Dog prices are insane these days

Snags

Dogs are individuals. Breeds have general characteristics, but no guarantees. Writes the forner owner of a Bernese Mountain Dog with major anxiety issues that got worse with age, despite all the positive training and behaviourist stuff. He was just a bit different in the head from the outset, and not the placid, people-friendly lump they're characterised as.

poopot

To be fair all these high prices are going to achieve is a glut of puppies without homes to go to as:
1) every idiot with a breedable dog will want in on the action just to make money.
2) no bugger will want to pay the money.

either way there will be lots of dogs without homes to go to.

rehome an unwanted animal, either through an advert or through a rescue centre.

ennspek

There is also the issue of certain breeds conforming to KC standards without concerns for their health. At least it used to be an issue.

axisus

poopot said:

To be fair all these high prices are going to achieve is a glut of puppies without homes to go to as:
1) every idiot with a breedable dog will want in on the action just to make money.
2) no bugger will want to pay the money.

either way there will be lots of dogs without homes to go to.

rehome an unwanted animal, either through an advert or through a rescue centre.

A someone who watches the Pets4 homes site a lot, the expensive dogs are selling like hot cakes, hence the price tag I guess.

Snags

I think the KC is a lot better than it used to be, at least for some breeds. Changing standards to encourage healthier traits,  requiring hip scores etc. and disallowing breeding where the scores are poor.

I'm sure it's far from perfect, and varies from breed to breed, but in my limited experience they're not the prices they once were. I'd be equally concerned about ill-considered choices in breeding trendy mutts, and the total lack of regulation there. 

poopot

axisus said:

poopot said:

To be fair all these high prices are going to achieve is a glut of puppies without homes to go to as:
1) every idiot with a breedable dog will want in on the action just to make money.
2) no bugger will want to pay the money.

either way there will be lots of dogs without homes to go to.

rehome an unwanted animal, either through an advert or through a rescue centre.

A someone who watches the Pets4 homes site a lot, the expensive dogs are selling like hot cakes, hence the price tag I guess.

Fair enough... I’ll be honest I don’t look at that sort of site as I’ve only ever had rescue dogs or rehomed an unwanted dog...

but the high prices just give way to idiots who think it’s ok to make a quick buck at the animals expense!... 

rescue centre are already filling up with unwanted young dogs that have been bought during lockdown and now the owners realise the novelty has worn off...

just rehome a dog... it may not be the designer dog you want but it’ll be a cracking pet that will love you back in spades...

McToot

poopot said:

axisus said:

poopot said:

To be fair all these high prices are going to achieve is a glut of puppies without homes to go to as:
1) every idiot with a breedable dog will want in on the action just to make money.
2) no bugger will want to pay the money.

either way there will be lots of dogs without homes to go to.

rehome an unwanted animal, either through an advert or through a rescue centre.

A someone who watches the Pets4 homes site a lot, the expensive dogs are selling like hot cakes, hence the price tag I guess.

rescue centre are already filling up with unwanted young dogs that have been bought during lockdown and now the owners realise the novelty has worn off...

just rehome a dog... it may not be the designer dog you want but it’ll be a cracking pet that will love you back in spades...

But this just wasn't the case last year. I tried: I mean REALLY tried to find a rescue dog, but it was impossible. The only ones you could find were far away and were not suitable for families with younger kids. 

I was pretty ambivalent towards breed - I was more concerned about size, as we don't have a palatial house. But having ummed and ahhed about it for years, once the decision was made, there was no real going back and very little chance of waiting to see how the rescue 'market' evolved. The only thing I did do was dig my heels in and say that we would not under any circumstances use a site like Pets4homes.

Looking ahead, I agree: there's going to be a crisis with the number of dogs being rejected by their dimwit owners. If we get another to keep Biscuit company, then it'll most likely be via a rescue place.  

