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Originally Posted by pstinard  First, I wouldn't adopt a dog off of Petfinder. I would go to the local humane society animal shelter and adopt a dog there. There are usually many to choose from, and they will let you take the dog out for a walk, play time, etc., to make sure that it is the right fit for you. If you are willing to adopt a dog, and the only consideration is how trainable it is, I would adopt a dog from the humane society animal shelter before getting a pure bred from a breeder (unless I was looking for a specific breed). Maybe I'm a little biased, but our local Champaign County Humane Society is top-notch, and they always let you check out a dog thoroughly before adoption. |
Petfinder is fine though? Shelters/rescues/human societies use it to list dogs all the time. Not sure why you wouldn't use petfinder as a source. Maybe you are thinking of another website. You can't *buy* dogs off petfinder. It is just to browse what is available and then you go to the physical shelter/etc where they are located.
As for breeder vs. adoption ... both options can be both great or horrible. It really depends on a lot of things. You CAN end up with a dog riddled with health & behavioral problems from a breeder and you can also end up with a perfect sweet dog from a shelter and vice versa. I think a lot of times what happens is really people just don't know how to pick a dog that fits them. You hear the saddest story or see the cutest dog and say "I want that one" and that's when people end up with issues many times. I know of trainers who will go WITH a person picking a new dog from a shelter and help them in their decision by knowing their major wants and needs and accessing the dog. And yes many dogs wind up in a shelter because of behavioral problems, often creating by the human who was unwilling or unable to train them properly, therefore they do sometimes come with slightly more 'baggage' I suppose.
If you go to a good breeder, they will be able to assist you in this too. Many breeders don't even let you choose a specific dog -- they will choose for you based upon your wants and needs in a dog since they know the pups best. But puppies are hard work too. There are benefits to adopting an adult dog -- usually already "programmed" to who they are going to be (kind of.. let me explain....) such as things like dog aggression, reactivity, barking, etc. What you see is what you get in a way. You can tweak behaviors you do not like through training and bonding of course. Whereas when you get a puppy, things could develop over time (through no fault of your own) and you wouldn't have been able to foresee it as a young puppy.
Anyway, between my 2 dogs... so I got Jackson (my giant Yorkie lol) from a not-so-great breeder. Just posted in a classifieds ad in the paper. She was definitely what you would call a backyard breeder. Got him at 9 weeks old. He's been an absolutely *amazing* dog. However it took a lot to get him there. I socialized the hell out of him and I've given him top notch care in general and lots of training etc.
We got Lola (family dog who turned into mine, kind of) from a really good breeder IMO. She is a mix (cockapoo) so some would question that but that's beside the point. Anyway. Night and day. She just came... good. No socialization was really needed (but I do it anyway of course), she loves kids, people, dogs, other animals, she has a great off switch but also a great play drive. She's kind of the perfect dog for most people honestly and it required very minimal effort. I do attribute some of that to her early stages of life.
Go with your gut. Don't be guilted into anything one way or another. Search for adoptable dogs and if you find and meet the right way - you are doing a GREAT thing! Many amazing dogs are in shelters. But there is nothing wrong with knowing what you want and finding the right breeder for you either.