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Also EVERY dog can learn to be a good and polite member of your family, but only if they are trained. All dogs chew and scavenge for food and mess in the house if they have not been trained otherwise. Research training methods BEFORE you get your dog so that you will be fully prepaired, and be consistent. Research trainers in your area and enroll in an obedience class. This will teach you how to communicate with your dog and help the two of you to bond. Ultimately buying or adopting a dog is not something to be taken lightly, it requires great thought and planning. And when you finally do get that special friend be prepared for the lifetime commitment of time and money. If you get the right breed, make it a part of your family and take the time to train it properly you will have have a life long companion who will love you regardless and would gladly lay down it's life for yours. And you, well, you just might feel the same way about him. KJM
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Neither of us here claim to be the ultimate experts, but we do believe we have a firm grasp on this issue. If you happen to feel that something is wrong here, indeed tell us.
From the cynics point of view, this issue would come down to, "It's just a dog." And I believe that many people hold to that axiom, not out of conviction but habit. Everybody is familiar with going to the pet store or looking in the paper for that birthday puppy. But I shall not hesistate to say that I find these practices wrong. Most pet store puppies are from puppy mills and many backyard breeders are in it for money and if they are not, do you really know what kind of dog you are getting. It could be doomed to hip dysplasia and heart failure at three years old. Obviously most dogs that come from these sources are relatively okay but it is the premise of supporting these scenarios that is the problem. If people knew that puppy mills breed the dogs as many times as possible, house multitudes of different breeds in trailers wallowing in feces, urine and dead puppies, would people be so eager to support this scourge.
Hopefully I can give you a few pointers on how to avoid this and actually feel good about yourself in the process.
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This route is the way you can truly take pride in your path. I speak from experience that there is a special sort of feeling spawned by taken in an abused, neglected or unwanted dog. Coesoig is older than Andromeda but he acts so much more like a puppy than she and I believe it is because he never really had the chance to be one.
Rescues I split into different sorts: animal shelters and breed-specific rescues. Both usually have the well-being of the dog in focus and it often costs much less than purchasing one through a store or paper. True, you may still get a puppy mill dog, but at least you did not support the puppy mill by paying them for it. Which ever route you take, remember the key to getting a dog: research, research, research! Read books, search the internet, contact breed clubs. Do not go in blindly. Make sure the dog will conform to every aspect of your life because it will want to stick its nose in all of it. Even if you pick a mixed breed, find out its main components and research them. If you get a Lab mix it is likely to act much like a Lab, same with a German Shepherd mix, all mixes. Kelley and I researched Great Danes for a year before we got one. Remember, a dog is an long-term intimate commitment.
If you want a particular breed (that you have researched), a breed-specific rescue may be for you. They even have strict contracts for the security of the dog and are often quite thorough in investigating you. This is good. If a rescue just blindly gives a dog to anyone, whose to say that they are not just putting that dog in they same type of abused situation that it was rescued from in the first place. These rescues have the welfare of the dog in mind and their gole is to put it with a family that will love it for life through good and bad. The easiest way to find one of these rescues is to contact the local or national breed club since these rescues are usually affiliatted. We contacted the IWCA to find the wolfhound rescue in Kansas City. The support system within this club was inspiring. Obviously you are not going to get the champion of which you dream, but you are getting the specific dog you want and you can take satisfaction in improving that dog's life. Besides there is always agility and obedience trials if you wish to show.
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If you are willing to take the extra steps to get a guaranteed excellent dog, a breeder is the way to go. A true breeder is absolutely not in it for profit (money at least). If done right breeding usually should not allow much. This should be their endeavor only if their intent is to better the breed, which would include minimal and researched breeding with the intent of the improved product being shown. Of course they will sell pets as well, but not with any less care. A true breeder should have documentation of all pertinent health checks, even guaranteeing health to an extent, should have a contract saying if for any reason you cannot keep the dog they will want it back and requiring the dog to be fixed unless it is to be shown. A good breeder will also question you about your knowledge of the breed and your lifestyle. Don't be offended, expect it. They have the well being of their puppies at stake and will not sell them to just anyone. They should present the parents for you to meet as well as let you see their premises. They should always be there for you if you have any questions during the dog's life.
The "backyard breeders" found advertising in the paper usually do not do this. It is not always because they are deviant, sometimes they just are ignorant of what really is proper breeding, though I think many deride this concept as aristocratic foppery. For example we once heard a Dane owner say that her breeder bred her Dane because she did not want to pay so much for her next one. That, is foppery. Backyard breeders breed for several reasons. Some just want the money (which is ususlly not as profitable as they had hoped) and some think that just because they own an AKC registered dog it is worthy of breeding. This is not so. All purebred dogs carry genetic defects. Responsable breeders screen dogs for health, temperment and conformation. Let me state again that breeding should only be done to BETTER THE BREED!! Backyard breeders are ignorantly producing inferior dogs which will again be bred by ignorant owners to produce more inferior dogs that carry all kinds of genetic problems. And the cycle continues defeating everything responsable breeders spend time and money to try to create . . . a healthier, better looking breed of dog.
Another note, when an add says AKC registered, it means the owner paid the eight dollar fee to name the dog. It has no bearing on the dog's suitability to be bred. Even champion dogs should not be bred if they have poor temperments or are carriers of genetic defects that they can pass (the same applies to dogs with champion pedigrees). Responsible breeders know this.
Indeed if you go to a real breeder it may be more expensive. But you get for what you pay.
So how to find a good breeder?
Start by contacting the local or national breed club for a list of good-standing breeders, who are usually members as well, and go from there. Make sure you do your research and know it well before contacting the breeder; they may hang up the phone on you if you sound like an idiot. Make sure of all the things I listed previously. Question the breeder and demand that they question you. This lets them know you are serious and lets you know they care about where their dogs go. Andromeda's breeder even told us to go compare their pups to some of those listed in the paper. They had confidence in their litter but did not force us into buying Andromeda; we had to "cajole" them into letting us have her. This is how it should be; buying dogs should not be like buying goldfish.
Charlie Mason, 4.5.99
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The Great Dane Club of America
Great Dane Clubs Page
Irish Wolfhound Club of America
Irish Wolfhound Clubs
Breed Specialty Club Index
Association of Great Dane Rescues
Great Dane Rescue Page
Irish Wolfhound Rescue Directory
Laird's Animal Rescue Resources
What to Look for in a Reputable Rescue
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What Makes a Breeder "Responsible"?
Thoughts on Responsible Breeding
Novices Interviewing Breeders
Feddema's Puppy Buying Guide
Purchasing a Dane
Dr. P's Training Library
APDT Training Index
Clicker Training
Pryor's Clicker Training
Obedience Articles
Gentle Leader
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