Resources on owning a dog

[BeauJangles]

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Raising-Pu...8037069&sr=8-1

These guys, IMO, are the best in the business. Their books are straightforward, easy to understand, and help you raise a happy obedient dog that won't constantly be a source of stress in your life.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I had a Beagle once, that dog would chew up EVERYTHING!!!

Dogs are pretty needy, we have a lab mix who is 12 years old and she was a nightmare when she was a puppy. They are very social creatures and if left alone for hours at a time they find ways to get into trouble.

 

[bignateyk]

I read in some guide that you should only get a puppy that was raised in a home. It said puppies raised in kennels are more like "livestock", and are not suited to live inside.

I found this breeder who will ship a puggle same day, but it is raised in a kennel. Any thoughts on the advice i mentioned above? Any reason not to get a puppy raised in a kennel (you can see pics on the linked site).

www.djminibeagles.com

I would NOT buy a puppy from a website on the internet that will ship to you like that. Especially without going and looking at their breeding area.

When buying a puppy:

1) Visit the breeder
2) Ask to see (and interact with) the parents

Buy local, or you are going to end up with (even more so) in-bred, puppy milled crap.

Also, never skimp on the price of a pure-bred puppy. If you go cheap and get a puppy mill dog or a back-yard breeder puppy, it will probably have all kinds of health/behavioral problems, and end up costing more in the long run than if you had shelled out the extra few hundred dollars and gotten one from a good breeder to begin with.

 

[thedarkwolf]

He is buying a puggle er mutt. A good breeder doesn't breed puggles er mutts. The only people that do those are back yard breeders and puppy mills.

 

[DougK62]

You might consider using petfinder.com if you're after a young puggle pup - lots of them on there. I got an 8-week-old puggle from a rescue place off of petfinder.com - he was born in a huge puppy mill that was raided. Great health, and has been a real pleasure to train. Many people think that he was very expensive. Awesome personality.

 

[DougK62]

He is buying a puggle er mutt. A good breeder doesn't breed puggles er mutts. The only people that do those are back yard breeders and puppy mills.

That's just not true. There are some very reputable breeders doing puggles. Not all of the great breeders do it just to show the dogs - there are some great breeders for companion dogs.

 

[sjwaste]

I'd be wary of a breeder that doesn't want to meet you or see your home. Reputable breeders won't place dogs in homes they're not totally sure of, because reputable breeders want the dog back if you can't care for it.

Same should go for you. You should want to go see the breeder's home, how the puppies are socialized, how the other dogs look, etc.

I'm not going to get on a soapbox about buying dogs from breeders when there are so many in pounds. To be honest, I'm fine with buying a dog from a breeder. What I think is ridiculous, however, is to support puppy mills and the like because you want an animal now. If you're going to spend that kind of money, at least make sure it's going to someone reputable. Otherwise, just go to the shelter and get a dog there. Support reputable, ethical, caring breeders or support the local shelter/rescue. In between are the puppy mills, and I think we can all agree those should go away.

I realize you didn't start this thread to get a lecture. Apologies in advance

 

[alkemyst]

You might consider using petfinder.com if you're after a young puggle pup - lots of them on there. I got an 8-week-old puggle from a rescue place off of petfinder.com - he was born in a huge puppy mill that was raided. Great health, and has been a real pleasure to train. Many people think that he was very expensive. Awesome personality.

petfinder is how I found my dog. You can search by age, breed, etc all by your zipcode.

You won't see 'puggle' listed, search by either pug or beagle.

 

[KingGheedora]

I'd be wary of a breeder that doesn't want to meet you or see your home. Reputable breeders won't place dogs in homes they're not totally sure of, because reputable breeders want the dog back if you can't care for it.

Same should go for you. You should want to go see the breeder's home, how the puppies are socialized, how the other dogs look, etc.

I'm not going to get on a soapbox about buying dogs from breeders when there are so many in pounds. To be honest, I'm fine with buying a dog from a breeder. What I think is ridiculous, however, is to support puppy mills and the like because you want an animal now. If you're going to spend that kind of money, at least make sure it's going to someone reputable. Otherwise, just go to the shelter and get a dog there. Support reputable, ethical, caring breeders or support the local shelter/rescue. In between are the puppy mills, and I think we can all agree those should go away.

I realize you didn't start this thread to get a lecture. Apologies in advance

No, I appreciate your input. So far I haven't been able to find a breeder local to my area (so I can visit) that breeds puggles. Googling for "puggle NYC" brings up a lot of garbage that looks like puppy mills where you order them online. If you have any advice on finding a reputable breeder for this kind of dog that'd be helpful!

 

[Capt Caveman]

No, I appreciate your input. So far I haven't been able to find a breeder local to my area (so I can visit) that breeds puggles. Googling for "puggle NYC" brings up a lot of garbage that looks like puppy mills where you order them online. If you have any advice on finding a reputable breeder for this kind of dog that'd be helpful!

Check for a local pug meet-up group and ask folks about who they got their puggle from.

 

[sjwaste]

No, I appreciate your input. So far I haven't been able to find a breeder local to my area (so I can visit) that breeds puggles. Googling for "puggle NYC" brings up a lot of garbage that looks like puppy mills where you order them online. If you have any advice on finding a reputable breeder for this kind of dog that'd be helpful!

Clubs are a good place to get that info. Might be able to find one with a listserv or forum.

http://puggle.meetup.com/

Looks like Caveman beat me to the post.

 

[sjwaste]

I realize this might be a source with an agenda, but there are people talking about this being an unhealthy mix.

http://www.pugs.org/Puggles.htm

 

[KingGheedora]

I realize this might be a source with an agenda, but there are people talking about this being an unhealthy mix.

http://www.pugs.org/Puggles.htm

Funny to read. Some of the snottiest opinions I've seen. People who are into "breeds" of dogs seem to get offended at the thought of mix-breeds for some reason. That page presents no empirical data, just pure stick-up-some-pug-lovers'-asses opinions.

 

[gophins72]

http://www.amazon.com/Art-Raising-Pu...8037069&sr=8-1

These guys, IMO, are the best in the business. Their books are straightforward, easy to understand, and help you raise a happy obedient dog that won't constantly be a source of stress in your life.

this is a great book and i also recommend it.

 

[sjwaste]

Funny to read. Some of the snottiest opinions I've seen. People who are into "breeds" of dogs seem to get offended at the thought of mix-breeds for some reason. That page presents no empirical data, just pure stick-up-some-pug-lovers'-asses opinions.

Yeah, like I said, might be an agenda there. IIRC mutts tend to be healthier anyway, just from greater genetic diversity.

Inbreeding has caused some major issues in some otherwise awesome breeds. I really wanted a Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, but their rate of epilepsy is ridiculously high - and that's just the "reported" number. Bernese don't regularly live to 10. Etc.

 

[thedarkwolf]

I have no problem with mutts and know I'm coming off as a douche but really if you want a mutt go to the pound. Don't put money in some sleezy assholes pocket. I stand by what I said about only bad breeders breeding puggles. The other problem with these dogs is you might get a dog that doesn't have any of the health problems of either the parents or you might get a dog that has all the health problems of both pugs and beagles. Its a crap shoot. I do find it hard to believe you could end up with a dog that is any unhealthier than a pure pug though. Those things are horribly deformed dogs with all kinds of genetic problems.