Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy

Rescue, Breeder, or Store? Understanding Your Pup's Background

• Shannon & Tanya • Episode 14

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Rescue Puppy Vs. Breeder Vs. Store Bought Puppies

Ever wondered why some puppies seem to settle in seamlessly while others struggle to adapt? The answer often lies in where they began their journey. Shannon, Tanya, and I dive deep into the fascinating world of puppy origins, comparing rescue, breeder, and store-bought pathways to pet parenthood.

We explore rescue puppies, which typically arrive with vaccinations and spay/neuter services already complete—offering a clearer picture of the adult dog you'll eventually have. Breeder puppies bring documented bloodlines and predictable traits, perfect when you're seeking specific characteristics or working abilities. However, we don't hold back when discussing store-bought puppies, highlighting concerning patterns of undocumented backgrounds and questionable breeding practices that every potential pet parent should understand before making this significant commitment.

Perhaps most enlightening is our discussion about canine temperament and developmental timelines. Shannon introduces the concept of "two-year dogs" versus "three-year dogs," explaining how different breeds mature at vastly different rates. High-energy working breeds might not fully "grow up" until age three or four, while other breeds settle into their adult personalities much earlier. Understanding these patterns helps set realistic expectations for training and behavior. Whether you're a first-time dog owner or adding to your pack, this episode provides crucial guidance for matching your lifestyle with the right puppy from the right source. Ready to make an informed decision about your next furry family member? This conversation is your essential starting point.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare academy and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of Hound Therapy serving pet owners across North Texas, we're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't bite. Let's get started. Who let the dogs out?

Speaker 2:

Who let the dogs out. Not all puppies come from the same beginning, but how does that impact their grooming needs, behaviors and long-term care? Let's break down the real-life differences between rescues, breed-raised pups and store-bought pets. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio today with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Hi ladies, how are you today? Fantastic, how are you? I'm also fantastic. Now. I can't wait to dig into the background stories behind the dogs we welcome to the grooming table. This one's important. What are the differences between rescue puppy versus breeder versus store-bought puppies?

Speaker 3:

Oh, so many places to start. Let's start with rescue puppies, right? Rescue puppies are you kind of know what you're going to get, depending on the rescue, and you know it's kind of a 50-50, you know choice. You've got a kind of a breed that you're going with a breed that it looks like. That're going with a breed that it looks like. That doesn't necessarily mean the breed that it is, but you can almost see a finished product, especially if it's not a, you know, if it's four months old, five months old.

Speaker 4:

Most will already be spayed or neutered.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, most of the time, depending on the rescue, vaccinated, all of that and that's a huge plus, because you're not going to get that, typically from your breeder and or from just a random pet store, which sadly are there. They're just popping up everywhere right now, which is kind of nuts to me. So, that said, a rescue puppy if you've got problems, if you don't have problems. Puppies are puppies and they. They pretty much have the same imprint moments and they're, they're, all of them are, if you put the time and effort in, are very trainable. You know they.

Speaker 3:

They may have been scared to come from a bad, a bad story or whatever, whatever the case may be, but as soon as you hit that next imprint moment, and what I mean by that, the next growth spurt the next month, there's milestone. Yeah, there's. There's certain improvements, just like with, with with children. There's, there's certain moments that you know babies tend to do certain things and puppies and dogs are the same way. Let's go to breeders Breeders I, I am. I am pro and con with breeders. You've got to stay away from puppy mills, yeah.

Speaker 4:

Reputable breeders are definitely Do your research on the breeders.

Speaker 3:

Usually with a breeder, you know what dog you're going to get, especially if you're buying a dog for a specific purpose, whether that be a service dog, anything of those sorts, whether it be a hunting dog, something specific High energy, if you're looking for a dog that has a certain length of life, if you're looking for a dog that's got a certain type of a personality, and if you don't really I mean, you never really know about everybody's medical but you do have a pretty big advantage of going through a breeder that has documented mother and father, grandparents, great grandparents, that kind of go through that have, you know, been tested by vets?

Speaker 3:

You know you're breeding for genetics versus. You know sometimes you're breeding for temperaments as well. But but breeders, a good breeder will breed for both. And if it's a dog that doesn't, you know a lot of allergy problems, ear problems, you know it's missing, you know a weird toe on one side or you know whatever it is, usually a good breeder will not breed that dog anymore or wouldn't breed one of those puppies and recommend that that dog gets spayed or neutered immediately before they even, or they would spay or neuter it before they even get rid of it now store-bought.

Speaker 3:

I I'm not for me puppies that come from a store, uh, if you can find them online, first of all, there's a lot of scammers out there, so beware we moat. What we don't want is for you to come back and spend $3,500 plus on a doodle or on a shih tzu or a lab whatever it is that you buy. That you got from a pet store where you are getting this dog from a $12 paid employee and we don't know who owns it. We don't know where the dog came from. It's not documented.

