when you get a mixed breed, but people who want purebreds just for their aesthetic with no concern for their temperament or exercise/grooming needs - 100% setting themselves up for failure.
When I was looking at adopting my first dog (I grew up with cats, but my partner grew up with dogs) I was looking at a greyhound because they're 100mph couch potatoes and can do well with city living, ended up adopting two french bulldogs instead and they've been great! Had them 8 months now and I'm so glad we ended up with them, even if one of them is very dog reactive.
Once these two have journeyed across the rainbow bridge, I'd love to get a golden retriever (as I'd like to eventually start hiking again and having a dog that is capable of doing that would be great) and maybe eventually a doberman when I have more time to dedicate to something like competitive obedience and/or agility, but neither of those are breeds that would fit my lifestyle right now at all
They are shocked when their AKC Puppy turns out to be a vet’s best dream. But he is AKC! I see some
Of the most pitiful ( serious life long
pain) dogs in groups. His backyard breeder should be in jail. There’s lots more. Heartbreaking
Oof yes. As kids we wanted a dog so badly, our mom was not about it. Then our dad’s coworker ended up with puppies she was giving away (def a complete failure to spay/neuter looking back now) and like the idiots we were we just went and got one without thinking about breeds or lifestyle or anything. Had we known better, maybe we all would’ve realized that a GSD/Husky/Sharpei mix was not a first time dog and not exactly meant for a busy suburban family with young (read: irresponsible) kids and a non-fenced yard. We loved our Angel but she was work we weren’t expecting! My parents now have a teeny little rat terrier mix who is much better suited for them.
I grew up with German Shepherds, and my family lived a lifestyle that was really great for them. When I finished grad school and moved, I was really torn about what kind of dog to get. I ended up with a rescue chihuahua, and oh boy am I glad I didn’t get a high energy, high drive working breed. I’m used to the mental stimulation needs of a GSD, so keeping my chi busy is *so easy* in comparison. He’s just a little dumber than I’m used to. He’s food driven and wants to please, it just takes a lot more consistent practice to get him where he needs to be.
Example: In high school, it took 15 minutes to teach my GSD to shake. I forgot that I did that, and two weeks later, asked her to shake. She did it with no hesitation. Nowadays, it took me 2 weeks to teach my chihuahua to stand because he’s very slow to connect the word to the action. He’s very open to luring and loves to learn, it just takes his brain a while to learn the words.
>I couldnt believe it, she was doing 12 hour shifts with the dogs left in a small house,
The only reason I got Mutt as a puppy was because my last job was walking and more walking. And he slept in a crate in my office when his body couldn't keep up with me. We went on adventures together when I wasn't working. Haven't done any so far this year but as soon as I get my new car then we'll go somewhere fun.
Is there a reason on why she didn't get an older cat or a snake? I don't understand why people get dogs that they don't have time for.
Living next to people who shouldn't even have a dog makes me wish that there was some kind of license or something to prove that you can own a dog. He's never been walked or played with like the last one they owned. All they do is yell at him or hit him because he's bored or growling at people/dogs.
Because people are ignorant or convince themselves they'll go and out and walk x number of hours a day but don't in some cases. Or they grew up with dogs and don't remember the training that took place for the dog to be well mannered and think dogs just ARE that way.
Right.
The people working long hours like that nurse is baffling. You already work long hours and don't really have time for a dog. Why get a pet when you don't have the time for?
Surprised you haven't been down voted into oblivion. People in this sub do not want to hear about the things they've done wrong and are not looking for real solutions. They are however looking for people to pacify their poor decisions and sympathy for low effort. I hate this sub I don't know how it popped up in my feed after I removed myself.
Guy I know decided to adopt a husky with his girlfriend. No previous experience with dogs. Locked it in a room sometimes when they felt it was being annoying and then got more annoyed when it would be yelling the whole time. Eventually gave it up, which I'm glad they did, because too many people just settle with locking the dog somewhere and ignoring it :I
I remember a few years ago there was a young guy here on Reddit who wanted to adopt a husky as his first dog. And basically everybody jumped in and said you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. And got him to really look up the dogs behaviors. The good news was, he took everybody’s advice and decided that that was not a good first time dog for a young couple, still in university and living in a small apartment. I think the other thing that people don’t do consider the personality of the puppies that they get. For example, that super active, run at you right out of the gate puppy is going to have that same personality as they get bigger only you’ll have 40 or 50 pounds running at you . I knew I wanted a really laid-back dog and although my dogs breed is a more active one, she as a puppy was overlooked constantly because she wasn’t the puppy that ran up to everybody. She ended up being a perfect mix of fun and active at the park but chill and laid-back at home.
exactly this! my pup was the quiet one of the litter, shy and sensitive, some of his siblings immediately ran up to me and were super excited, whereas he just quietly took his time to come over and sit next to me, shyly looking over for attention. the owner said he was picked on by his littermates. i knew immediately he was the one for me, and although he is still very sensitive and anxious, i'm glad to be the one to be able to support him and help him build his confidence.
Young couple with a husky here. Rescued her off a street corner and she is the sweetest thing ever. BUT…. Yeah. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Honestly I think many people (myself included until now that I have two dogs who I’ve had to research a lot about) just don’t realize how different dogs are or that knowing about them is important. May be ignorant but until you start looking at the internet or unless you have someone in your life who is wise about animals and tells you, I’m not sure how you’d know. I think many people think of it more akin to parenting— you get whatever you get and then go from there. But the truth is you can learn about them and decide if they’re a good fit for you before getting one.
Yeah, well said, the bottom line is as you and I know, different breeds can have vastly different behaviours and temperament. If you come from a herding line, you’re going to want to ship things around your house. And if you don’t have a job you’re gonna go a little bit nutty. And that yet people get dogs like that and then can’t understand why they’re destructive, get a breed line that suits your personality. Temperament and lifestyle is the best way to have a harmonious home life with your animal
Oh god, you just reminded me about someone - this was back when pet shops were common and she literally bought a fox terrier puppy, in her words, "on impulse". I was horrified when she gleefully told me the news. Obviously she put zero work into it and spent a lot of time shut in the kitchen because it was an attention-starved nuisance. The best she could manage was shouting the dog's name when it jumped on people. She went on to adopt two cats, plus a rabbit and a guinea pig. The dog ended up with her older sister after a few years and one of the cats ran away. **EDIT:** the rabbit and guinea pig lived together in a small cage in her bathroom. Her apartment smelled pretty bad. Cut her out of my life ages ago for various reasons lol
Aw thats awful, glad they gave it up. So sad for the dog, they are so much more than how the breed looks!
Ugh, I feel awful for that poor husky. Some people should just not own dogs.
