CandB

Oh, asal, you have made my day! What gorgeous dogs. Love me an ACD, they are just beautiful mates to have!

Pardon my interjecting here. The breeders I know are like you, “real” owners who are realistic and in touch with the needs of both their dogs and dog owners alike. I imagine many others are, too. Unfortunately, a good breeder - not a “reputable” breeder but a “good person who cares about dogs and lives in the real world” - isn’t the easiest thing to find. Nor will they necessarily have litters available at all or most times, nor will they likely even need to advertise. So we wind up with the following situation: Person wishes to buy a dog (yes, I know they are sentient beings, dammit I don’t even like saying the word “buy”! But we are technically discussing a financial transaction of property here, bad as it sounds). Person (and here is the big issue) HAS NO REASON TO BELIEVE THAT PUPPIES ARE HARD TO COME BY. And why should they, when news segments refer to Spring as Puppy/Kitten season, when councils argue that all animals must be de sexed as we are overrun with purebred Golden Retrievers at present etc etc... Person goes to do the right thing by contacting “a breeder”. **I will use an uninformed but well intentioned person here** Both person and breeder are shocked at the impressions the other party are under (things like waiting for a puppy, inspecting premises etc, contentious and confusing issues for those unfamiliar with breedings). Person feels disheartened at the thought of not being good enough for a dog. Person then goes to BYB so that they can at least shed the stigma of not being good enough for a purebred pup. It could be due to the size of Australia in part, but finding your breeder can seem like gaining membership to an exclusive and secret society. Breeders may not know this, probably because they are too busy caring for their dogs (and rightly so). All comes back to information and communication IMO. Get the word out to people that they may need less time to fall pregnant than to find a pup. Give breeders a way of communicating easily with the public. Change the misconceptions that are perpetrated in the media (“just pop on down to your local breeder for as many puppies as you would like! And now! Right now! Go on!”). And now I’ll shut up and go see if the dogs are still snoozing or are ready for a play lol.

Fair call, RuralPug. I guess a lot can come down to interpretation and personal lifestyles. I’m an outdoorsy type, my Velcro dogs have pretty much refused me any sick leave from work as they then feel obliged to stay inside with me; makes it a bit hard to rest with people sighing with boredom in your direction! :p But yeah, it’s probably not the norm nowadays for people to spend a lot of time in their yards. I’m guilty of forgetting that! You made me smile with the Malinois comment, I knew two who would’ve seemed totally low maintenance, until you spoke to mum and dad and heard about how they were almost always on their way back from or heading to a new, fun dog outing they’d excitingly discovered yet they would’ve sworn their dogs were no trouble at all, they had no problems surrendering the best sofa and hauling food in from the outdoor markets each weekend lol.

I’ve found many people get taken aback when first contacting breeders and associations, especially if they’re new to the pedigree dog world. Prospective owners are constantly told to do the responsibile thing by going to a “reputable breeder”, and so when they do start to look into buying their puppy, they’re quite shocked to find that many breeders are not only not interested in patting them on the back for searching them out (instead of going to an evil pet shop or supporting a puppy mill), but also not necessarily willing to sell a puppy unless the person meets their criteria. There aren’t too many situations where money changes hands in exchange for some sort of product in which the person selling isn’t happy to make the sale. The general public typically aren’t aware that breeders don’t necessarily profit from the sale of pups, and that breeders certainly don’t consider their pups products in the first place! Meanwhile, breeders aren’t aware that buyers are truly shocked that there are not a bountiful supply of puppies at this place they’ve been told to be a good, responsibile person and go to to find their pet. Throw in the fact that most people don’t realise that breed associations are not based around making money but the love of the breed, and we have buyers wondering why the person “working” in a specific position comes across as annoyed with the very act of doing their “job”. It’s just an issue of communication and misinformation IMHO. Which is sad because if there were a little more info about contacting a breeder etc (only materials I’ve found are from overseas), and a lot less hype in the press, there’d be a lot less confusion and frustration all round.

Not saying it couldn’t possibly ever be done, but an awful lot of factors would have to align perfectly, strata rules, dog’s own temperament and so on. Even then I don’t reckon I’d be comfortable, my Staffy X could spring 6 feet into the air from a sit (which never gave me a heart attack or anything, not at all lol). Any efforts to make your balcony as safe as possible could backfire and see the dog try to jump out of desire to get a view or escape from a loud noise...I’d be too worried to do it. I’d be looking at another breed until you get a house. Bonus being that if they’re chilled enough for apartment life, they’ll likely take the move to your house in their stride.

