If dog owners take the time to really observe their dog(s), they can learn what signs they’ll display if they begin to get excited, worried, or upset as well as learn what situations can trigger their dog’s behavior and take the appropriate steps to prevent problems.
For example: We have two dominant females that peacefully “coexist” – most of the time. We know the exceptions that disturb their peaceful coexistence.
If that “peacefully coexistence” is disturbed it can take hours, days, or possibly weeks to restore. It’s so much easier to prevent problems!
One situation is if our dogs get overly excited, this can upset their peaceful coexistence. We know people visiting can challenged their peaceful coexistence, so we’ll remove one or both dogs from the situation. We attempted to do so ahead of time and already have dogs separated. They’ll get their time to “meet and greet” visitors if that’s what visitors are here to do, but we want to control the parameters to prevent problems.
On a Related Issue
This also forms our stance when we’re asked about adopting a “rescue dog” vs. getting a puppy.
First off: We view both as “adoption.” In both situations a family is accepting complete responsibility for the animal. Both forms of adoption cost money.
Our stance is: Not everyone is prepared to handle the problems that can come with a rescue dog. There could be temperament problems and not everyone has the skills or means to cope with these.
Fact: It’s not always cheaper to rescue a dog than to adopt/purchase a puppy.
Our Opinion: Purchasing a puppy from a reputable breeder is NOT adding to the problem of dog over population anymore than getting a “rescue dog” is going to somehow end dog over population or “backyard breeding/puppy mills.”