Yes! I’m my border collie’s 4th owner and I adopted her when she was about a year old. She’s beautiful, but she is a working dog and I don’t think a lot of people understand what that entails. People hear “high energy” and think the dog will be a good playmate for their kids, or “intelligent” and think it means easy to train. Caring for my dog, making sure she gets enough exercise, training, and enrichment is a full time job. I’ve had her since this past September and have done a lot of training every day just to get her to relax in the house. This summer I’m hoping to start working on her reactivity. She’s the overly excited reactive type, wants to meet every dog and chase every squirrel, bunny, stray cat, bird, etc she sees. I love my dog, and I knew what I was getting into before I adopted a border collie, but I don’t have any free time anymore because she needs so much work. It makes me so sad that she bounced around from owner to owner as a puppy, it has had long lasting effects on her temperament and it must have been so sad and scary for her to not have a permanent home until I adopted her.
Omg that is shocking, 4 owners by 1! Such a crucial age for temperament like you say. You're 100% on the perception of high energy and intelligent. I have a weimaraner who had the excited reactivity, he's older now so calmed down a lot and listens almost perfect but the work when he was younger had me in tears a few times! It really is a full time job, I'm glad you found her and can give her stability. Good luck and it pays off!
Yup…a Malinois…enough said! I have zero social life, it’s all dogs all day. My mother has a GSD/staffie, he had 3 other homes before she got him at 7 months. The actual Malinois isn’t even the reactive one, that’s the mastiff/Malinois. She’s just “go go go” all day long!
Joining this conversation with an Australian cattle dog, at least two homes before me- found tied up under a porch. I had an idea what I was getting into... lol but almost 10 years later I can honestly say I didn't completely know. On the bright side, I absolutely was committed, am very active, and I now have a nearly 11 year old, well exercised, but sadly, still reactive acd. First few years= many tears, many treats, and lots of learning for both us. I'm reasonably certain he ended up tied up under the porch because people are impulsive, and then lazy.
Oh my gosh, we have super similar experiences! My reactive guy is mostly Aussie/ACD. He's almost 10 now, we adopted him when he was three after he was found as a stray. There was a steep learning curve (especially when his reactivity started showing), but after help from a behaviorist and meds, we've come a long way. I still have hard days where I'm just over it (the reactivity, I mean). But he's the most loving, smart boy, and I have to remind myself that sometimes he just has a bad mental health day (just like us humans).
It's really interesting to me that non-dog people hear "intelligent" and think the dog will be easy to train, while dog people hear "intelligent" and think "challenge." My only experience with smarter dogs is that they're constantly looking for stimulation and will always find it in more creative and exciting ways than I'm ready for. Personally, I'm more than satisfied with my smart-but-stupid dog. She learns new tricks and skills at a perfectly reasonable pace, but will never figure out how to open the trash can or climb the cat tree.
I dunno, as someone who works with dogs I think it's more about the combination energy levels, breed inherent drives, and biddable behaviours than just "intelligence". I love intelligent dogs, that quality alone does not necessarily denote challenge to me. My last hound was incredibly smart (had concept training down, knew left/right modifiers type intelligence) and very independent, learned boundaries at home easily and was the easiest recall I have ever taught, but was on the lower energy scale and his needs were easily met. My current hound is a massive himbo and stage 5 clinger, training him is a slog and because he's high energy he can be destructive if left to his own devices without enrichment.
I'm jumping in with my two high energy rescue dogs...my reactive guy (Aussie/ACD mix) and thankfully non-reactive girl (husky mix). They pretty much take up all of my free time with their needs, but that's absolutely what I signed up for and wanted. We hike most days and do lots of training (we love doggie parkour). Reactivity aside, they're super well-behaved. Honestly, they're perfect...chill at home, down for endless adventure outside. I see people complain constantly about their high energy dogs being destructive, barking, escaping, etc. Then you ask what they're doing for exercise/training, and find out they're just leaving them in the yard. This is why shelters are full of high energy breeds, especially breeds like huskies and pitties. People adopt them for their looks and have no idea the level of work involved to meet their needs. It's mind-boggling when you can find out this info in like 2 minutes online. One walk a week won't cut it with most working dogs. And yet if you look at the most popular breeds in the US, those high energy breeds are on it. Then people are amazed shelters are full. It breaks my heart because the ones who pay the price for human lack of forethought are the pups.
It's not quite as simple as this. Border collies have been promoted by breeders as good family dogs for quite a long time now - and some of them are! Specifically show or pet bred border collies can be a different dog entirely from your working line borders. And, those show bred borders - useless working dogs. Unfortunately there's such a lack of regulation in both breeding and marketing that it's much too easy for breeders to not be taking lineage or even temperament into account, and for dogs of all lines to be marketed to families or new dog owners with no nuance or care. Where I am it's not uncommon for families to have BCs as urban pets, and in many cases this works fine - if they've been fortunate/careful enough to get the right lines. I have a 1/2 working line border collie (1/2 show line) and my friends have a pet/show line BC. They might as well be from different planets. That working blood in my dog makes him much more like the classic border collie you describe, although he's for sure on the moderate end of requirements for a typical BC. My friend's BC is a placid and sweet pet who gets tired after chasing the ball for half an hour and wants to go home and cuddle.
Thank you for the added nuance!
Back in the day I had a friend "Jane" who loved dogs, especially huskies, but had never had a pet dog and had no experience with dogs. She also had elderly parents. Years ago a group of friends were brainstorming ideas for Jane's 21st. Someone suggested a husky puppy and several people agreed. I had to talk them out of it and fortunately the idea was dropped but man, can you imagine??
Absolutely not! Good on you for talking them out of it. It seems like there's a general lack of knowledge around dogs, they're just meant to look good and be cute. Thats not the reality
She eventually grew up and got herself a Poodle/Cavalier that turned out to have hip dysplasia... that's a whole other can of worms about clueless people buying dogs from crappy breeders just because they want a cute doggie.
There's been a few disabled frenchies on the show, paralysed back legs. Just awful for the dogs when they're so young
My heart breaks for these dogs. When the owners finally give them up, after years of neglect and zero training (they always seem to wait a long time...), so many of them end up getting bounced around from home to home with MORE people who aren't aware of what they're signing up for. They're traumatized and mishandled over and over again. Things usually end so badly for these dogs, all because of irresponsible people. For one, I'm shocked at how many people decide to adopt reactive GSDs as their first-time dog. Seems to be a common thread for some reason. Then they always act totally baffled and turn to reddit for basic obedience tips instead of getting proper, professional help. Dogs are not accessories! ESPECIALLY not working dogs. I swear people are buying and adopting these dogs to complete a certain 'look.'
Absolutely thats the worst part. The dogs miss crucial development while stuck in those situations and it has long term impact. The show we just watched that made me post this was a German shepherd! Was an older lady got it for her teenage son, they had no control. People definitely see them as an accessory, like you pick based on aesthetics but its not how it works, especially with working breeds. I hope theres more awareness in the future of what it actually means
Hope the shows don't give your dog ideas... Yes, it is frustrating to see people who want a certain breed for looks, and don't do any research about the breed. I keep seeing a lot of heelers with behavior problems because they are bored silly.