Dominic

I have to sit back and smile to myself reading a lot of these comments from those who don't know enough to be giving advice.
The opinion of the partially informed or misunderstood information can be very misleading.
For example;there is a huge difference between Line breeding and Interbreeding just for starters. Mendels first Law.
Sometimes Line breeding has nothing to do with appearance but a lot to do with eliminating certain prevalent issues within a breed ( sometimes,but not often due to historical misbreeding )
 Very often Line breeding is aimed 7 generations forward with scientific purpose and sound intent.
The Kennel Club is continually running screening programmes for numerous breed relative issues such as;
Portosysytemic Liver Shunt
Entropion
Osteosarcoma
Dilated Cardiomyopathy
etc etc 
I have worked alongside the leading professor in Canine Heart health sponsored by the KC and running a 10 year programme The data collected /available and followed up his huge......pharma companies sponsor massive researh through the KC too.
There are genetic issues in many breeds just as there are in many human groups and generally there is quite a strong protocol within the KC in respect of what is required in testing of some breeds for a litter to qualify for registration.
Then there are the other issues such as Endorsements and breeding prohibitions or "progeny not for registration "
I am not especially a fan of KC but I think a lot of people are very confused here between the breed Standards ,the purpose and intent of the KC and the abuse of dogs by vile Puppy Farmers whether they are operating on an industrial scale hidden on a farm in the Welsh valleys or somebody having a litter to earn a few quid in semi-detached Suburbia.Both are Puppy Farmers.
Lots of Abusers (Puppy Farmers ) ,many blacklisted ,have found ways around getting the progeny KC registered by doing it through friends, false names and address and using other people's stud prefix.
 Some very serious breeders are also pretty foul.........breeding and Culling is certainly not unknown.
When it comes to dogs and horses get an expert to help you unless you simply want to pick a dog out of the local rescue center but remember they didn't all belong to an old lady who went into a home and a huge number are there because they are problematic -if you can't or don't know how to deal with that then that isn't the way to go either .
 

UnclePsychosis

digitalscream said:

Gassage said:

2. It's all very well saying get this or that, but you're taking big risks if you don't have an understanding of the dog's behaviour. Why take a risk when you can have certainty in a massive decision?

This is often said, but the thing is...if you get a rescue dog, the rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively, and will know exactly what the right environment for it is. You don't get the same thing with a puppy.

Ergo...there's actually more risk with a puppy than there is with a rescue dog.

The world doesn't need more dogs. It needs about half as many as there already are.

Yeah... My own personal anecdata completely disagrees on this front, I'm afraid.

Badly trained and/or traumatised rescues can be an absolute disaster if the rescue people dont know what they are doing. Ask me how I know :-(

digitalscream

UnclePsychosis said:

digitalscream said:

Gassage said:

2. It's all very well saying get this or that, but you're taking big risks if you don't have an understanding of the dog's behaviour. Why take a risk when you can have certainty in a massive decision?

This is often said, but the thing is...if you get a rescue dog, the rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively, and will know exactly what the right environment for it is. You don't get the same thing with a puppy.

Ergo...there's actually more risk with a puppy than there is with a rescue dog.

The world doesn't need more dogs. It needs about half as many as there already are.

Yeah... My own personal anecdata completely disagrees on this front, I'm afraid.

Badly trained and/or traumatised rescues can be an absolute disaster if the rescue people dont know what they are doing. Ask me how I know :-(

You'll note that I didn't say "zero risk" with rescue dogs. Any dog is a risk. You just don't get a preview with a puppy.

UnclePsychosis

digitalscream said:

UnclePsychosis said:

digitalscream said:

Gassage said:

2. It's all very well saying get this or that, but you're taking big risks if you don't have an understanding of the dog's behaviour. Why take a risk when you can have certainty in a massive decision?

This is often said, but the thing is...if you get a rescue dog, the rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively, and will know exactly what the right environment for it is. You don't get the same thing with a puppy.

Ergo...there's actually more risk with a puppy than there is with a rescue dog.

The world doesn't need more dogs. It needs about half as many as there already are.

Yeah... My own personal anecdata completely disagrees on this front, I'm afraid.

Badly trained and/or traumatised rescues can be an absolute disaster if the rescue people dont know what they are doing. Ask me how I know :-(

You'll note that I didn't say "zero risk" with rescue dogs. Any dog is a risk. You just don't get a preview with a puppy.

