Friend getting a puppy...

[mislisa]

Ok, i have a friend who is looking at getting a lab/border collie mix. she doesn't really know much about dogs so i'm trying to convince her to either find one at a shelter or look for a similar purebred dog. does anyone have any suggestions?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[luckypenny]

A shelter or rescue organization would be the best place to start. She really should do her research first and ask to speak to an adoption counselor before deciding if those are the right breed mixes for her (we're talking extremely high energy) and if her home would be ideal for any individual dog. Your friend should also look beforehand into training facilities in which she and her new dog can learn together.

[Gail P]

As LP said, high energy dogs. I have one myself, he's my leader for my sled team. He's the dog in my avatar picture. Excellent, excellent dog but fall, winter and spring he puts in lots of miles training and racing (like over 300 miles). He also gets out twice daily for runs around the farm and gets taken swimming in the summer. I've also taken him through two sessions of agility lessons and competed him in some disc dog trials. When he's not out doing something with me, he crashes and snoozes anywhere close to me, but seems to sleep with one eye open just waiting for me to go do something (anything! doesn't matter, he's game for whatever I want to do) All sounds great right?

My neighbour has his sister and that dog eats door frames, garage walls, fences, etc. (anything she can get her teeth on) due to thunderphobia or just when she wants out. They can't keep her fenced in or tied up, she always finds a way to break free and she has come over and tried to break into my basement, as a result the doorframe looks like it was attacked by an angry beaver That dog also lives on a farm but has no real job to do, she doesn't get enough exercise and attention and has found a way to express her frustrations. This is typical of high energy dogs that either aren't exercised enough and/or mentally stimulated and these behaviours can be expected to be more likely to occur with inexperienced owners who have no idea what to expect from this type of dog and has no idea how to train and manage the dog to prevent these behaviours from occurring. Many, many of these kinds of dogs end up in shelters and rescues because of people who just got a cute puppy and didn't know what they were letting themselves in for. As LP has already suggested, your friend needs to really make sure she is prepared to take on a mix like this, especially since she doesn't know much about dogs. If after doing her research she still feels that this kind of mix is right for her (and that she is right for this kind of dog, which is just as important), she could almost certainly find some listings on http://www.petfinder.com

[mastifflover]

GailP you really said that well. Nothing is worse than a dog that needs to be stimulated constantly and is left to sit around. I have a coworker who wanted a BC they are so cute. I tried to explain that this was not a breed for a homebody or is not really active. Well she got a BC and within a year had lost almost all of her furniture and moldings and wanted to get rid of the dog. She said she did not know what was wrong with the dog. I said you are wrong with the dog the dog is bored and has nothing to keep his mind and body busy. Well since my little sit down with her she has taken up jogging and agility and shockingly she has a very happy non destructive dog and bonus she has lost 25 pounds. But not being picky about a breed is how so many dog end up being dumped. Tell her to do her research

[Gail P]

Forgot to mention...that neighbour's dog...the owners have doors and door frames they have clad with metal sheeting to try to stop her chewing them. They are at the end of their rope...euthanasia has been mentioned more than once if she wrecks much more (which is why I didn't make a big deal about my door frame to them - that might have just sealed the deal for her). Once before they were going to try to rehome her and I wanted to help get her into rescue but I think the owners feel like some kind of stigma would be attached to them if anyone ever found out one of their dogs "had to be rescued" and they use the excuse that they've tried everything (which they haven't but aren't willing to hear) and that if she is that unhappy she's better off put to sleep

I know of two other siblings that have also almost been re-homed, one family though I think is mostly talk; the other now have a nice dog but said for the first two years they almost gave up on him.

[Floppy Dog]

Please encourage your friend to do her research on breed types and activity requirements. I did over a year's worth of research before I bought my Cocker Spaniel and it was well worth the effort. As an aside, my hubby was raised with high energy hunting dogs (terriers & cattle dogs) in New Zealand and has had several dogs (mostly lab and setter crosses) as an adult. He doesn't even have the courage to take on a boarder collie and he is a very active, outdoorsy type person.

[Gail P]

Originally Posted by Floppy Dog

As an aside, my hubby was raised with high energy hunting dogs (terriers & cattle dogs) in New Zealand and has had several dogs (mostly lab and setter crosses) as an adult. He doesn't even have the courage to take on a boarder collie and he is a very active, outdoorsy type person.

I have 5 full Border Collie's, the BC/lab, an ACD mix, a collie and another mixbreed, plus I have my mom's old collie living with me now. They're all good, they get lots of exercise and work. Odd though....I don't get many visitor's coming to my door or in my house Some people think I'm the crazy dog lady

[mastifflover]

I have 5 full Border Collie's, the BC/lab, an ACD mix, a collie and another mixbreed, plus I have my mom's old collie living with me now. They're all good, they get lots of exercise and work. Odd though....I don't get many visitor's coming to my door or in my house Some people think I'm the crazy dog lady

Not crazy, brave and tons of energy to burn.

[mislisa]

Seems like she already found a puppy... thanks anyway. i'll do my best to see that the little guy is well taken care of. Hopefully everything will work out for the best.