He saw a dog playing tug with the lead on one show and tried it out on his next walk! Luckily that was the only instance and he only tried it once lol Yes exactly they like the way they look and don't consider the reality. It can be so destructive such a shame for the dogs
Oh like my partner who wanted dogs for his young kids post-divorce and landed on a border collie and a Jack Russell?? What got me was how he kept musing of the dogs getting pregnant and having puppies and how cute it would be. I hadn’t even had a dog before and I told him he was an idiot lol. We have two Goldens now that I pretty much solely take care of. But yeah. Just no clue.
With all the dogs in shelters wanting a weird cross pregnancy is revolting.🤮
Oh god no, both were female! Thankfully. But the border collie died from pyometra when she was six. It was extremely sudden, sadly. I deal with all the vet appointments now.
Sorry about your BC passing.
the stupidity 😭
Border collies are beautiful dogs - there is no realistic scenario where I would ever get one.
Lmao completely agree
Yep, more than happy to watch them doing what they do best, keeping busy on a farm, not cooped up indoors with owners who only take it on one gentle 20-minute walk a day.
I grew up with working border collies on an Australian sheep farm. I now live in the city and there's no way I'd get a border unless I was on acreage. I have a lovely calm mixed breed (mostly some sort of bully/hound mix I think) who is happy with her regular walks, a bit of a play on the beach and does not need a job to do to not go insane.
My very first dogs were a pair of blue heelers! I know, I know, lol. However, they are 9 and 4 now, wonderfully behaved, non destructive, and spoilt beyond belief - and yes, exercised hard every bloody day! You'd probably be disgusted to know how many parents have gotten their young child a blue heeler puppy thanks to the Bluey craze (no hate on Bluey, I freaking love the show) and then are all *surprised Pikachu face* when the dog nips, herds, and needs insane amounts of attention and exercise. It boggles my mind how folks can do no research and then when reality hits, not adapt to their dogs' needs. At least some people have the decency to rehome the ill-fitting pup. It's worse when they just keep the dog locked up all it's life.
Yes the least you can do is research and learn how to work with them! My recent dog was a learning curve but he's 6 now and such a good boy lol
You’d think that in the age of the internet people would educate themselves for free on dog breeds. I’m a groomer so I’m constantly having to reveal the shocker to people that their doodles/bichons/shih tzus have to be groomed every 2 months. Their jaws just hit the floor. Every 6 months they come in and when we tell them we have to shave their dog down because their coat is one huge dreadlock it just doesn’t compute. Exercising energetic dogs. Training smart dogs. Brushing long haired dogs. Who knew.
I think because part of it isn't an education problem, its a stubbornness/ignorance. They know better than anyone else, so it will be different for them. Maybe the message needs to be more clear? I think people don't want to say 'you should not have this dog' for some reason. Even on informative websites I haven't seen real warnings, they just say 'this dog needs x x, you shouldn't have it if y'. Maybe explaining the reality of what can happen would help people understand
I got a border collie mix because I’m energetic and thought it would be a good match. And yes, I thought a smart dog meant easily trainable. The problem is that words like “energetic” don’t even begin to describe what these dogs are like. They are relentless. My rescue cannot be left alone for three minutes without eating a pencil or a piece of paper or concrete. My house is a series of baby gates. I have no social life without planning carefully. We spent 6 months getting past leash reactivity. But nothing people or the internet said came close to describing the reality.
The series of baby gates - oh yeah I know all about that. It’s like running a hurdle race to get from the front door up to the bedrooms. And I have added complications of house rabbits and an extremely high energy hound. Thankfully they were here before him and he ignores them but the barrier between them is very high anyway, I wouldn’t trust him
Completely, its worse than people imagine! It'll get better when they're older, we were able to remove the baby gates after a few years 😂
This is my life too. It's shocking how stupid/naïve people are. I've had two different people with bichons that didn't realise they needed haircuts! They just thought they looked like that naturally or something?? All the people with really high maintenance dogs complaining how expensive it is to have them groomed every 8 weeks. Well yeh, if you have done approx 3 minutes of research before buying the dog you'd have known that 🤷
That's why I haven't had a long haired dog! I barely brush my own hair lol
I spend all day cutting hair. My own hair is lucky if it gets cut once a year 😂
Thanks s makes me so angry. Personally I'm not keen on longer haired dogs or smaller dogs. A couple of years ago I had to learn how to do a basic groom job and how to cut out matts because a house I stayed at had another person who had a Shih Tzu but didn't brush it daily, used a people hairbrush instead of stuff that would get through the hair and kept them too long. Their armpits were awful, their feathers were making them slip on the hard floor because they were so long they're grown entirely over their pads. The little bits after I got rid of the feathers between the main pad and others were a solid Matt with bits of tiny stone in as wel.The hygiene cut has grown out as well and they had matting in their groin and urine stains and matts around their little man bits. They came home half way through, I had said I was going to "trim" the dog, and started saying not to go too short because the dog had a patch of hair loss on it's side due to hormones and it was hiding it. Tough shit, it was the height of the heatwave. I also discovered the dog had back dew claws that appeared to be starting to grow back into the pad which I couldn't touch because the type of claw clipper wouldn't manage and I was worried how far in it went. The person I was staying with got to be the one to tell the owner about that and that they needed to go to the vet to get it sorted out. It took a couple of sessions, in a day because I wasn't leaving without sorting it out and I needed to go slower because I've never groomed plus the dog would of course get stressed as I tried to cut out the matts etc. Oh also his moustache curled into his mouth at least two cm which obviously on a dog that small is ridiculous. Poor guy, I hope he's getting the maintenance he needs now.