No but you did say the rescue would "always" know "exactly" what the right environment would be. 

digitalscream

UnclePsychosis said:

digitalscream said:

UnclePsychosis said:

digitalscream said:

Gassage said:

2. It's all very well saying get this or that, but you're taking big risks if you don't have an understanding of the dog's behaviour. Why take a risk when you can have certainty in a massive decision?

This is often said, but the thing is...if you get a rescue dog, the rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively, and will know exactly what the right environment for it is. You don't get the same thing with a puppy.

Ergo...there's actually more risk with a puppy than there is with a rescue dog.

The world doesn't need more dogs. It needs about half as many as there already are.

Yeah... My own personal anecdata completely disagrees on this front, I'm afraid.

Badly trained and/or traumatised rescues can be an absolute disaster if the rescue people dont know what they are doing. Ask me how I know :-(

You'll note that I didn't say "zero risk" with rescue dogs. Any dog is a risk. You just don't get a preview with a puppy.

No but you did say the rescue would "always" know "exactly" what the right environment would be. 

Two separate statements.

"The rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively"

"<They> will know exactly what the right environment for it is"

The right environment. They don't have a crystal ball, they can't predict how the dog will be with a given family, but they will know about the negative environmental triggers - kids/small furries/noise/etc.

Does it work out 100% of the time? No, of course not. Does it work more often than people buying dogs from Gumtree, or from back yard breeders? Yes, of course it does, otherwise there would be no need for rescues to exist, or for thousands of dogs to be put down every year due to lack of space in shelters.

BGG

EricTheWeary said:

And yet you could pick up a black beauty (sic) adult, black ex racing greyhound tomorrow. 

I must admit if we were looking for a dog a greyhound would be too large for us for various reasons but it seems an injustice world. 

You can get small greyhounds too

DrCornelius

BGG said:

EricTheWeary said:

And yet you could pick up a black beauty (sic) adult, black ex racing greyhound tomorrow. 

I must admit if we were looking for a dog a greyhound would be too large for us for various reasons but it seems an injustice world. 

You can get small greyhounds too

Tell me more BGG (please) as my kids want a rescue greyhound but I’m not keen on a huge dogs

EricTheWeary

BGG said:

EricTheWeary said:

And yet you could pick up a black beauty (sic) adult, black ex racing greyhound tomorrow. 

I must admit if we were looking for a dog a greyhound would be too large for us for various reasons but it seems an injustice world. 

You can get small greyhounds too

I was looking at my local Greyhound Trust site and sizes weren’t obviously apparent. But I think bitches are generally smaller? 

Dominic

There are 2 types of greyhound ........Show Greyhounds which are breed Standard and Racing Greyhounds which are quite a bit smaller .Bitches tend to be 2" shorter at the Withers but it's irrelevant because they lie down and fold up surprisingly small .
 The disposition is the same.
Either type  make perfect pets......they are very gentle,very sensitive and quiet .
There are a lot of differences between Dogs and Hounds ......physically they have a different spinal construction but behaviourally they are very different ,especially Sighthounds.
Sighthounds are meant for hunting by speed in short but very fast , powerful bursts ;they are also naturally inclined to wait patiently for hours until the quarry is sighted and they are unleashed......as soon as they have done their job they simply want to laze around and sleep the day away. Five minutes madness and then a doze .......or alternatively a good walk once a day is more than fine and they  don't need to run free although it's nice for them to do so .
 Unless you are in a gated or large safe area you cannot let a greyhound off the lead ;like all sighthounds they are totally instinct driven and will chase a paper bag blowing across a field let alone a squirrell on the other side of the road .Personally I would never trust them with a cat but they are not spiteful or ever vicious .
They are not busy or active like a working breed ( eg Collie ) , vigilant like a Guarding breed( Mastiff ) or cut out for hard labour like a Malamute .
 They are very docile and somewhat aloof although they can be very loving ;you must never shout at a Hound and any scolding should be very gentle because they are extremely sensitive and will never forgive or forget.
 The biggest issue with any hound type that has a deep chest ( need good lungs to run that fast ) ,a drawn uptuck belly and a rise over the loin ( so the spine can act as a coiled spring in full extension gate ) is the worry of Gastric Torsion which is fatal if not diagnosed immediately . You should google this but careful raised feeding ,excercise restriction after feeding and stress free environment will minimise risk.
 Greyhounds make very good family pets and are very gentle (unless you happen to be a rabbit ).
Whippets likewise although they can be a bit nervous and Lurchers too but the Terrier in a Lurcher makes them a bit more active and inquisitive.
Check ex-racers for hock and ligament damage ( that's often why they are EX-racers ) because the vet bills will get you further down the line.
They don't eat very much either .

