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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
AKA Smith
Published Letters: 6540 Editor's Choice: 93
Dogs, that is. (I don't know much about cats.)
In my opinion people really underestimate how much time it takes to actually train a dog to be a good companion. My Shepherd was just too much dog for me. Although I had had and trained Shepherds in the long gone past, I underestimated how much physical conditioning I had lost over the years. Also, 15 years of rearing a rather sensitive girl child had left my alpha voice out of practice. He turned out to be a willful dog. He was not as eager to please as the Shepherds I had had in the past because one of his previous owners had been abusive (I'm guessing, because he would not let me touch his hind end.) and he didn't recognize any authority that was not physical. I ended up taking him to several trainers and reading lots of books. It took five years to civilize him. I think it's to my credit that I never took him to the pound.
However, I think owners have a responsibility to make it work. If you buy them, train them!
Breeds DO matter because the appropriate training for a beagle and a chow may be quite different. Some of this is because SIZE and chest strength matters. If you are a soft-voiced short woman weighing less than 115 pounds, you have no business buying a bull-mastiff, for instance.
My mother got her dog at the pound. She was told he would be a small collie type. Well he is a large ugly dog with a fat chow body and a narrow pointed collie head. He is too big for her and has the antisocial qualities of a chow with the sharp-shy qualities of an ill-bred collie. He developed hip dysplasia at a mere two years old. She is an old woman on a limited income. He is a nervous, untrained creature who has never learned to walk on a leash.
People here who are implying that getting a pound puppy does not come with its own challenges just aren't being honest.
Some pound puppies are wonderful. Some, you really find out WHY someone gave it up.
Most puppy mill puppies are awful, but I know a dog trainer who has a schnauzer that is trained as an alert dog. He's wonderful.
I would never buy at a pet shop, but I know of one pet shop Soft-Coated Wheaten Terrier that did not sell and got sent to a dog pound. (Stupid me. I ignored my instincts that said: "Buy her.") A friend picked her up at the pound for far less than her $800 dollar asking price and she proved to be an absolutely wonderful pet. It is hard to ruin a Wheaten. I envy her that dog.
Some so-called backyard breeders are great. I know one disabled woman who bred Chihuahuas to supplement her income and her dogs were great. All she had was a trailer house and a small fenced yard.
AKC dogs can be great or awful. When a show dog breeder sells you a "pet quality" dog, he is not necessarily selling you a good pet but rather a dog that does not qualify physically (sometimes temperamentally) for the show ring.
There is simply no substitute for doing one's homework. There are books about breeds that will help you choose the right one. If you get a dog at the pound make sure that they tell you unequivocally what the dog will be like when grown. Size, temperament, and grooming needs should count more than looks. Trainability matters. Their parents matter. Genetics matter. Please don't buy a dog on impulse. Don't buy a dog thinking your children will provide it with all the exercise that it needs and will remember to feed and water them. You are the adult. Training and feeding and vet care is YOUR job. If you don't have time, get your child a goldfish.
My dog gets a solid hour of exercise on leash a day. No, running around in the backyard is NOT adequate. If you get a large active breed, plan on it.
Responsible dog ownership begins BEFORE you get the dog.
Having a dog is not about the latest PC animal right brouhaha. It's about bring a friend into your home who may live for 17 years. Are you prepared to be a friend to your friend?
A well-bred, well-trained German Shepherd Dog can be taught to herd, track, retrieve, jump, climb, guard, hold and protect and even attack on cue. Of course, once a dog is trained to do all this, he is too costly ($6000-10,000) and still isn't great at flyball. Those border collies, who will herd sheep, watch farms, and adore children will beat a GSD at agility. I once had a border collie who unlatched gates. The dogs that can think (not the hound group) can be pretty amazing.
Not generally known about poodles: They make good watch dogs. A assertive standard poodle will actually protect your home. They are among the smartest of dogs. If you can afford the grooming they make great service dogs for people who travel because motels don't balk at them the way they will a Shepherd. Motels and hotels hate dogs who shed.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Once seen as a lunatic fringe, reactionary anti-women groups are courting respectability
Salon headlines in your mailbox