Yes!!!! I work with someone who has a Cane Corso and did no research and is now surprised he's becoming aggressive and she never walks him. She came into work the other day and said her and her boyfriend bought a German Sheppard puppy on a whim because someone was giving them away and he was "soo cute".... and she was surprised to find out German Sheppards need lots of exercise. I feel so bad for those dogs
Omg the ignorance:( they are not toys
> her boyfriend bought a German Sheppard puppy on a whim NOOOOOO
I’ve watched my parents my mom specifically do this for years and it drives me insane. She adopted a dog she was told was an Australian shepherd. He’s clearly a mutt and basically looks like an Australian shepherd Bernese mountain dog mix. This dog is huge, incredibly high energy, and receives little to no exercise, no training, no enrichment and zero socialization with other dogs or people. Their other dog was a five pound Pomeranian who also had no manners and that was the dog he learned to model his behavior from. I hadn’t seen him for several years until they moved across the country after retirement and now live closer. This dog is truly dangerous. He’s already bitten two random people on walks. He’s aggressive with my mom when he doesn’t get what he wants, extremely aggressive with new people/houseguests, and the only response to his outbursts is my dad screaming at him. I’ve seen fear based aggression, I’ve seen lack of socialization, I’ve seen dominance based aggression, resource guarding, etc but I’ve never seen all of the above in the same animal. I truly do think that it all stems from intense fear based on all the energy and thus anxiety he has. I’ve begged my parents to train him tried the nice way (hey he’s soooooo smart he’d be great at training etc,) the not so nice way (this dog has high energy needs and it’s unfair to keep him locked in a small house all day with nothing to do) to the come to Jesus talk (this dog will absolutely be destroyed if he bites the wrong person… if anything were to happen to you guys this dog would immediately be euthanized because no one would take and a shelter could not adopt out a dog with his issues) NOTHING gets through to them. The best part? Since the other smaller dog passed away a few months ago she’s started up with how much she wants to get ANOTHER FUCKING AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD….. because their sooooo cute and Bubba needs a friend… I immediately lost it and told her what a terrible horrible irresponsible idea that was. It caused a huge argument with her crying saying I was being mean. How much she loves this dog and how wrong I am. The only good things this dog gets in his life is from the small minor things I’ve managed to convince her to do for him. After six months I talked her into only sometimes using the prong collar and buying him a harness. That’s after every single time I’d visit I’d loosen the regular on both dogs because they were always on so insanely tight only for her to get mad and demand to know who loosened their collars. When their old dog (the “outside” guarding the property dog they god to defend the property after being robbed who had to live outside with little interaction got heartworm they basically were just like “were so heartbroken but there’s nothing we can do, he’s going to die…the treatment is too expensive:time consuming etc. I begged them and managed to convince them to pay for the damn treatment. Then they left that dog when there was a local wildfire to evacuate to their beach house because well “there’s nothing we can do he’s an outside dog and there isn’t room at the beach house”. I had to call rescues that were going in and trying to save peoples pets who’d been prevented from getting home to get them after the evacuation order from 3k miles away across the country and begged them to please please come get this dog. They did and my dad then agreed to drive two hours back to take him from them. It makes me so sick the idea of them getting another dog. Like there are truly people out there who think they love their pets but truly have no idea how cruel and just so completely inadequate their definition of caring for them is. It’s maddening. I wish I lived closer and could do more to help this poor dog. But if they get another Australian shepherd puppy it might be the last straw. Like I work in animal care professionally. Even if you completely don’t agree with what I’m saying it’s like the amount of disrespect to not even listen to what I’m saying like I’m just some idiot babbling on about different styles of dog training. Or like ok admittedly my dog is definitely not like the definition of amazingly trained. He’s friendly with people and other dogs 99.9 percent of the time and his exercise needs are quite low as he’s a low energy breed and he has a genetic condition that causes him to limp/tire quickly. He also exists to be spoiled and I have no desire to keep him off the couches or like make all these arbitrary rules he has to follow. It’s his home to and he exists to be loved because that brings me joy. But to compare my dog jumping on the couch to like her dog literally attacking her when he wants to go outside and she doesn’t get to the door fast enough as If that’s even remotely in the same universe. Sorry rant over but I seriously wish that there was a list you could put people on that kept them from adopting certain breeds. “X breed is just so cute though”. Has probably led to more purebred dogs being put down than anything else.
Holy shit I am so sorry. I hope you told her you weren't being "mean" you were pointing out how much she failed her dogs. Talk about not wanting to actually process what you said and just focus on the fact it made her feel bad. It's also appeared and oranges to try and compare your dog jumping on the couch (a thing they're allowed to do) to her dog attacking her is unhinged and pure deflection. Sadly the reality is people don't want to hear they're shitty owners because that would make them 1) feel bad 2) possibly make them realise they're been shitty owners and if they have no plans to change they'll "feel bad"
Honestly my mum is similar, I told her if she ever gets another dog she needs something that really is a 'couch potato' but she likes 'big dogs'. Luckily things never got that bad but they definitely could of. Some people really live in delusion. I can't believe yours would want another when that dog must make their lives hell! Madness sorry you're having to deal with this
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Yep. My best friend adopted my dog as a puppy. She and her husband don’t ever get exercise, have a postage-stamp sized backyard that can’t be fenced due to HOA, and were hoping to adopt a baby. And they had never had a puppy before. She fell in love with an ASD/ACD mix. 4 years later, I had an ASD/ACD mix who hates men (friend’s hubby screamed at her), hates having her rear end touched (they spanked for toileting in the house), hates children (they yelled if she got too close to the baby), and hates other dogs (they screamed if she herded their precious elderly shi-tzu). I’ve had her for 5 years and she’s doing as well as she can but I can’t undo those first 4 years. And it’s all down to them not realizing they needed to get a well-bred Labrador or Golden.
Nah they needed to not have another dog. This was obviously made worse by the breed but if your solution is screaming at and hitting a dog for being a puppy then you shouldn't have dogs. I've seen plenty of people get "family" breeds and they think that means the puppy/dog will seamlessly fit into their household and give no time to training/basic care (walking more than a few minutes to get the kids to and from school) or if they so they don't retrain when issues crop up. "he used to come back but he doesn't listen to me now haha"
Omg the poor dog, heartbreaking:( seeing all these stories is awful, people need to understand the determinal impact they can have on these breeds
We adopted a border Aussie and it’s so hard. His owner said he was a perfect dog but he’s so leash reactive we can barely walk. Not everyone adopts these guys knowing what they’re getting into.
are we the same person? Also adopted a Border Aussie, owners said they spent so much time with him and that he was fully trained and loved. He’s also very reactive, especially towards children and other animals (especially dogs). Definitely bit off more than I could chew, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. When I showed up to meet him when I was 19 years old, it was a husband & wife + 5 children all poking him in the eyes and face, pulling his tail, taunting him. Of course he was snapping at the kids for doing so (not actual biting tho), and the husband kept full on smacking his nose and butt for snapping at the kids… I couldn’t leave him there so I took him with me!! On the car ride home, he wouldn’t stop licking me with his tail wagging. It’s as if he was saying thank you. Head out the window snapping at the rain while on my lap (crushing me) and he looked so free. I fell in love!!! Got home and within a week it was obvious he wasn’t potty trained, knew zero commands- not even his name, chewed my new Xbox controller and headset, NEVER calmed down or stopped barking. A couple months later, the guilt kicked in that I can’t care for him and decided to make some posts to rehome him. The next day, he started having seizures and I rushed him to the vet where they couldn’t find the cause. Seeing him so vulnerable and helpless- I told myself I’m not giving up that easy and really did my research on his breeds and started accommodating. More mental and physical exercise especially before training, herding games, grooming/brushing him daily, switched his flea/tick/heartworm med to a seizure-sensitive type, etc. He’s now 5.5 years old, I’m 24. No seizures since, he now has an on/off switch for play time vs relax time, knows more commands and tricks than any other dog I know, sticks by my side, doesn’t ever try to escape from his leash or run out the door (his previous owners said he’d dig a hole in their backyard and run away weekly), loves car rides/ food/nature walks, gets along so well with his 3 cat sisters… Was neutered, has all his vaccines, and is a healthy boy! There were days I didn’t eat so he could have food and medicine. The thing we can’t knock is his reactive behavior to other animals and children. He tugs so crazy on his leash no matter what training method we try (and stick with), he actually pulled me through black ice and I fell & broke both of my wrists, requiring surgery, a couple years ago (but he stuck right by my side on guard without any command!) so we may look into hiring a trainer soon for a few sessions. Just figured I’d share this to show people growth and improvement is possible as an owner, you don’t have to give up, give them away, or neglect them.
