<p>ps- I hate crates, its like doggy jail</p>
<p>some like it, but i think they are unnecessary if you work with your dog</p>
<p>great book</p>
<p>How to Get Your Dog to Do What You Want</p>
<p>I know the OP wasn’t asking for advice on where to acquire a dog, but I’m going to agree with CGM. I have been active in dog rescue for many years and have seen so many amazingly wonderful dogs destroyed because there wasn’t enough room for them in the shelters. You wouldn’t believe how many letters we get from people thanking us for giving them the opportunity to adopt such wonderful animals. Anybody who is thinking about getting a dog or cat, please consider rescue or shelters. There’s no way in the world you’ll be sorry.</p>
<p>A crate can be a prison if it’s not used properly or if it is overused. Crate training a dog is not intuitive, you must read up and do it properly. It should only be used as a tool to housebreak your dog, not as a punishment. Once your dog can safely have free run of the house, the crate shouldn’t be necessary unless your dog likes it in which case you won’t need to close the door.</p>
<p>Crate training is essential if you participate in certain kinds of dog recreational activities, such as agility, obedience, herding, tracking, or conformation, all of which require that the dog be safely confined when not working. I realize that many people consider a crate a prison (my dog’s go-to-crate command is “go to puppy jail”) but in my experience crate training is invaluable if you want your dog to be safe.</p>
<p>As for rescue versus acquiring a dog from a reputable breeder (note that the OP had a coupon for Petco but was NOT getting the dog from Petco, which (BTW) does not sell dogs but does cooperate with local rescue), I have had one rescue dog and one breeder dog, and I will not be getting another rescue unless I know a LOT about the dog’s history. I spent 8 years with a rescue dog that could not be walked in an situation where there were other dogs because she was badly dog-aggressive. I have no idea why the Humane Society thought I’d be a good choice for a home–I guess I was, since the dog lived to be 12 without being given up again–but it was not a good experience. When I got the next dog, socialization was my highest priority and I spent MONTHS finding a breeder who met my standards for early socialization.</p>
<p>We crate-trained our dog (a corgi) and it is the best thing we could have done. She learned very quickly, but you must never use the crate as a punishment. She will be four years old later this month. She hasn’t had an accident since she was just a few months old. Many times when she was young, we would find her lying in her crate (with the door open) because it was a safe or comfortable place for her. We haven’t used the crate in more than three years because she sleeps upstairs in our room on her bed. We have friends who believe that crate-training is cruel, but our carpet looks great while theirs is in need of replacement, and most importantly, we’re not slaves to a dog who urinates and defecates in the house … that’s owner-cruelty IMO. Believe me, it is very difficult to listen to your dog whimper and cry for the first few nights, but it will be worth the end result. It’s like raising a baby. Believe me, if you can stay strong and ignore the whimpering and crying for a few nights, half the battle is won. Our dog comes to us and jumps to let us know she needs to go outside. If we don’t respond quickly enough, she’ll run from the room, come back and bark at us. Good luck … you can do it!!!</p>
<p>Weenie, I agree about the puppy pen. That thing was awesome!!!</p>
<p>Please don’t berate rescue dogs. You had a bad experience with one and I know several people who have had terrible experiences with so called reputable breeder dogs.</p>
<p>I have had people adopt dogs known to be dog agressive because they didn’t plan on having the dog around other dogs and the fit was right. These people knew what they were getting into and are extremely happy. It happens all the time. Each dog goes into a home on a trial basis and if it doesn’t work out, we want the dog back. This may come as a surprise to you, but there really is a home for every dog. I have had people ask me which dogs are the least likely to find a home, and those are the ones they want to adopt. </p>
<p>If you weren’t happy with the dog you adopted, you should have returned it, and if you didn’t return it, I’m assuming that on some level, it was a rewarding experience.</p>
<p>I won’t even tell you about my breeder horror stories. I think you need to do more homework if you’re going to adopt a puppy from a breeder. You don’t know what you’re getting into until the dog is full grown and it’s too late.</p>
<p>To the OP – tie a bell (or several bells) to the handle of the door that you take the dog out through. Each time you take the dog out, jingle the bell. If all goes well, when the dog is housebroken, he should ring the bell himself to alert you that he needs to go outside.</p>
<p>Ditto on the bell-ringing method!
