Purebred or Rescue? Opinions Please

[Camirab]

The b.f. and I are hopefully getting a new puppy in March, but we're still a bit stumped on which route to go. I've really been wanting a Belgian Malinois, but at the same time, there are so many rescue puppies in the area I'll be moving to that are adorable. The bonus is that they come spayed and with first shots and all that.

On the other hand, the training I want to learn and practice is perfectly suited for a Belgian. I'm not sure how well it would work on a mixed breed. Does anyone have an opinion? Or advice on how I can make up my mind?

 

[Xandra]

The b.f. and I are hopefully getting a new puppy in March, but we're still a bit stumped on which route to go. I've really been wanting a Belgian Malinois, but at the same time, there are so many rescue puppies in the area I'll be moving to that are adorable. The bonus is that they come spayed and with first shots and all that.

On the other hand, the training I want to learn and practice is perfectly suited for a Belgian. I'm not sure how well it would work on a mixed breed. Does anyone have an opinion? Or advice on how I can make up my mind?

By training do you mean methods or sports?

If you want to do French Ring or Schutzhund, you'll need a working breed from working lines (the mal). Ok, potentially you could find a shelter dog that would... maybe some sort of hog dog might have the nerve and drives... but that would be the worst kind of crapshoot ever.

If you're doing something like obedience or agility... you can probably find mutt at the shelter that will do well.

If you mean method... well the method you choose should be universal.

If you're interested in bite sports... have you gotten involved with a club yet? You've picked one of the most intense, high energy breeds out there so you really need to make sure you have the time for one. I think most mutts would be more forgivable of a schedule change... but a Malinois needs exercise and stimulation.

 

[Barb04]

I agree that it all depends on what type of training you are talking about doing.

Also, if you want a purebred, you could also check that particular breed's rescue.

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

No advice other than what's already been offered ... just want to point out that it does not HAVE to be "purebred vs. rescue".

You do have to look around, but there are purebreds in shelters. There's also breed-specific rescues as Barb pointed out. Personally I prefer rescuing directly from shelters since the dogs already in a "rescue group" situation are usually being fostered in private homes and are not in danger of possibly losing their lives for want of a forever home.

The only difference in adopting a purebred from a shelter or rescue is that it's unlikely that purebred puppies will be available. But there are many great adult purebreds in shelters or in rescue. Adults are often easier to train as they are already beyond the "puppy-crazies" period and many are already housebroken.

 

[lizzybeth727]

The b.f. and I are hopefully getting a new puppy in March, but we're still a bit stumped on which route to go. I've really been wanting a Belgian Malinois, but at the same time, there are so many rescue puppies in the area I'll be moving to that are adorable. The bonus is that they come spayed and with first shots and all that.

On the other hand, the training I want to learn and practice is perfectly suited for a Belgian. I'm not sure how well it would work on a mixed breed. Does anyone have an opinion? Or advice on how I can make up my mind?

If you choose to rescue, I'd suggest rescuing an adult dog, that way you know what the temperment will be like. Puppies all pretty much act the same while they're little, but when they turn 6 or 9 months old their temperments can change drastically. You could get a puppy if you can also their parents, because often the puppies will grow up to have a similar temperment to the parents.... but even then it's not always a given.

There are actually a lot of mals in the shelters around here. The good thing about adopting an adult dog is that you can basically start training immediately; of course you can start training puppies immediately, but they are more difficult to train IMO.

 

[JessLough]

Have you ever owned a dog before? If not, I would say for your first, you would be better off going shelter option with an older dog. Especially not a Mali for your first dog.

Other than that, no advice other than what has been said already

 

[BostonBanker]

Along with the advice given, if you are planning to get a puppy in March, I would definitely look into rescue. The odds of finding a good responsible breeder who is going to a)have available puppies that are not already spoken for and b) sell to someone they have only known for a couple of weeks, are pretty slim. And with a breed like a Mal, even more than most other breeds, I would not be going with anything BUT a responsible breeder.

 

[AGonzalez]

I'll have to reiterate what Xandra said. If you're looking into bite sports, join a club first. Most of the time that will be a good way to find a breeder that does the sport and will have a dog suitable for the sport or to help you pick one out.

If it's going to be for other sports like agility and you want to rescue, that's a dandy idea. It all depends on what your goals are.

If you haven't had a dog before, I would not suggest a Malinois. Not because there's anything wrong with the breed, I'd love to have one myself, but because a working bred Malinois is not exactly the ideal first dog due to drives and energy.

 

[colliewog]

Being in Hawaii, you'll have a hard time finding a broad selection of Mal breeders (if any) and it's he!! to ship in a dog! (Search the archives for some stories!)

I'd say unless you've got your heart set on ringsport or PP work, go with the shelter dog/pup. Good luck!!

 

[sammgirl]

There are alot of personal choices that you need to make before you come to that decision.

I don't know your situation or your dog experience, but it seems a little hasty.

For me, getting a dog was a very long decision due to several different factors, such as our current dog, our finances, how much time we had to spend, what we were looking for in a partner and what we weren't willing to sacrifice... and then we made a decision and got our puppy.

Then, the whole process of getting the puppy took from July of 2009 to Jan. 29th of 2010 until we finally got the puppy.

