Aaaarrrgghhhh - Pedigree dogs programme....

[Shilasdair]

I'd be worried about getting a dog from a dog home though - as I wouldn't be able to judge whether it was a 'good one' or not.
With horses, I know what I'm doing...but with dogs...no idea.
That's one of the reasons OH and I were thinking about pedigrees....

S

 

[Acolyte]

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For hundreds of pounds too! It is a very lucrative business.

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I must remember to tell my mum/sister that, they will be delighted to know

 

[kanter]

Kennel club response to programme:

http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/1993/23/5/3

 

[jacks_mum]

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For hundreds of pounds too! It is a very lucrative business.

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I wanted a Yorkie or a CKCS and was horrified to find that Yorkies were around £900 to £1150 for one puppy

CKCS were around £500

And I got a cross of the two for £350. Personally I think I got the best deal as Dandy is adorable but I seriously couldn't the prices of pedigree dogs. It was...eye opening/eye watering

 

[icestationzebra]

Our family has a policy of never buying a dog from a breeder. All our family dogs have come from rescue centres over the years and I will only ever do so again. I adore Greyhounds and my next dog will probably come from one of the rehoming centres. We have been lucky and never ever had a bad animal - they have all been fantastic. Don't forget a lot of it is down to handling and training.......

 

[Sooty]

LOL! I was thinking of the Pug - £800? Same as I was quoted for a Labradoodle! Our dog was a *surprise*, and we covered the owners' vet costs, feeding etc. and paid £150 - and that included the first vaccination. £800 is a fair old profit!

 

[MooMoo]

I think the pictures of the various breeds from years ago look so much better. Add to that the fact that they were healthier then i really dont understand why on earth these stupid, ignorant people would carry on breeding them like that? Who wants a dog that can barely breathe or walk? Surely if you have to be putting your dog on an ice pack so it doesnt die thats a bloody great clue that something's not right.

 

[joeanne]

tis fashion that dictates at times jacks_mum.
thanks to the likes of bloody paris hilton a chihuahua puppy, particularly a bitch will set you back up to £2000

 

[icestationzebra]

Indeed it is Sooty

 

[Sooty]

Often the best way to get a dog is through word of mouth. Or from some dodgy bloke down the pub with a bicycle basket full of Jack Russell terrier pups...

 

[Shilasdair]

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Our family has a policy of never buying a dog from a breeder. All our family dogs have come from rescue centres over the years and I will only ever do so again. I adore Greyhounds and my next dog will probably come from one of the rehoming centres. We have been lucky and never ever had a bad animal - they have all been fantastic. Don't forget a lot of it is down to handling and training.......

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Yes, but with respect, you sound as if you know a good deal more about dogs than I do...
Hey, at least I know my limitations

S

 

[kirstyhen]

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Our Boxer cross has a very sturdy tail.

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I'm not taking about boxers, or rottweilers, I'm talking about gundogs. You may have never had a dogs tail ripped to shreds from rough cover, but we have, and it was not a pleasant experiance.
The dog in question had to be kept on a lead during the season (as he would not stay at home or in the car) which he did not enjoy. He was in pain for weeks. Not one of the others has had this problem, because they have been docked short enough.


IMO working dogs, that have been docked, should be docked, it prevents some orrific injuries. Dogs that are docked cosmetically I see little point in.

 

[jacks_mum]

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tis fashion that dictates at times jacks_mum.
thanks to the likes of bloody paris hilton a chihuahua puppy, particularly a bitch will set you back up to £2000

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I thought they were expensive 2 years ago

 

[Sooty]

The German Shepherds upset me. The show ones are so different from the working ones - can the breeders not see what they are doing?

 

[Sooty]

I thought you said dogs which were bred to be docked had thinner tails...

 

[icestationzebra]

I think we just learnt along the way. Dogs are a bit like horses in the sense that you learn something from every one!

 

[Laafet]

This programme really upset me, I couldn't believe the suffering those dogs are put through. As for the show judges WTF can they not spot a lame animal, most of those GSD were crippled, why are they not sent out the ring as show horses would be. I guess with horses more money is at stake so that is the idea of performance testing etc etc. AS for the Kennel Club saying we don't want to drive the breeders away, grow some balls and put in regulations then people would choose to buy on properly bred dogs and the breeders that didn't toe the line would suffer.

 

[kanter]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd be worried about getting a dog from a dog home though - as I wouldn't be able to judge whether it was a 'good one' or not.
With horses, I know what I'm doing...but with dogs...no idea.
That's one of the reasons OH and I were thinking about pedigrees....