Speaker 4:

They usually don't have any background.

Speaker 3:

health-wise they're not vaccinated, and if they are vaccinated, it's usually a First round. Usually they're not vaccinated and if they are vaccinated, it's usually or you know, first round, usually something that you're in the vet world. They may have go all the way up to rabies or say, hey, we'll cover that, but they're definitely not spayed or neutered. Um, and they're usually not well bred. You've got to think like anything else, and if you're going to buy it and sell it, somebody's buying it for cheaper and they're selling it for more because that's how they're being able to make a profit.

Speaker 4:

Um, unfortunately, I'm a big thumbs down for for store-bought puppies yeah, I've seen a few that are good, but for the majority of the ones I've seen they're just not great.

Speaker 3:

And then that said, breeder versus rescue, rescues usually are a little cheaper. You know, to acquire, plus you're you're giving an opportunity for a new dog. You kind of can see what you've got and in those cases you're getting kind of an all in one. Hey look, this is the dog size that I want. It's a vision, it's the look, and you know you're helping somebody out, you're keeping a dog off the street. Plus they usually come.

Speaker 3:

If you're coming through a rescue group they're coming with most of their medical, you know, kind of full funnel then breeder, knowing exactly what you're getting. But it's a lot more costly just because you, you're paying, you pay. You're paying for all of the past medical visits as well, the new medical visits, the. It's kind of you're paying for the bloodline, what you know exactly, yeah, whether it's a temperament or a um, but you'll know exactly what you're going to get and you're going to know your quirks of each breed because those are usually going to be in with their breeder. So there's pros and cons to all. If you guys have any questions, you know you feel, please feel free to reach out. We'd love, love to talk about puppies. We love puppies, love puppies. Hopefully that answers it for you guys.

Speaker 2:

Definitely. Now final question for you today how does temperament vary between each origin, and what should groomers keep in mind when it comes to these puppies from these different places?

Speaker 3:

Well, the temperaments. If it's a true puppy, six months and under the rescue, temperament could be a little different. They might be a little bit more nervous and shy depending on their backstory. But you have the same kind of a thing with a breeder too. If it's a puppy that is, you know, top of the breeder or bottom of its breed, right, there's a pecking order for sure. So being able to pick out the right puppy is a different thing. Store-bought I'm going to put store-bought with rescue, so we're going to kind of keep those the same. Temperament-wise, you're going to depend on if you're buying a dog that is, a working dog, a Vichla, a Labrador, a Poodle, a standard Poodle, a Jack Russell Terrier.

Speaker 4:

Golden.

Speaker 3:

Retriever. These are all dogs that are bred for working. They have high energy. So if you're going to get a high energy dog and we call it a two-year dog or a three-year dog, so let me clear that up A three-year dog or a two-year dog I can't say that enough.

Speaker 3:

I have a Vizsla. She is a three-year dog. It is three years before the puppy is out of her head. So all of the training I have to do for her, it's like having a toddler from seven weeks to three years and sometimes it's even four, but typically Mine was a four, my Bichlo was a four Three years to get them to where they are going to really recognize and understand commands and do what they need to do and be a fully functional, well-behaved dog.

Speaker 3:

A lab is more of a two-year dog. Now you've got male and female You've got to add into that. That doesn't mean that's true for every single breed. Schnauzers are more of a one-year dog. They're a smaller dog but hyper. But they learn everything they need to know within a year to 15 months and they're usually pretty good.

Speaker 3:

So by knowing your breeds and what you're wanting and what you're looking for versus a pug or a palm, a pug is what I call. It's a lap dog. Those little pocket pitties, the little pit bulls they're not really. They don't do a lot. So that's a companion, right? Yorkies? You're not. You're not walking a Yorkie around the block to get all of the energy out for them. Same with the palms. That's a dog You're going to stick in your purse, put on your lap and you're working from home. Yeah, so it's it's. You got to get what fits your personality and your lifestyle Correct. I'm a high strung kind of person person, so I've got a high-strung dog and we get along beautifully. If I had a dog that just sat on the couch all day, it really wouldn't do me any good because I'd be gone.

Speaker 4:

I have both of those kind of dogs. I have a couch potato dog and I have a high-strung dog. But they get along well and they fit into the family perfectly.

Speaker 2:

Two high-strung dogs are definitely not good. Two mellow dogs are okay. Opposites attract right Right. Thanks for walking us through the unique journeys these pups take before they hit the grooming table. Can't wait to dive into more stories next time. We'll see you next time. Shannon and Tanya have a great day. We'll see you next time, shannon and Tanya have a great day.

Speaker 1:

That's a wrap for this episode of Tail Talk with Hound Therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming academy tour? Call us at 469-367-0009. That's 469-367-0009 to schedule an appointment, or visit us online at wwwhoundtherapycom. Serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails wagging.