YellowLedBetterMan

dazzajl said:

I totally understand having your heart set on a certain dog and it’s always your money and your choice. 

If all you know is that you want the unconditional love and companionship of a four footed friend, please please please look at all the rescues that need a loving home. Then spend the fortune you’ve saved on something nice from a custom shop somewhere. 

If I could Wiz twice I would. All of our dogs have been rescues and all of them have been the best companion you could ask for.

Our labrador, even if she is old and starting to smell a bit, is the best friend I could ask for. She was "rescued" from a family that lived on a farm and had lost all their money and house to debtors and couldn't take the dog with them to wherever it was they could go.

The boxer we had before her was about to go into Birmingham dogs home as her previous owner had died unexpectedly. The collie we had since before I was born was liberated by the RSPCA from a dodgy breeder.

Long story short - always rescue. There's always dogs that need a home and there's always some arsehole who's profiteering from the very messed up industry that is dog breeding.

OP - if you're wanting a dog, ask your local vets practice. Both of my aunt's are vets and as a result get a new sob story every day about a dog needing a home. It's how we've come to have each of ours.

zepp76

@Dominic Do you have experience/knowledge of Deerhounds? I have registered my interest with this little (not so little) chap. A deerhound cross, I’m just wondering if there is anything I should know about their traits?

https://foreverhoundstrust.org/dog/duster/

DrCornelius

Thanks @Dominic , really useful

Budgie

digitalscream said:

UnclePsychosis said:

digitalscream said:

UnclePsychosis said:

digitalscream said:

Gassage said:

2. It's all very well saying get this or that, but you're taking big risks if you don't have an understanding of the dog's behaviour. Why take a risk when you can have certainty in a massive decision?

This is often said, but the thing is...if you get a rescue dog, the rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively, and will know exactly what the right environment for it is. You don't get the same thing with a puppy.

Ergo...there's actually more risk with a puppy than there is with a rescue dog.

The world doesn't need more dogs. It needs about half as many as there already are.

Yeah... My own personal anecdata completely disagrees on this front, I'm afraid.

Badly trained and/or traumatised rescues can be an absolute disaster if the rescue people dont know what they are doing. Ask me how I know :-(

You'll note that I didn't say "zero risk" with rescue dogs. Any dog is a risk. You just don't get a preview with a puppy.

No but you did say the rescue would "always" know "exactly" what the right environment would be. 

Two separate statements.

"The rescue will always have tested the dog's temperament extensively"

"<They> will know exactly what the right environment for it is"

The right environment. They don't have a crystal ball, they can't predict how the dog will be with a given family, but they will know about the negative environmental triggers - kids/small furries/noise/etc.

Does it work out 100% of the time? No, of course not. Does it work more often than people buying dogs from Gumtree, or from back yard breeders? Yes, of course it does, otherwise there would be no need for rescues to exist, or for thousands of dogs to be put down every year due to lack of space in shelters.

The rescue centre where we got ours from was very specific about the dog and a suitable environment and they were spot on. They supplied us with quite a detailed description which had been supplied by the previous owner, along with their own assessment. We met the dog for a couple of hours to see how he behaved and walked on a lead etc and then made a decision based on all the info. It was, overall, a very satisfactory process. It also allowed us an insight into where we would need to put in the work to overcome certain habits.

Saying that, it's not for everyone and the appeal of a puppy is rightly a factor too. Our last two dogs were from puppies from an established breeder and they also took quite a bit of time to train and socialise etc. I guess it's swings and roundabouts.