Yep. I knew a guy who thought he was “active” so he got a pair of huskies. At one point he could not contain them in crates, so he put them in the garage while he ran errands. They literally chewed through the garage wall in about 2 hours and were picked up by animal control.
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You’re describing my BIL and SIL 
They went and picked up a husky mix pup, decided he would be lonely so went back and got a female from the same litter. At the time they lived on 20 acres, but never taught the dogs to walk nicely on a leash and of course they had no recall. They spent most of their lives tied up or in a small pen. They were picked up several times over the years by bylaw after escaping. The female was euthanized about a year ago because they weren’t able to manage her diabetes or hypothyroid. The male just turned 9 and is still alive. We just had him at our house for 10 days while they went to Jamaica.
He’s actually a very good boy with some structure and some actual exercise. Turns out with a couple mild corrections he can also walk nicely on a leash. The only command he knew was sit, now he also knows “down” and was starting to understand “heel”. The poor guy is overweight though because they free feed him and let their 4yo daughter feed him treats whenever she wants. And his nails ugh, I got them as short as I could but they’re still way too long.
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And/or they don’t realize that many “active” breeds are really smart too. Just letting the run hard is only part of what they need.
My breed (Brittany) is designed to be an “all day hunter.” That means they can (and want to) run all day. They can live without running “all day” but they do not thrive when they don’t have regular and rigorous exercise AND mental stimulation. I think a lot of breeders in my breed actively try to talk people out of getting one.
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That’s a whole other issue. On a casual work call, we were talking about our dogs, and someone mentioned that their parents’ golden always had so much energy despite going for mile-long walks. I had to patiently explain to her that even if that was enough to tire out his body, the squirrelly brain also needs to be tired - I put it in terms of children (a gifted child might do a dozen sports but they’re still going to be bored if you don’t work their brain, and what does a bored gift child do? Find something to entertain themselves, often in ways that are not helpful)
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This attitude is horrifyingly common. I would see it when I was still working (retired vet tech) and still see it in the dogs around me. My parent’s neighbors have a goldendoodle that is a comedy routine when it’s outside. The neighbor will open the door and let the dog out into the (non-fenced) yard. The dogs runs all over barking and eventually will settle enough to go potty, at which point she calls it. It ignores her. She will call 4 or 5 times in various pleading voices, which the dog gleefully ignores. Then she goes into the house and returns with a box of biscuits. She shakes the box and then starts throwing biscuits as the dog happens by. Eventually, she can lure him back into the house. This happens EVERY TIME!!
The lady commented to me once about how well-behaved my dogs are and said she “must have picked the wrong breed” and then asked what my dog was, pointing to the border collie (the other is a lab). I talked about my dogs getting a lot of exercise and mental stimulation. I asked if she had every considered taking the dog to obedience classes and she looked at me like I had 3 heads… she sincerely expected a dog to “just know things” from birth. What do you even say?! [And I have to admit now that I don’t have to deal with people like this because of my job, I do my best to disengage and escape.]
I joke all the time about my BC being a matter of who is training whom… I think a lot of dog (and horse) owners would not like the answer if that question was applied to them.
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Well, and a mile-long walk isn’t exactly exercise for a sporting breed.
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Well yeah, I had already made a point in that discussion about how I needed to budget time in the evenings because my 12 year old Sheltie needed 2.5-3 miles a day so I didn’t feel like hammering that one in on her.
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If I only took my cattle dog mix for mile long walks I wouldn’t have a house left. She was sent to the shelter for eating a couch and twin bed and destroying crates. I haven’t seen any of that destructive behavior cause we are constantly engaging with her.
I couldn’t imagine having a full blooded cattle dog though. They are too much dog for me.
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I don’t know anyone who successfully had a cattle dog who wasn’t on a farm full time, and even then they were a lot (I will always, always say - one of the best things about shelties is that they’re a smart herding dog with an off button)
Yep, my dogs get an off leash run every day for about 30 minutes, if not two. Normally two except in winter when it’s just too dark to get them both in. It’s a lifestyle for sure.
