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

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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

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound
Therapy, the podcast where wetalk all things pet grooming,
daycare academy and more.
Hosted by Shannon and Tanya ofHound Therapy serving pet owners
across North Texas, we're hereto share expert tips, hilarious
pet stories and the inside scoopon keeping your furry friends

(00:25):
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 (00:37):
Who let the dogs out.
Not all puppies come from thesame beginning, but how does
that impact their grooming needs, behaviors and long-term care?
Let's break down the real-lifedifferences between rescues,
breed-raised pups andstore-bought pets.
Welcome back everyone.
I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host andproducer, back in the studio

(01:01):
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 thebackground stories behind the
dogs we welcome to the groomingtable.
This one's important.
What are the differencesbetween rescue puppy versus

(01:25):
breeder versus store-boughtpuppies?

Speaker 3 (01:29):
Oh, so many places to start.
Let's start with rescue puppies, right?
Rescue puppies are you kind ofknow what you're going to get,
depending on the rescue, and youknow it's kind of a 50-50, you
know choice.
You've got a kind of a breedthat you're going with a breed
that it looks like.
That're going with a breed thatit looks like.
That doesn't necessarily meanthe breed that it is, but you
can almost see a finishedproduct, especially if it's not

(01:52):
a, you know, if it's four monthsold, five months old.

Speaker 4 (01:56):
Most will already be spayed or neutered.

Speaker 3 (01:58):
Yeah, most of the time, depending on the rescue,
vaccinated, all of that andthat'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 upeverywhere right now, which is
kind of nuts to me.
So, that said, a rescue puppyif you've got problems, if you

(02:22):
don't have problems.
Puppies are puppies and they.
They pretty much have the sameimprint moments and they're,
they're, all of them are, if youput the time and effort in, are
very trainable.
You know they.
They may have been scared tocome from a bad, a bad story or
whatever, whatever the case maybe, but as soon as you hit that

(02:43):
next imprint moment, and what Imean by that, the next growth
spurt the next month, there'smilestone.
Yeah, there's.
There's certain improvements,just like with, with with
children.
There's, there's certainmoments that you know babies
tend to do certain things andpuppies and dogs are the same
way.
Let's go to breeders Breeders I, I am.
I am pro and con with breeders.

(03:03):
You've got to stay away frompuppy mills, yeah.

Speaker 4 (03:06):
Reputable breeders are definitely Do your research
on the breeders.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
Usually with a breeder, you know what dog
you're going to get, especiallyif you're buying a dog for a
specific purpose, whether thatbe a service dog, anything of
those sorts, whether it be ahunting dog, something specific

(03:32):
High energy, if you're lookingfor a dog that has a certain
length of life, if you'relooking for a dog that's got a
certain type of a personality,and if you don't really I mean,
you never really know abouteverybody's medical but you do
have a pretty big advantage ofgoing through a breeder that has
documented mother and father,grandparents, great grandparents
, that kind of go through thathave, you know, been tested by

(03:53):
vets?
You know you're breeding forgenetics versus.
You know sometimes you'rebreeding for temperaments as
well.
But but breeders, a goodbreeder will breed for both.
And if it's a dog that doesn't,you know a lot of allergy
problems, ear problems, you knowit's missing, you know a weird
toe on one side or you knowwhatever it is, usually a good

(04:16):
breeder will not breed that doganymore or wouldn't breed one of
those puppies and recommendthat that dog gets spayed or
neutered immediately before theyeven, or they would spay or
neuter it before they even getrid of it now store-bought.
I I'm not for me puppies thatcome from a store, uh, if you

(04:36):
can find them online, first ofall, there's a lot of scammers
out there, so beware we moat.
What we don't want is for youto come back and spend $3,500
plus on a doodle or on a shihtzu or a lab whatever it is that
you buy.
That you got from a pet storewhere you are getting this dog

(04:57):
from a $12 paid employee and wedon't know who owns it.
We don't know where the dogcame from.
It's not documented.

Speaker 4 (05:07):
They usually don't have any background.