We use an old jingle bell necklace with our poodles, as it’s really loud and easier for them to reach. We simply had to use the dogs foot to ring the bell while saying “Outside!” for a few days, and they picked it right up.</p>
<p>Reputable breeders <em>and</em> reputable rescue organizations take care to place specific dogs in specific, appropriate homes. </p>
<p>Personally, I am breeder oriented as I feel a good breeder knows her lines and can recognize the pet puppy, the performance puppy, the couch potato puppy, etc at an early age and select the right puppy for the right home. </p>
<p>Every dog in the shelter has an issue. </p>
<p>It may be as simple as the elderly owner died and the dog is homeless through no fault of it’s own, or </p>
<p>the dog refused to housetrain (owner/training issue?), </p>
<p>or it sheds too much </p>
<p>or barks too much </p>
<p>or needs too much exercise, </p>
<p>or bit some poor child (child issue? or dog issue?). </p>
<p>Whatever the issue, a prospective owner needs to figure out (with the help of the shelter personnel), what’s THIS dog’s issue and is this something that this particular owner can work with and live with?</p>
<p>(I had one purebred Sheltie from a shelter. She was abandoned by her owners and had been starved. I currently have two agility Shelties from a breeder from some of the top conformation and performance lines in the US. All three are/were wonderful pets.)</p>
<p>I know there are many wonderful dogs at the shelters and available through rescue. I am getting my dog from a breeder because I have a bed and breakfast business and need to minimize the possibility of “issues” popping up. I know these pups are being raised in the breeder’s kitchen, get daily handling and play with her young son. She, OTOH, knows my situation will choose the pup she believes has the best temperament for my home. My cats are all from the shelter. (Some of them have arrived with some pretty bad habits, but at least I don’t have to worry too much about one biting a guest. 
)</p>
<p>I was planning to set up the crate in my pantry, which is right off the kitchen. It will be in the way there, but I thought I would only leave it set up while we are housebreaking. (I work at home, so I am hoping this will go pretty quickly.) Would it be better to put it someplace where it could be left up permanently, or as long as the pup likes to be in it?</p>
<p>“Every dog in the shelter has an issue.”</p>
<p>DEFINITELY NOT TRUE, BUT SPOKEN LIKE A TRUE BREEDER! The only people who should be breeding dogs are those people who are trying to BETTER the breed, not people who think they have wonderful, adorable dogs that would produce great puppies. As I said before, I could tell you horror stories about dogs from “reputable breeders”, some of whom have found themselves in our shelters and rescues. I have placed many dogs and cats over the years and have received hundreds of letters from grateful adopters. Go and do your breeding, but don’t berate adoption as an option. If you would volunteer at your local shelter or rescue you would see first hand how wonderful most of the dogs are, but I guess you’re just too busy raising more puppies to add to the dog overpopulation. Many dogs are in foster homes and the foster family can tell you everything you need to know about a dog’s “issues” or IF he has any (and most do not). Dog’s are very resiliant and can go from horrid conditions to a loving family and make the most wonderful pet. There’s no reason why adopting a dog should be a mystery when many shelters and rescues can give you enough information to make a perfect match.</p>
<p>How about every dog available for placement by either breeders or shelters has an issue? I think you should have read and understood my entire post. </p>
<p>Not every “issue” keeps a dog from being a good pet – but if my personal issue is allergies … my shedding dog is going to the shelter. I certainly hope the shelter will understand that issue and not adopt the dog out to another allergic home.</p>
<p>My personal dog’s “issue” is that she is slighly too large to show in breed. She turned out to be an agility star. </p>
<p>By the way, I am not a breeder. I happen to be a pet store owner who does not sell puppies and refers my customers to breed rescue or to our local shelter.</p>
<p>"or it sheds too much</p>
<p>or barks too much</p>
<p>or needs too much exercise"</p>
<p>Every dog sheds somewhat. Every dog barks. EVERY DOG NEEDS EXERCISE! These are all RELATIVE, are not considered issues. Some people love horribly shedding huskies. Some people love yappy terriers and toy breeds. Some people love playful labs. The reputable breeders who I know who are actually breeding to improve the breed would never put down adoption or rescue dogs like you have. They are not threatened by adoption, but you sure sound as though you’re trying to turn people against it. Hmmmmmmm.</p>
