Selecting Shelter dog 4 House Dog

[smkie]

Lol..one will speak louder than the rest. IT's like the dog that finds you. IF i am ever superstitious about anything it is the dog that sits on your door step..or lays on the road in front of your car. When they choose you it is something extra special.

EVen my mother told me to take Victor back, about a dozen times. I just worry that people will go into a shelter and think the way a dog behaves in there is the way it will be when you get it home. Even when you get them home how they behave maybe seriously different from how they behave a few weeks later but you know that already.

I do believe that looking at petfinder is a good way to start the selection process. You don't have the guilt of leaving them behind when you walk through. YOur more able to start making a selection and seeing a broader range than going to a facility. Plus many have been pulled from the kill shelters and are in rescue situations so more is known about them.

[darkchild16]

I go with my heart as well.

Many on here know how I came to have Walker. I was on a breeders list to get a dog being canceived in november a breed I had so desperatly wanted. We went to see my grandfather Holloween weekend and my mom and her then boyfriend went to a art show were the City Pound has a booth. Mom called me that they had a puppy I need to see. So begged my grandfather to take us across town (me, cousin and brother) in 15 utes before the booth closed. We got there in the nick of time. They had loaded the cats, thebuns and the other dogs. All that were left were Walker and his sister. SOme kids were playing with them and all the sudden Walker shoots up against the ex pen staring at me and im a good ways off all i could tell was he was small with one prick ear and one floppy ear. I picked him up and he sighed and started to nap. They went to take him to the van (they couldnt adopt him out there)and he TORE my shirt with his nails because he didnt want to go. We went and had lunch while I filled out the app. I went to the dog area and couldnt find him, I was heartbroken. Then one of the volunteers saw me and was like your puppy is still over there he hasnt been put in a run yet.

Apperantly he cried the entire way back and only calmed down when they gave him food.

I wasnt even looking for another dog but something told my mom to call me. And i will be forever grateful for that. Hes also bigger then we wanted LOL.
He also decided to pee on me on the 4 hour drive home with my clothes buried.

[Laurelin]

I've worked in a shelter for a long time. It can be very difficult to judge a dog's true personality by their behavior in a shelter. Dogs react differently to the stress. Many labs I see go off the wall crazy in their pens but if you get them out, they'll be a lot better behvaed. I've seen many toy dogs and herders just shut down completely and they seem very calm when in actuality you get them home and they're very active dogs. So it can be hard to tell exactly what you're getting until weeks later once the dog has acclimated.

I'd go in witha general age and weight range and know what types of breeds you get along with best. Get to know everything you can about a dog (which might not be much for some shelters). Take the dog out of the kennel and spend some time with it. That's really the best you're going to do. Shelters are somewhat of a crapshoot but there are some really good dogs in there.

[smkie]

Our humane society has been pulling dogs from the local kill shelters reducing the kill rate from 54 percent to 4 percent. Leaving only those that are not able to be placed due to illness, age or behavior. They are my number one charity and I believe it is a good way to select a dog to go through them. I would look into shelters like this. They want to pair up the right owner with the right dog and will be willing to give time to both to learn about each other and not make rash decisions. I did bring home one dog from a kill shelter, last box, last hour, and she was not a good fit for me or the children. My mother took Trudy Blue and gave her the kind of home she wanted for the next decade. I never made a decision based on situation alone again. I am just too emotional to make a rational decision in such a situation.

[JoeLacy]

Maybe I should get a stuffed animal at the State Fair.

Good suggestions all, thanks.

I'll give myself some suggestions:

Talk to the Control officers and people who actually feed, water and care for them. The front desk people usually don't know the dogs for more than a passing glance, the people who interact with them do.

Check the new arrivals, they may not be up for adoption yet but be might be a candidate there.

Quarantine also, if they will let you back there. Purell your hands, shower and wash your clothes before greeting any other pets of your own and work the Quarantine area last at each visit.

Bother the Vet and ask any questions as a last step before electing to bring the dog home. Sometimes, they have insights that others won't.

Ok, what else that hasn't been said?

[sammgirl]

Hrmm...

well, what do YOU want in a house dog?

Some breeds are very active in doors, but are still house dogs such as Papillons.

Some breeds are extremely large, but very lazy in doors such as greyhounds.

Some breeds shed, some breeds have hair and need to be stripped or otherwise professionally groomed.

As for puppies, gosh...I've never picked out a puppy for myself. I know I would avoid a very shy puppy, but anything else I'd be fine with.

I know most people here dislike this Puppy Aptitude Test, but the breeder I'm talking to believes that this CAN be ONE good tool that you can use. It's not a be all end all, but it can be useful like anything else.

Volhard Dog Training and Nutrition: Behavior and Training: Behavior

[release the hounds]

i guess it depends what you want really

i definitely wouldn't look for calm in the cage, i like energy, lots of it. But that's me.

Temperment is the biggest. how skittish, confident etc. How do they react, with avoidance or aggression if they react. those sort of things.

Even then dogs change once they get in an environment they feel comfortable in, there's a difference between a shelter and your home.

if it has the temperment I'd want then I don't care what it looks like in the kennel. if I take it outside and it will chase something, great, if not, it's not a dog i'm looking for. if the drive and temperment are in place then the rest can be trained.

[JoeLacy]

Uh, no puppies. I have another dog and "we" have some requirements. I won't even mention it to her until I've given it my best effort.

[CaliTerp07]

Originally Posted by Laurelin

I've seen many toy dogs and herders just shut down completely and they seem very calm when in actuality you get them home and they're very active dogs.

That was Lucy. She was calm and quiet and wanted to do nothing but cuddle when we took her into the run outside to play. HAHA. We adopted her, brought her home, and she ran laps around my little apartment for hours. The first time we were at the park she ran and ran and ran for the whole afternoon.

Still, wouldn't change her for the world. We were flexible enough to change our life style a little to match what she needed.

[Maxy24]

To me you are basically saying "what do you look for in a dog?", as nearly every dog someone gets is going to be a house dog, there is nothing different between an outdoor dog and indoor dog except an outdoor dog needs to be okay with less human interaction and needs to be physically capable of handing the elements. House dogs don't need any special traits besides enjoying being inside. you look for what you like, what activity level you like, what amount of clingy personality you like, how much you like a cuddly dog or an independent dog, etc. Examine your preferences and then meet the dogs and talk to the staff.