Thinking more about this story, it’s as much about training as recognizing that the dog is outside to get mental stimulation. My dogs want to hang out, listen, etc. of course it would be easier sometimes for them to run out, potty and come back in a go to sleep. But they are not stuffed animals.
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Unfortunately I don’t think the average person even considers that their dog needs or wants mental stimulation. Most people probably haven’t even seen their dog konk out simply from thinking.
My dog is ten, we have to be careful with the physical exercise because there is some wear and tear. She still gets a 45 minute off leash walk every day at 5am, most days we go again later on as well, plus lots of time out in the yard. But we regularly either pick something new to learn or do some scent work to work that brain.
Last night we drove a few hours after work and stayed in a hotel so we could be on the ice fishing first thing this morning. She was wound when we got there but she knows how to settle and I made it a priority to engage her before bed.
Today she’s taking turns checking holes with SO and snacking in the warm hut with me.
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I can’t see paying that much for any dog. Where we live, it’s easy to avoid pits and pit crosses at the pound. I have a strong preference for herding types.
Where do people selling farm dogs fit in? I can’t imagine anyone really making that much money from selling “farm collies” or cattle dogs, or border crosses. These are the puppies you see going for $350-$500. The best are from a line of working dogs that really are on a farm. I’ve been to farms to buy sone hay and a bunch of young puppies come tumbling out of a barn behind their mom. I guess it’s good that they aren’t in cages, but they aren’t vaccinated or fixed. The best have done genetic testing but most are just backyard breeders.
I know pounds have raised their adoption fees into the hundreds. When you see how much spaying/neutering and vaccines cost, it makes sense.
Honestly, when you compare those adorable farm pups to pound dogs, the pound dog, especially one that’s over 2 years old, has got to be the best deal out there. In fact, I bet I could find a grown up farm pup there, lol.
I think a more accurate representation of the majority of people on this thread is that the high energy, health and grooming requirements that many of these dogs have makes them a poor choice for first time or more casual dog owners AND this leads to problems for other dogs, groomers and vet/vet staff. Oh yeah, when this happens in 60+ lb package the problems are multiplied.
Not surprisingly, the best behaved doodles (shoodles 
) I’ve seen have been adopted by smart dog owners, but smart dog owners who are adopting large adult dogs are like most really good people, uncommonly rare!
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I think it is likely, based on the number of especially large dogs abandoned over the last year, is that casual dog owners are everywhere. There seems to be a shortage of smart dog owners, and responsible pet owners in general. There is a perfect storm of shelters unwilling to cope with the situation and people who can’t cope with the requirements of dogs. That said, the doodles that are abandoned seem to have no trouble obtaining new homes and not making the euthanasia lists.
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Could be because the choice often is between a doodle and a pitbull mix.
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… Or that they think they hit the jackpot, like they’ve found a Frenchie or some other hot akc breed for damn near free.
Yes, I am that cynical.
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All the people I know who adopt from a shelter are just happy to have a dog. People who look to adopt from a shelter or rescue are rarely conscious of ‘what’s hot’ – they more typically are really clueless about everything canine. And shelter dogs may not be $3500 but they are no longer cheap, much less free.
It just continues to blow my mind that these doodles are marketed so successfully to people new to dogs and/or with children and busy lives when they need SO MUCH grooming, both daily brushing and regular clipping, etc. Almost nobody that isn’t a bit of a dog person is reliably going to brush a dog daily, even weekly. Everyone says they do/will and they just don’t. Why not get any of the myriad of dogs that don’t need that? But no, we’re going to pay $3500 plus (even get a loan for it) to get this doodle because it’s so cute. Except…a Poodle looks exactly the same if you don’t trim their face 
Which, personally, I think is gross. I used to clip faces at least every two weeks, I hate that hairy nasty smelly beard situation, but to each their own.
It’s just so dumb.
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Also they look like a Portuguese Water Dog, but they’re not quite as smart.
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