Ben the Vet has made a really nice TikTok video about five dog breeds that people frequently underestimate. What he means is that people who want to buy a dog are sometimes attracted to these five dog breeds mainly because their appearance is so impressive but Ben is making the point that people should know more about the breeds and the particular demands that they place upon caregivers before adopting.
Husky
If you don’t do your homework on these breeds, you are liable to relinquish them to a shelter and Ben says that in respect of the husky this has happened because he says that you need two hours free a day to exercise them.
If they aren’t exercised, they become bored and they may demonstrate some unwelcome and unwanted behaviours. They also might become obese. The husky has been bred to pull sledges in cold weather for long distances!
To be frank, if this dog breed is genuinely bred to do just that it would seem highly unlikely that anybody other than an Eskimo or a Canadian living in the north of Canada is going to find that this dog breed is suitable. Anyway, people need to take heed of Ben’s advice because it is good advice.
Rescued street dogs
Yes, there are a lot of very kind and generous people who meet a poorly street dog in Eastern Europe or perhaps further afield like the Middle East or in between, perhaps Turkey, and they can’t leave them behind. They can’t leave them where they saw them because their tender heart compels them to bring them home.
The actual procedure for adopting them is straightforward but the procedure in getting them home to the UK or whatever the person lives is going to be horrendously complicated and very expensive.
But that is only the beginning of the problem. But let me tell you right away, I don’t want to put people off because it’s a wonderful thing to do; to rescue a street dog from say Romania. It is one more dog who has been saved and placed in a good home. There is a reward for that.
But the problem as Ben states is that they’ve not been socialised to humans. Socialisation needs to take place very early on in a dog and cat’s life. Ben says that for dogs socialisation needs to take place before the age of 3-4 months. And if a dog isn’t socialised to humans, it will take a very long time to get used to living with humans.
Adult dogs that haven’t been socialised can be socialised later in life but it’s a hard task. And they might never quite leave behind all those innate canine behaviours which a human caregiver doesn’t really want to see. Essentially an unsocialised dog will be scared of people; be anxious and anxiety creates all kinds of behavioural problems.
Cockapoo
The problem with Cockapoos is that they are a cross between a poodle and a cocker spaniel. The former is intelligent and the latter is highly energetic. You have a highly energetic intelligent dog which needs to be stimulated. A lot of people don’t have the time, the energy and the wherewithal to achieve that. Also, Ben says that a lot of people think that they are hypoallergenic but they are not.
German Shepherd
The big problem with this attractive dog is that they are inherently unhealthy and you’re going to have a hefty veterinary bills to pay and the insurance policy to support. These are generically inherited health problems because of selective breeding. Some of these health issues can be screened through DNA testing. You should ask the breeder about this and insist that the documentary evidence you are provided with contains negative screening on hip and elbow dysplasia.
The German Shepherd is also protective of their owners and Ben says that they can be aggressive at veterinary clinics. They are also big and boisterous. This does not suit everybody.
The news media were all over a story about Pres Biden and his two German Shepherd dogs. Both of them ended up fighting Secret Service advisers and other personnel at the White House. These were not bad attacks on employees but they were bites nonetheless and it proved that they weren’t suited to a life at the White House with lots of comings and goings. No doubt they wanted to protect Pres Biden but the environment in which they were placed confused them and probably caused anxiety leading to bites.
French Bulldog
Ben describes this breed as a “low health status” dog. That means you’re going to have high veterinary bills and you are going to take out an insurance policy all of which increases the cost of caring for this very popular dog breeds. I feel fairly confident that a lot of people adopted this dog without really realising that they do have quite extensive inherited health problems. Ben says that the dog is never fully well and that they have a short lifespan which can lead to anxiety in the caregiver.
