Bloodhounds

[PeppyGPhiB]

Originally Posted by blueangel

Another choice might be a labrador retriever or a golden.. but now you're talking massive shedding problems (hair everywhere!). They're really smoochy dogs that just crave love. And.. they tend to have hip dysplasia problems as they grow older.

Why not check out the pound and see who needs a home? Unless you're going to breed or show your dog, why not find a lovable mutt? They can make the best pets.

Good luck!

As someone who knows a lot about labs and goldens (I'm a volunteer puppy raiser for an org. that provides service dogs to people with disabilities), let me clarify a couple things. First, some of them shed, some don't. Some labs shed very little, and some goldens have shorter hair and only shed a little. In my opinion, I don't know if there is a finer family dog than a golden retriever. My family has had different breeds of dogs over the years, but it keeps getting goldens. They're easy to train, very patient, not overly hyper (usually), not aggressive, gentle and happy, and LOVE their people. They will follow you from room to room, and though they love to go outside and play/run, they are happy indoors. Labs are wonderful too, but they have more energy and can be too hyper around kids.

Now, I'm a big fan of the pound/shelter too, but I certainly understand why people look for a puppy from a breeder. Puppies are easier to train, and when you select a purebred dog after you've done your research, you know generally what type of a dog you're getting. Many dogs at shelters have suffered trauma or have behavioral issues that require a lot of extra patience, and by purchasing from a breeder, you also usually have an idea of the kind of health issues in the dog's line. For example, the hip displaysia you mentioned is NOT common, in fact it is a fault. Labs especially may get arthritis in the hips when they're older, but hip displaysia is actually a developmental disability usually apparent when the puppy is young. On that note, please realize that every breed has diseases and physical "issues" that commonly plague it.

Regarding chewing and other bad behaviors, that is common with puppies and adult dogs that aren't trained. Dogs require an owner that can provide consistent correction and praise, especially when they're new to the household. Dogs are actually happier when they are told what to do...the owner needs to be the alpha dog. It is challenging at first when you have a wild puppy that needs to be watched like a hawk, but after a few months of training, it's amazing how well-behaved even a young puppy can be. Whichever dog you end up with, please take some obedience classes!

If you'd like to read up on which breeds would be good for your family, here are a couple good sites:

AKC: www.akc.org
Animal Planet: http://animal.discovery.com/breedsel...lectorindex.do

[blueangel]

Originally Posted by PeppyGPhiB

As someone who knows a lot about labs and goldens (I'm a volunteer puppy raiser for an org. that provides service dogs to people with disabilities), let me clarify a couple things. First, some of them shed, some don't. Some labs shed very little, and some goldens have shorter hair and only shed a little. In my opinion, I don't know if there is a finer family dog than a golden retriever. My family has had different breeds of dogs over the years, but it keeps getting goldens. They're easy to train, very patient, not overly hyper (usually), not aggressive, gentle and happy, and LOVE their people. They will follow you from room to room, and though they love to go outside and play/run, they are happy indoors. Labs are wonderful too, but they have more energy and can be too hyper around kids.

Now, I'm a big fan of the pound/shelter too, but I certainly understand why people look for a puppy from a breeder. Puppies are easier to train, and when you select a purebred dog after you've done your research, you know generally what type of a dog you're getting. Many dogs at shelters have suffered trauma or have behavioral issues that require a lot of extra patience, and by purchasing from a breeder, you also usually have an idea of the kind of health issues in the dog's line. For example, the hip displaysia you mentioned is NOT common, in fact it is a fault. Labs especially may get arthritis in the hips when they're older, but hip displaysia is actually a developmental disability usually apparent when the puppy is young. On that note, please realize that every breed has diseases and physical "issues" that commonly plague it.

Regarding chewing and other bad behaviors, that is common with puppies and adult dogs that aren't trained. Dogs require an owner that can provide consistent correction and praise, especially when they're new to the household. Dogs are actually happier when they are told what to do...the owner needs to be the alpha dog. It is challenging at first when you have a wild puppy that needs to be watched like a hawk, but after a few months of training, it's amazing how well-behaved even a young puppy can be. Whichever dog you end up with, please take some obedience classes!

If you'd like to read up on which breeds would be good for your family, here are a couple good sites:

AKC: www.akc.org
Animal Planet: http://animal.discovery.com/breedsel...lectorindex.do

First, I want to say that I think it's great that you're a volunteer raising puppies for service dogs. It takes a special person with a huge heart to do that! And I can imagine how difficult it must be to give up the dog you raised and bonded with... but it also must be so rewarding to know that the dog you trained will be given to someone who is blind or physically challenged so that person can have a better life.

You obviously do have a lot of knowlege and experience with raising dogs, but we do have different opinions on a few points. Hip dysplasia is indeed a problem in the larger dog breeds. (along with arthritis in the hips that you mentioned).

"Hip dysplasia is most common among larger breeds of dogs, especially German shepherds, rotweillers, Labrador retrievers, golden retrievers, mastiffs, and Saint Bernards. It can also be seen in smaller breeds such as the cocker spaniel and the springer spaniel; mixed breeds may suffer from it as well."

http://www.workingdogs.com/vchipdysplasia.htm

It is not always very easy to tell which dogs will have hip dysplasia. One out of two of our labs showed signs when he was about 7 years old. (He was also a rescue dog).