S

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I understand your fear. My first dog came from a dog's home, and he was quite aggressive in certain situations but I didn't have the heart to take him back. He really was the most difficult dog ever though I was in bits when he was PTS. However if you go via a smaller rescue, they will have the dog's history, and often they are fostered in private homes, so here is much more information about them. Would recommend his forum as a start point:

http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php?act=idx

Please give a homeless dog a forever home

 

[kirstyhen]

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I thought you said dogs which were bred to be docked had thinner tails...

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Sorry, Im confused? What?

 

[Acolyte]

Ummmm - 'profit'

I am not sure where this idea that people who show and breed dogs do it for for the money comes from? (that is a general comment Sooty, not directed at you)

My mum has bred dogs for all of my life, and I can assure you all that she has never made a profit or a lucrative income from them. Hence she is still taking dogs for grooming at the age of 69...

People who show dogs breed litters purely to try and breed something which they consider will become an excellent example of the breed. Whether that is what you and I would consider to be a healthy happy dog is another matter

They do not consider whether they are going to make a profit, or whether their top winning dog will become a succesful stud dog and therefore make them some money - they just care about whether they get a prize winning dog

 

[joeanne]

yus....gundogs. both my springers have very thin tails. very unsuited to gun work because of it

 

[sade1986]

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Often the best way to get a dog is through word of mouth. Or from some dodgy bloke down the pub with a bicycle basket full of Jack Russell terrier pups...

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I'll have one please

 

[jacks_mum]

The whole programme was very biased though and seemed to be pretty much totally against the kennel club and indiscriminate breeders. It would have been a better balanced programme if there had been an equal amount of air time for the breeders that do care for their dogs and have the various health checks etc done - I am sure there must be more than the one or two featured. I the programme had been about the horse showing world we would all now be up in arms against the BBC for showing a horrendously biased programme.

 

[kirstyhen]

I think your definition of working and mine are different, hence the confusion. I am talking purely about gundogs, which I have quite a bit of experiance in (by proxy at least!), and from my experiances, I would not take an undocked springer or cocker into rough cover.
I also said they could have anything stuck to their backside, not that all their tails are thin.

 

[Tinkerbee]

at some of the prices mentioned here.

I got our two (complete mutts) for absolutely nothing and they are the healthiest dogs I know

 

[icestationzebra]

But isn't that irresponsible when there are thousands of dogs needing homes? These people insist that they are animal lovers but sometimes their behaviour does not illustrate that especially when they are breeding animals with health problems. That is not directed at your family btw. I also feel the same about people that continue to breed horses with bad conformation or poor temperaments.

 

[Acolyte]

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The whole programme was very biased though and seemed to be pretty much totally against the kennel club and indiscriminate breeders. It would have been a better balanced programme if there had been an equal amount of air time for the breeders that do care for their dogs and have the various health checks etc done - I am sure there must be more than the one or two featured. I the programme had been about the horse showing world we would all now be up in arms against the BBC for showing a horrendously biased programme.

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Thanks Jacks_Mum, my thoughts exactly

 

[joeanne]

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But isn't that irresponsible when there are thousands of dogs needing homes? These people insist that they are animal lovers but sometimes their behaviour does not illustrate that especially when they are breeding animals with health problems. That is not directed at your family btw. I also feel the same about people that continue to breed horses with bad conformation or poor temperaments.

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not if the dog is bred to do a job! some dogs need to be trained from the time you get them (gun dog training is quite specialised and quite a lengthy process) and started young.
you couldnt find something like that in a rescue centre,and if you did per chance happen to find the particular breed there is nothing to say its going to be trainable as you have no idea how it was raised

 

[Sooty]

Yes, but the point is that Crufts is (in the UK at least) the pinnacle of dog breeding achievement, and year after year winning dogs are deformed. The breed standard is being interpreted very differently from how (I assume) it was intended, and there are mutant freaks as a result. Some bulldogs cannot give birth naturally because of the oversized heads. If breeders want to make a living, they need to produce dogs people want, and people want what they see on tv and at Crufts. They want deformed flat faces, docked tails, oversized heads, twisted tails... This programme was long overdue, IMHO.

 

[Acolyte]

[ QUOTE ]
But isn't that irresponsible when there are thousands of dogs needing homes? These people insist that they are animal lovers but sometimes their behaviour does not illustrate that especially when they are breeding animals with health problems. That is not directed at your family btw. I also feel the same about people that continue to breed horses with bad conformation or poor temperaments.

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Responsible breeders will not breed from dogs which have health issues, and will always find good homes for all of their stock which do not make the grade for showing purposes (i.e. 99% of them!)

As for the rest - well, as with indiscriminate breeders of any animal, they cannot be considered in the same way? I know that sounds like a cop-out, but there is nothing more I can say really - just wanted to make the point that you cannot consider that all dog breeders are irresponsible and uncaring as the BBC would like you to believe