Purpose Bred Dogs
In keeping with the “theme” of service/assistance animals there is a topic which will invariably come up, the matter of using shelter vs breeder dogs. This is a subject shrouded in a lot of good intentions but as much, if not more, misunderstanding of what a trainer looks for when evaluating a working dog, as the American’s with Disabilities Act itself.
A couple of years ago, a friend and respected trainer of working/service/assistance dogs invited me into a conversation debating the use of bred dogs while so many shelter dogs are being lost every day. The question seemed simple enough, why don’t the programs use more shelter dogs? The answer may seem just as simple but it has many facets; because there aren’t enough qualified people to evaluate them.
First, what will a trainer look for when incorporating any dog into their program? A FEMA certified Search and Rescue handler taught me to go into a kennel bouncing a tennis ball. The dogs who come to the gate, with obvious interest over anything else, are going to be the ones with enough drive to enter a working discipline. The ones who will go through a concrete wall for that ball are the ones most desirable for things such as SAR, Human Remains Detection, Scent Discrimination Detection and the numerous other working disciplines in which a dog will excel and enhance a handlers’ ability to function at this level.
When you find perfectly healthy, high drive animals such as I have described, they are indeed perfect for this level of work. For the most part they have been surrendered by owners who describe them as out of control, sometimes stupid and untrainable. Most these dogs have been banished to pens or chains in the backyard where their behavior has continued to deteriorate to the point of being dumped. Are these bad dogs? Not at all because what makes them undesirable as a pet, makes them perfect candidates for high drive working disciplines.
The problem with these dogs is they are normally between the ages of 14-18 months old which puts them at the very top of the age most handlers will seek to begin training advanced disciplines. Ideally dogs begin on the most basic training level as puppies and by the first year are beginning the process of the “fine tuning” for a working discipline. Does this alone knock them out of the running? Not at all but at that age health and orthopedic issues are also coming to the forefront of consideration. Is this dog physically sound enough to do the work required? This is where the Purpose Bred Dogs will become most desirable.
It is no secret I support many responsible breeders. I have heard all the criticism from the rescues regarding breeders. I take the stance your experience is too limited to have a valid opinion. In the case of those breeding for a specific discipline, they are not breeding indiscriminately just to produce puppies. Their foundation stock and their get have had all required health certifications i.e. OFA, heart and whatever health issues may be specific to a given breed, done and they are breeding nothing but the best of the best. There are only two reasons to breed a dog; to preserve and improve. Comparing these breeders to the backyard bottom feeders seen by the rescues and shelters is ludicrous.
Does this alone knock a dog of unknown background out of contention for working/service/assistance? Not at all but it is a very real consideration. Imagine pulling a dog, doing the initial training plus the required training to work, only to send it into the “field” and find out it is physically incapable of performing its duty.
Last week I mentioned I am skeptical when a person reliant on a service/assistance animal says they have trained their own dog. I am a naturally skeptical person in the matter of dog training. I want to see the work, not hear the rhetoric. I am in a class with Drake right now, with a handler who is in fact beginning the training of a dog who will go on to be her service dog. This woman is starting over with a 6-month-old, purpose bred puppy, after spending countless hours training a shelter dog who was found to be physically incapable of performing the service needed. Did she dump the infirm adult? No but she is reliant on a service animal and is now forced to start over from scratch to resume the assistance she requires from her dog. This is not an unusual scenario, except for the fact that this is an owner/trainer.
Those breeding dogs for a purpose are not only breeding for physical soundness, they are also breeding for specific temperament traits. These are dogs who will go on to specialized programs such as guide dogs for the blind, hearing dogs, seizure detection, diabetes, psychological support dogs but also Search and Rescue, scent detection, tracking, the fields and demand are almost limitless.
What is the answer for those who would see more shelter/rescue dogs being utilized in the working disciplines? This is not an arena for the bleeding hearts. This is an arena for those willing to educate themselves and get out there to do the work. Apprentice yourselves with proven breeding programs to learn what is required of working/service/assistance dogs so you can do a solid evaluation. In the same turn remove yourselves from gossip and misinformation by apprenticing with a trainer with a proven track record and the experience to build a solid working dog.
You will not make a difference for the shelter/rescue dogs by throwing any ole dog out there and thinking it will be successful. Those who ignore the requirements of the work, will in fact be those who set dogs up for failure. This forum will expand to include not only responsible ownership but responsible rescuing.
The bottom line is about doing what is right for the dogs and saving as many as possible. There is a finite number of pet homes but there is an almost infinite number of placements available for dogs doing a job. Decide if it is more important to cling to the notion you can make a difference by wishing it or by getting out there and doing it!
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