<p>“or bit some poor child”</p>
<p>No dogs that have bitten a human are placed for adoption. They are destroyed.</p>
<p>“I certainly hope the shelter will understand that issue and not adopt the dog out to another allergic home.”</p>
<p>Shelter and rescue workers/volunteers are not idiots. Do you think we want to adopt dogs out to the wrong homes only to have them come back to us when it doesn’t work out? That is devastating to the animal!</p>
<p>I’m not sure what I have said that is so infuriating to you. </p>
<p>My point is simply that prospective dog owners should be fully informed about the dog they are acquiring – before taking it home. Not every dog will work for every family situation. And not every family should have a dog. </p>
<p>I can’t stand it when I hear that “we got a puppy and we had to get rid of it because it ruined the carpets or shed or barked or yapped.” Someone didn’t screen this family/dog combo for suitability to each other.</p>
<p>A good breeder OR a good shelter will screen the potential owner and the dog for issues that prevent a good match.</p>
<p>acinva:
The bells on the door work great, don’t they!!! We have those “sleigh bells” that kids play with hanging from a string on the door knob. My little male will wack those every time he wants to go out. My female is too shy to hit them (she’s odd - she won’t even push open a cracked door with her muzzle) but she’ll stand by the door and male dog will hurry over and ring them for her. It’s hilarious!</p>
<p>weenie: haha. I love it :-)</p>
<p>“A good breeder OR a good shelter will screen the potential owner and the dog for issues that prevent a good match”</p>
<p>The last comment I have to make on this issue of breeder vs adoption is that I will guarantee you that it is monumentally more difficult to adopt from a purebred rescue than from a breeder. The rescue will check personal as well as vet references, have you fill out an application with detailed questions about the care and training of the dog, interview you, counsel you, do a home visit and have you sign a contract. Believe me, they don’t want to make placement mistakes as the mistakes cost the rescue time, money (which they never have enough of) and the inability to rescue more homeless dogs. </p>
<p>I’m sorry if I came off as being a raving maniac. I’m only this way about certain issues and rescue is one of them. I just wish that anybody who feels that rescue/shelter dogs are problem dogs would volunteer for a while to see how wrong this perception is and to see how careful adoption counselors try to be when placing a dog. I personally would much rather adopt an adult dog which is a known quantity personality wise than a puppy who may grow up to be not such a good fit.</p>
<p>Acinva, I have met many wonderful rescue dogs. There are great rescue organizations and I send money to a few of them. I simply stated that I’ve adopted one rescue dog, and won’t be doing it again. I simply don’t want to work that hard–my Lily persuaded me that early socialization is way too important to leave to someone I don’t know and can’t screen. (Incidentally, I also have a cat from a shelter who also has aggression issues. I think too much time in shelters may actually make animals aggressive.)</p>
<p>You also said that “all dogs shed.” When I got my poodle, I believed that too. It turns out to be true that poodles do not shed. They do lose fur but it sticks with their other fur and does not end up around the house. You have to actively brush it out, which is why poodles are high-maintenance. Nonetheless, I’d rather brush my dog every day then vacuum every day.</p>
<p>I agree with you that it can be “monumentally more difficult to adopt from a purebred rescue than from a breeder”. It’s also more difficult to get a dog from a good breeder than from a pet store. Which is probably the root of the whole problem! </p>
<p>In this instant gratification world, the family is turned down by purebred rescue (quite possibly for legit reasons), has to wait too long for the right puppy from a breeder, and goes into the local pet shop, falls in love with a puppy that turns out to be the <em>wrong</em> dog for them. Pass over the plastic and $1000 (or more) later they have the puppy the kids have been clamoring for. </p>
<p>A few months or weeks later – I hear what a problem they have – or I hear how they had to get rid of the dog. Makes me nuts. Also makes me glad I don’t sell puppies.</p>