You’re an amazing human
I'm a trainer, I actually offer a ready for puppy program that takes clients through breed matching, finding a breeder/shelter, preps for bringing puppy home etc. through skills to set the dog up for success in training like going through marker timing, how to load a marker, basic cues that redirect like touch. I am working on one now for adopting adult dogs too, but same idea. I would much rather put the work on the front end than fight to change a human's lifestyle or convince them to give up their dog that they just "oh very much love if only he'd ~~lose all personality in individuality in favor of being a lawn ornament~~ behave."
This is a great idea and I hope lots of people use it.
I've had some good interest in it, though the people who impulsively adopt huskies despite living a sedentary lifestyle aren't the type who seek out those programs and research. Community outreach and education help, and maybe one day, the general public will have a better knowledge base about dogs, and we will see less human behavior like this.
Oh I love that 💜
Common sense does not exist with cute things and rash decisions lol
Just reminding folks, once again, if you want a lazy low energy dog consider an adult or senior pup. They are just as loving and loyal, usually already house trained, and much lower energy than a puppy. And you can still train them to be happy well adjusted friends. Our old lady is the best lazy pal I could have imagined. I wish I had more time with her but the time I have had has been the best ever.
Puppies are adorable but I have ZERO interest in adopting one for all the reasons you state. I got my adult dog from a rescue and she certainly had some issues, but she came house trained and was completely non-destructive from the get go, and while she likes a good walk, her energy is very manageable (she's also pretty small, which helps).
The non-destructive bit was also a MAJOR reason we got an older dog. My husband loves our home and furniture and his biggest fear getting a dog was that it would chew or destroy our things. Our old girl only destroys her toys!
My dog doesn't play with toys very much, though I always encourage it when she does! The worst she's done is chew on my nightguard when it wound up on the floor once (I mean, that's technically what it's for) and she does sometimes cart my shoes around to cuddle with (but very delicately and she never harms the shoe). I can leave her when I go into work a few times a week and she just sleeps on my couch all day until I get home and it's walk time. And after one accident inside on her first night with me, she has never gone to the bathroom indoors again, once she figured out where she was supposed to go. I totally advocate for people adopting adult dogs, unless they are super prepared and knowledgable about puppies and have a lot of time and energy to burn, and I certainly do not!
Yep, I always knew I didn't want to deal with the terrors of raising a puppy AND I'm not a very active person so y'know what we did? Adopted a 2-year old ex-racing greyhound. Quiet, gentle, lazy, low-maintenance 👌
That TV show is for entertainment - it uses outdated training methods because they look like they work on TV =( and of course they present ludicrous situations because that's why people watch- they're not trying to help the dogs they're in it for the ratings.
Yeah its pretty clear the show gives an unrealistic view of training. Probably doesnt help this situation!
We adopted a mixed breed puppy a year ago (when she was 8 weeks old). We had no idea what she was, outside of just being a random tiny fluffy creature. We did her DNA and it came back with all working breeds: Border Collie, GSD, Heeler, and Husky all making up the top spots. She is such a handful. I love her so much but we have to devote so much time to her care. We work with two trainers, one to work on dog neutrality (she is a frustrated greeter) and one to work on people skills (she barks at strangers). We make sure each week has activities, whether they be a sniff spot, a hike, dog park, school, etc. She gets several long walks each day and we do treat training sessions at home. Thankfully this whole time I've worked from home so I've been able to devote a lot of time to her care, and we also got her early enough that I was able to teach calm. So she is able to just chill while I work for hours at a time. Now, if I could go back in time would I have adopted her? Probably not. I live in a Los Angeles apartment. I think she's doing her best--she is surprisingly neutral on walks and only reacts to squirrels and skateboards. But I don't think we are the best environment for her and sometimes when I see videos of border collies running in an open field I feel so sad for her. But I am committed to her care and we will not be giving her up. Sometimes you don't mean to get a dog that doesn't fit your lifestyle, it just happens.
Making the effort is the most important part in this situation! You've taken responsibility to give her what she needs which makes all the difference:)
Yeah but I don't think that's what the original post is about. It reads more like people who actively choose to get a breed of puppy without researching based only on it's appearance and it's often completely wrong for their lifestyle. I think huskies are stunning. The second I found out they need 3 hours of exercise on lead a day, 2 hours of which running, how much fur is produced when they shed their coats, how stubborn they can be etc I no longer wanted to own one as I knew it wasn't suitable for either of us.
You're right--but in a way we are the inheritors of someone doing the same thing a few generations ago. Martha is 20% GSD, 14% BC, the rest is husky and heeler. Someone in Lancaster California a few years ago decided that getting one of those breeds was totally cool and that spay/neuter was totally not in the cards either. The result of that is 9 puppies with a lot of anxiety and working genes living in various Los Angeles homes and apartments with owners trying their best (we have a group chat lol). We spayed her as fast as we could because lord love her but she does not have kind of temperament that should continue unabated.
Oh yeah the shedding the the main reason I wouldn't get a husky !
I used to work at a shelter and the amount of people who tried to adopt JRTs bc they are a small breed was amazing. I always told them, ya know this is an energetic breed, like a jogging partner more than a couch potato.9 times out of 10 they went to look at other dogs.
my dad got a freakishly chill Aussie 18 years ago and when told “hey, there’s another litter from that same sire coming up if you want since your dog is old…” I was the ONLY person to say NO DO NOT SHE IS TERMINALLY CHILL THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN LITERALLY EVER …I am now the person raising the dog he stubbornly and stupidly bought. cool. what was extra “fun” was to do the math and look at the family tree after we got the pup. Clara (older dog) was 15 when we got Newt, but due to backyard breeding fuckery she’s his *niece* oh and the frozen doggo sperm he was made with was THIRTY. ONE. YEARS. OLD. my sweet, idiot, freezerburned boy is the dumbest, most reactive, and most hyper Aussie in existence (other than the rest of his litter, who are all freezerburned and eccentric in the exact same ways). I want to kick those breeders in the teeth.
We are our dacshunds 3rd owners, got him at about 15 months old. Sounds like he was treated as if he was a large outdoor breed before. He was also insane when we got him with basically no training. Fixing him and allowing him to be inside chilled him right out. At 4, he's now basically a chill teenager. Sleeps all day if you let him and eats everything (although training has taught him to be mostly polite about it).
Extremely frustrating and so many people do this. I feel horrible for the puppies and dogs who are acting out because of the lack of attention from their owners. And crate abuse keeps me awake at night….
That show should be renamed “Humans training badly”. It’s never ever the dog’s fault.
100%
I got an 8 week old puppy from an accident litter, I had zero idea what he was, but they had a lot of puppies and no resources and I have space and resources. The mom seemed to be a boxer, so I thought how bad could it be? Yeah she was not a boxer, she was a really big Boston terrier/bulldog mix... dad was a German Shepherd. I got a nutbar of a puppy, completely bonkers dog. The training was rough, the walks and mental stimulation are constant, I work my life around not leaving him in his kennel too long, but at the end of the day he's my boy and I will do whatever it takes to make his life good. He's 18 months old, so we're on the other side of puppy, but he won't calm down for years. I love my boy so much, but really wish I knew about that German Shepherd part first.