That’s a bit of a blanket statement as far as GSDs and Labs go, I’ve both known and owned a few of each who would beg to differ when it comes to the great outdoors! Especially since it’s a bit hard to swim or dig (preferably in that order for maximum mud coverage ;) ) whilst inside. It does depend on the owner though IME, if they’re prepared to make their breed-appropriate sized yard a fun, interesting, safe place for their dog (s), not to mention spend time out in it themselves, and just generally be dedicated owners, dogs can indeed do extremely well outside. Unfortunately, I think a lot of people imagine their dog can more or less be “stored” in a tiny, boring “designed with humans in mind” backyard save for a brief walk and a weekly obedience class and expect all to be well. I’d like to see more information circulating about exactly what a good dog-yard is and how to make one as dog friendly as possible. I know that years ago, gardening shows etc used to have regular segments on this...Dr Harry might pop up to tell viewers that dogs enjoy elevated view points to take in views of their ‘hood...just random things that many people don’t seem to take into account now. As for the grooming, Labs are extremely low maintenance, admittedly not as much as a Basenji, but still precious little “work”required. Just their daily swimming/rain chasing activities and the subsequent towel drying will keep their coats sleek, it’s actually better to not overly bathe them since that will mess up their natural oils. Throw in a brush every couple of days, more if required or if you both feel like being beautiful lol and viola, grooming complete. Now the pitbulls, I concur wholeheartedly. I hate especially the current trend of young girls getting one to look cute on Instagram with, only to be devastated when the dog attacks the fellow un neutered male that the owners thought they would just love meeting suddenly and spending the day in a pen with together *eye roll* . As for Brave? Well, even if we take the actual dog raising out of the equation, yes, you’re very brave to be asking for the council etc to please begin hating you. Sorry for the long post and I’m not trying to be a d**k, I’m just over people labelling dogs as incompatible with nature or as high maintenance as a Kardashian when really, those claims come about from people who somehow thought their dog was going to brush themselves whilst sitting calmly amongst their rose garden. If OP can pick up a brush and go outside for a play with their dog, they should be right.

OP, good on you for doing your research into appropriate breeds for your lifestyle part of the reason so many wind up at the “pounds” is because others buy without doing such prior thinking. I have lived all my life with dogs; big, little, cross breeds, rehabilitated rescues, deaf dogs and pedigrees...all have been inside/outside, and all have preferred the outside. Which can feel a tad insulting when they choose their little building under the patio instead of coming in with me! :P Whether a dog will be fine outside for long periods will depend very much on - climate - are you happy to be outside in at least part of your yard in (almost) all types of weather? (Things like snow change the game lol). -yard set up - will the dog have an area that can be an equivalent of “inside”? Such as Access to an insulated & renovated shed (which you’re happy to store only chewable furniture in ;) )? - Are there enough shaded areas/sheltered areas/sunning points/lookout points etc... -are you neighbors nice and not likely to pester your dog? - safety issues - Can you keep your yard clean enough to ensure vermin choose to live in your neighbor’s yard instead? If “yes” to the above, I personally have found that dogs (if their breeding is suited for it) will genuinely prefer you coming out with them instead of having to sit around inside watching you be boring lol. For a first time dog owner, I would actually say go with a puppy. Rescuing requires at best a lot of flexibility on your behalf, as the poor dog has been at least socialised/raised differently to how you’d have liked, and at worst, needs a full time commitment to rehab a traumatised, starved dog who may have life long phobias which they are beyond being desensitised to. You mentioned that you have a large period of leave - if you are willing to spend even four weeks training and secretly/obsessively observing your dog (are they entertained whilst you’re “gone”? Do they know where their water is? Is it in a container they can’t knock over? Are they comfortable and confident? Can they reach that item you swore they couldn’t? Do they know that I leave yet always come back?) then I vote you will be fine it IS work on your behalf - those casual strolls outside have to be timed perfectly - but it makes for a happy and relaxed dog if you’re prepared to stress yourself out for a bit ;) As for actual breed, that honestly depends on your abilities and likes more than anjthing! if you’re at all timid about taking on dog raising, I would be looking at a Lab or Goldy due to how easy they are to train and exercise, but mainly how gentle in nature they are - they’ll forgive you any mistakes far more easily than some other breeds might! Otherwise, I’d head to a Show to check out different breeds, or even ring vet practices for a chat. This will not only help you find out whether X breed is one you’re capable of feeding, treating etc but also give you a read on the person you’d like to be caring for your new addition