But, we decided on getting a purebred puppy from an excellent breeder (which, is how you should do it if you're getting a purebred puppy) so it took quite a bit longer then going to a shelter.

If you do get a rescue dog, my suggestion is to get a dog that is currently in a foster situation so that you get some feed back on how the dog responds to a family situation. Sometimes, dogs are totally different in a shelter then they would be in your family, and you don't want to have to bounce a dog all over the place just because you didn't research.

But, I pretty much echo what the other posters are saying. Think about what you want- a family friend, a performance dog, a working dog, a show dog (some dogs can be all of these things) or do you want to rescue a dog from a shelter that may have not otherwise gotten a home?


Do you want an older dog already house trained or do you want to take the responsibility to raise a puppy? Puppies are tough!! It's like having a toddler in the house- maybe worse sometimes then a toddler.

There are sooooo many pros and cons to both. That's why it's such a big decision.

For us, we didn't want to take the chance of our current dog not accepting the "new arrival" so we opted for a puppy b/c our current dog is more receptive to puppies then older animals.

We don't have kids, and we both have flexible schedules, so for us getting a puppy was a natural choice.

I wanted a very stable dog, so we decided to go to a breeder that is well known for breeding for health and temperament first, everything else second.

Anyway, good luck and keep us updated with your decision.

 

[TheGoldenRetriever]

Being in Hawaii, you'll have a hard time finding a broad selection of Mal breeders (if any) and it's he!! to ship in a dog! (Search the archives for some stories!)

Good eye, Colliewog. Had not seen "Hawaii" up in the right-hand corner of the OP's original post.

Definitely would be a nightmare to ship any dog into Hawaii ... it's very expensive, and due to that state being rabies-free (including NO cases in the wild life there), they have all sorts of very strict quarantine rules. Can't blame them really, they just want to KEEP their state rabies-free.

 

[Camirab]

Wow. Thanks so much everyone for replying so quickly! I should clarify. We're going to start looking for a puppy this month. Whether we find one or not is unknown. I didn't mean we had to have one by the end of the month or anything.

By training do you mean methods or sports?

If you want to do French Ring or Schutzhund, you'll need a working breed from working lines (the mal). Ok, potentially you could find a shelter dog that would... maybe some sort of hog dog might have the nerve and drives... but that would be the worst kind of crapshoot ever.

Schutzhund is actually exactly what I want to learn, and what I meant. Sorry for the confusion. Sometimes I have articulation issues.

If you're interested in bite sports... have you gotten involved with a club yet? You've picked one of the most intense, high energy breeds out there so you really need to make sure you have the time for one. I think most mutts would be more forgivable of a schedule change... but a Malinois needs exercise and stimulation.

I haven't. One of my colleagues specializes in it so he offered to help me out, but I would also love to find a club in the area. Any suggestions on how to find one?

As for time, I won't be working anymore, except for the private training I do on the side, so I'll definitely have a lot of time available. That's why we decided now would be a good time for a puppy.

No advice other than what's already been offered ... just want to point out that it does not HAVE to be "purebred vs. rescue".

You're right. Sorry about that. I guess I meant more breeder vs rescue.

Have you ever owned a dog before? If not, I would say for your first, you would be better off going shelter option with an older dog. Especially not a Mali for your first dog.

Other than that, no advice other than what has been said already

Yes I have. I had a collie as a child, then fostered/rehabilitated several APBTs, and I've also been privately training dogs with aggression issues for the last 6 years.

Not to worry, I wouldn't even consider a Mal if I didn't feel I had enough experience, resources, and support.

Being in Hawaii, you'll have a hard time finding a broad selection of Mal breeders (if any) and it's he!! to ship in a dog! (Search the archives for some stories!)

I'd say unless you've got your heart set on ringsport or PP work, go with the shelter dog/pup. Good luck!!

I'll be moving to San Diego in a week. The b.f. is already there. The military and their moving. Eeesh.

 

[colliewog]

I'll be moving to San Diego in a week. The b.f. is already there. The military and their moving. Eeesh.

Then THAT part will be easier!

 

[stafinois]

To be honest, there are a lot of Malis in rescue. Perhaps not compared to some breeds, but they even get in purebred puppies fairly often. Nearly all of them are working bred dogs, but not usually the ones that are going to be the next NARA champion. You might find a dog in there if you aren't looking for something to go to the top levels of competition, though.

The breeder that I got my Malinois from lives in the San Diego area. She does FR, SchH, herding, flyball, obedience, and about anything else that she can do with them, plus produces dogs for police departments and the military. Her dogs are very versatile and driven, and she'd be a good contact for you in the area even if you didn't get a dog from her. I can give you her information if you are interested.

And FTR, importing into Hawaii isn't difficult at all. Importing from Australia or Japan will avoid all of that silly quarantine, and you can find nice quality dogs in both countries.

 

[Lizmo]

I would suggest you talk to the member CorgiPower. She's got a Mal and if you go the breeder route I'm sure she could help you find a reputable one. And give you LOTS of information about Mals!

 

[Dog-Training-Outlet]

It is your decision...Check your local shelter as sometimes you are able to find purebreds there. It is unlikely you will find what you are looking for but it's worth a trip. What is it that you're really looking for in a dog?
Intelligence? Loyalty? A guardian? Keep your lap warm?
I know it sounds funny but really think about that then find a breed that can offer that.