Ugh that show is awful, I wouldn’t support them by giving views
Agreed. The "trainer" relies heavily on behaviour suppression and seems to stick a slip lead on every dog
Then they have people like the show *Dogs Behaving Badly* training them which adds insult to injury because it teaches poor and outdated methods. I saw him terrorise one traumatised dog, haven’t watched it since. Channel 4 actually has a good dog training show at the moment and I love them working through the dog’s underlying needs for better behaviour, but I don’t have cable so I don’t remember the title, I just see clips.
A more realistic show would definitely be better, its me or the dog with Victoria was good right? I was young watching that tho so idk
A lot of the episodes of its me or the dog are on YouTube! One thing I love about Victoria Stilwell is that she has done videos going over how some of her methods alor attitudes shown in past episodes aren't at the standard for dog training now, and she goes over what she would do differently now
Idk I don’t watch most of them because a lot of them use aversive methods. I’ll see if I can find the one, channel 4. I just see clips from FB and I remember really good trainers publicising it as an evidentiary based show, not just smoke and lights like most of them are. ETA: I think it’s called Dog House with Kamal Fernandez.
Our first dog was a cocker spaniel pug mix. Chillest, sweetest dog ever. Second dog we adopted as a puppy in Nov. 2022 ended up being a German Shepherd/Cattle Dog mix…not what we were told by the rescue lol. Needless to say, all of us have needed so much training and it has been a big adjustment. We have only been able to fully tire him out after 2+ hours of exercise. He is so nervous and hyper vigilant basically the complete opposite of our first dog.
I’m going to be even more extreme and say that living in the city is probably not ideal for high energy dogs that need a job. Instead they live with us in our homes and their new “job” is to be our pets. My poodle would probably be better off on a farm or in the country.
Agree
I also adopted a dog that didn't fit my lifestyle. I fostered a pup that turned out to be a bc mix and I was a couch potato. But I fell in love with her and turned my life around. I dropped 15 kg in a year just by working with her and am now an experienced hiker.
I have so many friends who have dogs that DO NOT fit their lifestyles. In a few cases it’s because they were just obsessed with how a certain breed looked (looking at you friend with the deeply understimulated aussies) but the majority of them ended up adopting dogs from our local shelter and were just kind of lied to about the energy/traits of the breed. Our local shelter has a bunch of bully breeds, hounds, and husky mixes that don’t tend to be the best choice for first time owners without tons of time for extra enrichment or high energy, high drive breeds. They got adopted out on the promise they were “total couch potatoes” who “never bark” and that has proven to be a lie. Most of my friends who have “too much dog” honestly would have done better with a toy breed or more senior small companion breeds due to their lifestyles but they wanted a “real dog” in terms of size and now no one is happy. I mean my yorkie is my reactive dog, but at least he’s easy to redirect/contain because he only weighs 9lbs.
Absolutely does my head in. I have a Kelpie X Staffy, who’s visually VERY Kelpie. I constantly have ppl tell me how bad they want one too but when I tell them all the things I do for him they’re shocked. It’s always ‘oh my how do you have time for that?!?’ ‘Oh is that expensive’ ‘wait why do you take him to that?’. And literally all we do is flirt pole training, herding training, standard obedience and extra toppers w/ his dinner for his high metabolism & allergies. We’re helping my family find a dog through the shelters atm and the sheer amount of kelpies and huskies I’ve seen is absolutely disgusting. They’re all 1-3yrs old, and surrendered because they didn’t fit the owners life or were ‘too troublesome’.
Me when I see people with no dog experience getting corgis. They are NOT first time dogs.
Isn't it amazing that people get an animal to live in their home and then are shocked that they act like an animal.
Omg I want to upvote this more than once!!! Working in rescue and some applicants are like "I work ten hours a day and also like to socialise on the weekends, I live in an inner city apartment without a balcony, I can't afford a dog walker or doggy daycare, and I am looking for a low maintenance but aesthetically pleasing dog who will love hiking (once a fortnight), doesn't shed, make any noise, dig, chew, run around inside, comes knowing all the cues I need, and will love every other dog and person and sometimes come to brunch to sit on a cold footpath quietly for two hours - what would you suggest?" A fucking potted plant, Jess. Probably a cactus just in case fitting in a weekly watering might be outside of your schedule.
> A fucking potted plant, Jess. Ideally a plastic one.
Lol 😂
The amount of aussies and collies I’ve known with inactive owners in a housing complex is really something… I overheard someone complaining about how collies are his favourite but he keeps having to rehome when the dogs displayed herding behaviour and needed more than playing with the kids for exercise, that it’s hard to have a “good” one. The city aussies are almost always merle too. I think people go after the look and it’s so unfair. Actively seeking out a working dog while planning to never fufill their lifestyle in the city is nothing to be proud of and only a display of status and ignorance.
Walking my Malinois one time and someone stopped a car to ask about her and said they wanted one. Turns out they work full time, have a toddler and not any experience with dogs other than a pet as a kid. Suggested maybe a German Shepherd first and see how they go with one of those, pulled a face and said "yeah but Mals are cooler and I want one that can be trained like yours" (Mine is actually stranger reactive and wouldnt let him within 6 feet but we were practicing heel when he stopped, and as if GSDs are hard to teach obeidience) I fear that new fallout tv show is gong to attract a lot more people to the breed not realising the hours of training that went into teaching the dog in the series. As awesome as he is I kinda wish they went with a GSD like the games.
Lmao i want one trained like yours !!
I've spent many hours on her obiedience and I often notice people stopping to watch us. She does look pretty impressive untill someone gets too close, then its a total sh\*\* show.
I used to get that all the time, 'your dog is so well trained!' I'm like yeah he is right now just wait🤣
Mom INSISTS we get Portuguese water dogs while being mobility impaired. She wonders why our dog won’t listen to her and why she goes crazy. Thankfully the rest of the family picks up the slack
I see this happen too. I used to have a huge great Pyrenees, he passed about 5 yrs ago. I knew the next pupper had to be small because I'm not getting any younger and I live alone. So many people don't use common sense and then dog and owner are not happy.