From the same web site above:

"Some dogs will show clear signs of hip dysplasia at a very young age, before the arthritis sets in. For them, a commonly used surgical method is available to prevent its onset. But for many canines, the symptoms will not be obvious until severe, crippling arthritis has developed. At this point, the options for treatment are limited and complex. "

I have had two yellow labs (oh, those are wonderful animals!) but could not believe the amount of hair that came off of them! I spent a good half hour to an hour every day in the backyard brushing them, but I would still get big balls of fur all over the house. It seemed like I spent most of my life vacuuming!

The best dogs we've ever had came from the pound and the greyhound rescues. One of our greyhounds was abused on the track and has scars on various parts of his body from being beaten.

Yet, rather than being mean, he is so loving. He has never growled.. ever. His only issue is he's a bit hand shy....but he's coming along nicely. The vet thinks he was hit on the face when he was racing.

Personally, I'd rather have an older dog. The dogs we rescued from the pound were already housebroken, and knew how to walk on a lead.

Yet the one dog we ever had any trouble with was the bloodhound-- which my parents bought from a breeder for a pet and to show. (My parents used to raise and show champion bulldogs, but wanted to try a bloodhound.) Although she was a wonderful show dog, she was not a good "family" dog.
The "chewing issue" was not a lack of training... nor was the biting.

I did forget about the drooling problem that SueBarton mentioned. Our bloodhound would shake her head and drool would go flying everywhere-- on the sofa, the walls, etc. These are definately not good indoor dogs!

Dug up an old photo of our bloodhound.

[Jimmy Choo]

It does all come down to training. When I was young my relatives had bloodhounds on their farm. Those were the sweetest dogs!! I was very young at the time, like 4, and they never tried to bite me or anything. Of course b/c they are so big they sometimes don't know their own strength. That's the case with any large dog! They are usually some of the sweetest animals but have no clue how strong they are. But if you get one, you will really enjoy him/her. They are really friendly dogs by nature. However, they will chase your cats!!! But they are hunting dogs so things like that tend to be in their nature!

[PeppyGPhiB]

We use gentle leaders and haltis a lot in our service dog training. They're suitable for dogs of any size (though with tiny dogs i can't imagine you would need one)...all they do is lead the dog by the whole head instead of the neck...actually, they're a must for many people with large breeds. I once hurt my shoulder in training class because I had a strong-willed golden puppy that wouldn't walk on leash well (I hurt my shoulder from pulling/snapping the leash). Just like a car, dogs will go in the direction they're looking, and so the gentle leader helps you direct their attention to where you want them to go.

A lot of dogs will do something called "mouthing." That's when they put their mouth around your hand but don't bite down. It is not biting, but instead just a forceful attempt to get your attention and affection. Some dogs will also do it when they're excited and anxious. Still, it's not an OK behavior, if only because some dogs don't know their strength and could hurt a child if they did it to them. Some breeds also bite/nip more, so people should be aware of that. Not every breed is suitable for families...in fact a lot of dogs would be overwhelmed by kids.

Re: hip displasia, I misspoke a little. Yes, it is definitely a problem, I was just disagreeing that it's something you see in every lab/golden. Bigger dogs can have problem with their hips, just as some smaller long dogs have problems with their backs. There are different degrees of it...in some dogs its barely noticable and isn't something that would be regarded as a problem, just something to be aware of so you don't exercise your dog too much. In the ones where it's truly a problem, those should be spotted pretty early on. My friends got a lab a couple years ago from a breeder and found out about six months after they got her that she has severe displasia, to the point where surgery may be necessary. Now, for that dog, her hips are so underdeveloped that I bet the vet would've known before they even bought the dog. Hip displasia was a result of generations of bad/fast breeding in certain breeds, which is why you see it in a lot of popular breeds such as labs and goldens. That is why it's very important to get some dogs from reputable breeders...check references! It's heartbreaking to get a dog with a severe disability that you don't have the money to treat, or that has to be on medication its entire life.

Labs' shedding is a pain in the butt, because their hair is short and coarse. They're the hairs that poke through your clothing and drive me nuts. At least goldens have soft hair. Yes, vacuuming frequently is a must.

[valkyrie]

Holy crap, our dog HATES the gentle leader but it's the only thing that makes walking him on a leash bearable. He's always trying to get it off.

We need the dog whisperer.

[PeppyGPhiB]

Oh yeah, most of them hate it at first...scrape their face on the ground and try to get it off with their feet. Eventually they get used to it, though, if you use it every time with the leash.

The dog whisperer stuff really isn't news to people that understand dog behavior. Actually, puppies act a lot like children. It's important for the handler/parent to be the one in control, showing how to do something, giving clear instruction and praise, and correcting a bad behavior until the puppy/child knows it's "this way or the highway." A lot of dog owners don't realize they're rewarding bad behavior, or they say "No!" or "Bad!" one time instead of taking the time to show the good behavior, which just teaches the dog that it can get away with whatever it wants. Anyone that has a well-trained dog will tell you that a lot of repetition is involved.

A good book for dog owners: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Raising-Pu...e=UTF8&s=books

[PeppyGPhiB]

If anyone is interested in the organization I volunteer with, it's Canine Companions for Independence (CCI - www.cci.org). It has chapters all over the country, and we're always looking for more puppy raisers. It's a wonderful experience from beginning to end, and we've had a lot of families with kids do it up here in the Seattle area. I've also seen a lot of people do it before they get a dog of their own, either as a way to learn about dog training or to help them decide which type of dog to get.