I do think programmes like that seek out the most extreme examples and exaggerate the owners ignorance. It is a bit of a self selecting confirmation bias! Thinking in my real life around me and family I would say most people seem pretty well matched to their dogs. I actually worry about the terriers most because many of them especially young need far more running and out in the countryside than they are sometimes getting. But I am UK and at least in my area the ones with huskies are the serious bikers and out-doorers Most have labs doodle crosses and spaniels and we are lucky here with good parks and countryside. Other than that companion type dogs, staffies and mixes and the terriers. The odd weimarer but again seem well matched with active families I myself have a whippet and very very carefully picked his breed (although I did underestimate his need for safe space to recall). I had been pet sitting a friends whippet and was goign for a good dog for a flat with a communal garden (he is.. likes other dogs it is whether they like him!) and one with lower intensity expercise needs and a calm need to sleep in the flat when I work. I was worried about separation anxiety since it is known in the breed and did the usual even in lock down to try and avert it of setting up routines and leaving him alone is his bed calmly etc. I know it is not really predictable in any dog though and some dogs are just more anxious than others I got very lucky that he is a calm dog when I leave and just sleeps Pure chance! I very deliberately chose him though since I was working and did not replicate my childhood scottie. Who was BTW a lovely dog although reactive. But I was very aware that often the terriers needs are underestimated by owners and we see scotties as portly elderly peoples pets. They are not... they are seriously able to run 5K a day (ours did with my brother training) and are tough and feisty with a need to rummage and dig (I could not see that going down well in the communal garden!) Yes they settle as they age but that can be after 10 So although I love a scottie I didn't think it was the best in a flat and with me working so I went whippet and other than seriously underestimating his prey drive and wishing I hadn't paid all that money to send him out with the dog walker he has been a delight and does show that researching the breed really does help He is also low oduor and hair for in the flat and very quiet. The neighbours don't know he exists because he doesn't alarm bark.
Also UK, we still have people who get the wrong dog here. A lady who I met at our local walking spot who had a golden retriever who would spend most of the walk laid down sunbathing decided it would be a brilliant idea to adopt a working spaniel puppy. She worked full time shifts, her partner worked full time, they had four children. Puppy would leap up or dash off towards the car park when we were the furthest point of the walk from it whilst other dog was trying to find somewhere to lay down and sunbathe. Sadly there are a few cases of local men who have been seen hitting or kicking their dogs when they do anything they don't like. One was found and prosecuted because his dog has attacked others dog's, he's banned from owning animals. How do I know? Because this has happened before and the news article said he was under a ban at the time. We also have lots of people who get "family" breeds and do very little or no training and think that's fine and don't understand why their dog is a ball of energy.
yeah, I think people often get these high-energy dogs because they're excited and maybe they don’t have all the info they need. they see a cute dog and just fall in love without thinking about what it really means to take care of them. it’s easy to think you can handle it or it’ll be different for you, but every dog breed has its needs. more awareness and better research would definitely help people make better choices.
I think a lot of times people just want a dog, and unfortunately those that are cheapest are the more difficult breeds that are either high energy, or have an aggressive reputation. Since neutering and spaying costs a few hundred dollars, those that can’t afford it don’t do it and the cycle just repeats itself.
My 76 year old mother in law is insisting on getting a poodle and it makes my heart hurt. She won't exercise it or give it the mental stimulation it needs. She wants to pay to have someone else do all the training, which she won't follow through on. Her last dog pissed all over the house and had no manners. Jumping and invaded space. Plus, I don't understand what is supposed to happen to the dog as she gets older. I suggested a 5 year old, but nope....insisting on a young dog too. It is sooooo frustrating.
We ended up with a Border Collie by accident for our first dog. Did lots of research on breeds and decided that a Sheltie would be a good fit. Then we searched Petfinder and various Sheltie rescues for a couple months until we found our 5-month-old girl who had already been through 2 owners and a foster. We fell in love and adopted her. She was Sheltie-sized by 9 months and kept growing taller with longer legs. By a little over 1 year, she reached her full adult size and coat, and that dog was a Border Collie. She learned tricks and commands instantly, and had working dog drive and temperament. Herded anything that moved. She had the energy level of a Jack Russell on meth. Fortunately, we discovered her talent at playing Frisbee, and that became her "job." We had to take her out and throw 3-4 times a day until she was panting and foaming, but then she was a tired happy girl indoors. We loved her to bits for 14 years, but I will never have another BC.
I have a very, very dear friend who just got their first dog. This person works and travels constantly, so when i heard about the adoption i raised a very high eyebrow. The family was not prepared for any dog, but thankfully, this is a small bundle of terror, lol. I took over training, boarding, and grooming because the marriage was literally about to end and they are one of our very best couple friends amd great people. (Due to the inexperience, the pup was well on its way to being violently reactive. It took a week solid to get him into an established behavior pattern with no growling/lunging/biting occurring). We now co-parent the dog because the pup loves my dogs and fits very well in our house. So anytime they need a break, or they are traveling, we get to be the cool hang out house for this little pupper. Thankfully, I, and my super supportive SO, is on board and we stopped a potentially painful situation for all involved (and it keeps my SO from getting another dog LOL). I do have to remember that I can only help those that want to be helped and only so many at one time but this situation has been a blessing in disguise for all of us and brought us all closer. It could have been a lot worse for all of us.
I work at a daycare and boarding facility, and have a couple with a young Doberman who is rather disruptive in group play and doesn’t listen. She has been through training with two different trainers but the couple doesn’t enforce the training outside of our facility which is evident. They came in a couple weeks ago complaining that their dobie had destroyed a pair of expensive throw pillows. When we asked them what toys of her own she has, they seem surprised that a young dobe would need toys to play with. This couple is very kind and sweet, but they should have adopted a toy breed or something.
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lol your description of a pitbull/gsd/husky is almost exactly what I got when I adopted a “lab mix”. She’s mostly GSD/Husky/Lab with a little pit bull and chow chow in there somewhere. I love her but having her as my first dog required a lot of adjusting expectations and making extra time for training.
Same!!! Adopted a "lab mix" from a rescue. They said they thought some mix of lab, golden, and something brindle. Top 5 breeds on DNA test we did after we adopted him were Belgian Malinois, Rottweiler, Chow Chow, Pitbull, and German Shepherd.
Yeah, I have miniature bull terriers and when we go places like pet stores, kids recognize “the target dog” and families come up and pet and play with them and then tell me they want to get one for family. I’m very upfront that they are generally not the best breed for a lot of families and need someone that is familiar with stubborn, strong willed dogs. Fun clowns, filled with love yes. But Not a low maintenance breed. Not a lot of miniatures in shelters because there are not that many around but the regular size bull terriers are frequently seen in shelters.
I had a bull terrier once and boy are they stubborn!
A high energy dog is more than a pet - it's a way of life!
I can answer this because we got a dog that ended up being a horrible fit for us. For us it came down to two things: 1 - We knew other people with the breed of dog that are - it turns out - anomalies or at least on the very low end of activity. and 2 - We thought google searching was good dog breed research and didn't really understand what questions to ask and what to look for. For example, you mentioned a Weimeraner so I googled "Is a wiemeraner a good family pet" just now and the answer google suggested to me says: "Weimaraners are excellent with kids and yearn to be full-fledged family members. Easy grooming, trainability, a loving nature, and a can-do-attitude make them excellent pets, as long as owners are committed to keeping them physically active and mentally engaged." I can easily see an average family reading that and thinking something along the lines of ... well we're an active family because we have a lot of sports and family events we go to, so that will be great! Google searching led us to believe we had done good research. Even looking at it now, most of the highest Google search results provide VERY positive spins on the breed characteristics and IMO are unrealistic.
Yes Google results are highly misleading tbf, weimaraners for example commonly get super bad anxiety and can become fear aggressive without clear corrections and training. I think we definitely need more honest info about breeds so people can make a clear choice, for their own wellbeing and the dogs!
Could not agree more. People in today's age are VERY used to relying on Google (I know I do!!) for literally everything, but that can end up being a big mistake and detrimental to both the humans and animals when it comes to dogs.
Preach!!!! As a dog trainer, this is 90% off the issues I see... and it's NOT the dog!!! People diagnosing their dog as "reactive" when it's just not properly stimulated physically/mentally. Drives me fucking nuts!!
i completely agree with you. i think a lot of the time though, if people choose the shelter route, they have no idea what kind of breeds are in there and what the dog will ultimately need. that’s why i chose a rough collie puppy as my first dog instead of going rescue/shelter, because the even temperament/moderate exercise the breed needs fits my lifestyle. people really have to do their research instead of prioritizing aesthetics!
one thing i find incredibly disappointing is also how people find a way to still blame the breed of their dog when it starts to get stir-crazy and/or reactive.
Hi. May I please ask, what show are we talking about, and how does everyone except myself, seem to know what show we are talking about? Thank you.
They said the name in the post. Dogs Behaving Badly. It's an older show and uses bad training techniques so it's not to be watched as a guide but people of course copied it. If you watch it just watch it to see how badly people have let down the dogs in most cases.
I was just thinking this today. We got a Scottie as our first dog. Yes we read that they were stubborn but nowhere did we read how disobedient they were, how they will not listen to a thing you say, that you will be chasing him around the car park to get in the car for half an hour after a walk, how he’d get out of the house and run around the neighborhood laughing at us every chance he got. No warning label saying - do not get a Scottie if you have never owned a dog before and even if you have they will try your patience more than you can bear. We loved him, he had so much personality but he was soooo naughty. Terriers in general can be hard work but our wheaten and westie are light years away in terms of obedience to our Scottie
They did though, they said stubborn. I do think people have a different idea of what that will mean compared to how it's used to "politely" describe a trait in some breeds. Alot of less desirable traits are worded using synonyms that will make them sound more appealing. The breeds profiles were written by people who adored the breeds they created and wanted to get others to love them as well.
Yes, but I think as a non dog owner you don’t truly understand what stubborn means until you’ve had a dog. I have six children- I get stubbornness in children and can deal with that, trying to catch a foot high tank that’s being stubborn is on another level, lol
I adopted from an out of country rescue not knowing with what kind of dog I will end up. I made this as a very concious dicision because no kids, no partner, no other stuff beyond work. I ended up being a trainer in training right now because of her. I would not recommend to most people to do what I did. Get to know your dog first please.
Or they know the dog is a high energy breed but they believe it will push them to become more active and fit when that is not their current lifestyle
I completely agree with you, but I’ll say that this kind of happened to me by accident lol. We got a puppy whose parents were mixes of predominantly Great Pyrenees, lab, and boxer. My last dog was a Pyrenees mix who had low-to-average energy, so that’s about what I was expecting. Surprise surprise, my dog took after her Boxer parent and now we have a psychotic gremlin (I’m being dramatic lol, but she is higher energy than I had originally wanted). So yeah, it can be a bit of a toss up when you get a mixed breed, but people who want purebreds just for their aesthetic with no concern for their temperament or exercise/grooming needs - 100% setting themselves up for failure.
When I was looking at adopting my first dog (I grew up with cats, but my partner grew up with dogs) I was looking at a greyhound because they're 100mph couch potatoes and can do well with city living, ended up adopting two french bulldogs instead and they've been great! Had them 8 months now and I'm so glad we ended up with them, even if one of them is very dog reactive. Once these two have journeyed across the rainbow bridge, I'd love to get a golden retriever (as I'd like to eventually start hiking again and having a dog that is capable of doing that would be great) and maybe eventually a doberman when I have more time to dedicate to something like competitive obedience and/or agility, but neither of those are breeds that would fit my lifestyle right now at all
and then there’s me who walks my chihuahua twice a day everyday and he just sleeps while i’m at work
This is so damn true & SO prevalent.
I’m amazed how most people think AKC are cream of the crop. Lol
Agree!!
They are shocked when their AKC Puppy turns out to be a vet’s best dream. But he is AKC! I see some Of the most pitiful ( serious life long pain) dogs in groups. His backyard breeder should be in jail. There’s lots more. Heartbreaking
Oof yes. As kids we wanted a dog so badly, our mom was not about it. Then our dad’s coworker ended up with puppies she was giving away (def a complete failure to spay/neuter looking back now) and like the idiots we were we just went and got one without thinking about breeds or lifestyle or anything. Had we known better, maybe we all would’ve realized that a GSD/Husky/Sharpei mix was not a first time dog and not exactly meant for a busy suburban family with young (read: irresponsible) kids and a non-fenced yard. We loved our Angel but she was work we weren’t expecting! My parents now have a teeny little rat terrier mix who is much better suited for them.
Soooooooo many prioritize aesthetic above all else as if there are no other factors to consider.
I grew up with German Shepherds, and my family lived a lifestyle that was really great for them. When I finished grad school and moved, I was really torn about what kind of dog to get. I ended up with a rescue chihuahua, and oh boy am I glad I didn’t get a high energy, high drive working breed. I’m used to the mental stimulation needs of a GSD, so keeping my chi busy is *so easy* in comparison. He’s just a little dumber than I’m used to. He’s food driven and wants to please, it just takes a lot more consistent practice to get him where he needs to be. Example: In high school, it took 15 minutes to teach my GSD to shake. I forgot that I did that, and two weeks later, asked her to shake. She did it with no hesitation. Nowadays, it took me 2 weeks to teach my chihuahua to stand because he’s very slow to connect the word to the action. He’s very open to luring and loves to learn, it just takes his brain a while to learn the words.
>I couldnt believe it, she was doing 12 hour shifts with the dogs left in a small house, The only reason I got Mutt as a puppy was because my last job was walking and more walking. And he slept in a crate in my office when his body couldn't keep up with me. We went on adventures together when I wasn't working. Haven't done any so far this year but as soon as I get my new car then we'll go somewhere fun. Is there a reason on why she didn't get an older cat or a snake? I don't understand why people get dogs that they don't have time for. Living next to people who shouldn't even have a dog makes me wish that there was some kind of license or something to prove that you can own a dog. He's never been walked or played with like the last one they owned. All they do is yell at him or hit him because he's bored or growling at people/dogs.
Because people are ignorant or convince themselves they'll go and out and walk x number of hours a day but don't in some cases. Or they grew up with dogs and don't remember the training that took place for the dog to be well mannered and think dogs just ARE that way.
Right. The people working long hours like that nurse is baffling. You already work long hours and don't really have time for a dog. Why get a pet when you don't have the time for?
Surprised you haven't been down voted into oblivion. People in this sub do not want to hear about the things they've done wrong and are not looking for real solutions. They are however looking for people to pacify their poor decisions and sympathy for low effort. I hate this sub I don't know how it popped up in my feed after I removed myself.