Speaker 3 (05:08):
health-wise they're not vaccinated, and if they are
vaccinated, it's usually a Firstround.
Usually they're not vaccinatedand if they are vaccinated, it's
usually or you know, firstround, usually something that
you're in the vet world.
They may have go all the way upto rabies or say, hey, we'll
cover that, but they'redefinitely not spayed or
neutered.
Um, and they're usually notwell bred.
You've got to think likeanything else, and if you're
going to buy it and sell it,somebody's buying it for cheaper

(05:30):
and they're selling it for morebecause that's how they're
being able to make a profit.

Speaker 4 (05:34):
Um, unfortunately, I'm a big thumbs down for for
store-bought puppies yeah, I'veseen a few that are good, but
for the majority of the onesI've seen they're just not great
.

Speaker 3 (05:47):
And then that said, breeder versus rescue, rescues
usually are a little cheaper.
You know, to acquire, plusyou're you're giving an
opportunity for a new dog.
You kind of can see what you'vegot and in those cases you're
getting kind of an all in one.
Hey look, this is the dog sizethat I want.
It's a vision, it's the look,and you know you're helping

(06:10):
somebody out, you're keeping adog off the street.
Plus they usually come.
If you're coming through arescue group they're coming with
most of their medical, you know, kind of full funnel then
breeder, knowing exactly whatyou're getting.
But it's a lot more costly justbecause you, you're paying, you
pay.
You're paying for all of thepast medical visits as well, the

(06:30):
new medical visits, the.
It's kind of you're paying forthe bloodline, what you know
exactly, yeah, whether it's atemperament or a um, but you'll
know exactly what you're goingto get and you're going to know
your quirks of each breedbecause 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.

(06:51):
We'd love, love to talk aboutpuppies.
We love puppies, love puppies.
Hopefully that answers it foryou guys.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Definitely.
Now final question for youtoday how does temperament vary
between each origin, and whatshould groomers keep in mind
when it comes to these puppiesfrom these different places?

Speaker 3 (07:14):
Well, the temperaments.
If it's a true puppy, sixmonths and under the rescue,
temperament could be a littledifferent.
They might be a little bit morenervous and shy depending on
their backstory.
But you have the same kind of athing with a breeder too.
If it's a puppy that is, youknow, top of the breeder or
bottom of its breed, right,there's a pecking order for sure
.
So being able to pick out theright puppy is a different thing

(07:37):
.
Store-bought I'm going to putstore-bought with rescue, so
we're going to kind of keepthose the same.
Temperament-wise, you're goingto depend on if you're buying a
dog that is, a working dog, aVichla, a Labrador, a Poodle, a
standard Poodle, a Jack RussellTerrier.

Speaker 4 (07:54):
Golden.

Speaker 3 (07:54):
Retriever.
These are all dogs that arebred for working.
They have high energy.
So if you're going to get ahigh energy dog and we call it a
two-year dog or a three-yeardog, so let me clear that up A
three-year dog or a two-year dogI can't say that enough.
I have a Vizsla.
She is a three-year dog.
It is three years before thepuppy is out of her head.

(08:22):
So all of the training I haveto do for her, it's like having
a toddler from seven weeks tothree years and sometimes it's
even four, but typically Minewas a four, my Bichlo was a four
Three years to get them towhere they are going to really
recognize and understandcommands and do what they need
to do and be a fully functional,well-behaved dog.
A lab is more of a two-year dog.

(08:42):
Now you've got male and femaleYou've got to add into that.
That doesn't mean that's truefor every single breed.
Schnauzers are more of aone-year dog.
They're a smaller dog but hyper.
But they learn everything theyneed to know within a year to 15
months and they're usuallypretty good.
So by knowing your breeds andwhat you're wanting and what
you're looking for versus a pugor a palm, a pug is what I call.

(09:04):
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 Yorkiearound the block to get all of
the energy out for them.
Same with the palms.

(09:25):
That's a dog You're going tostick in your purse, put on your
lap and you're working fromhome.
Yeah, so it's it's.
You got to get what fits yourpersonality and your lifestyle
Correct.
I'm a high strung kind ofperson person, so I've got a
high-strung dog and we get alongbeautifully.
If I had a dog that just sat onthe couch all day, it really
wouldn't do me any good becauseI'd be gone.

Speaker 4 (09:46):
I have both of those kind of dogs.
I have a couch potato dog and Ihave a high-strung dog.
But they get along well andthey fit into the family
perfectly.

Speaker 2 (10:07):
Two high-strung dogs are definitely not good.
Two mellow dogs are okay.
Opposites attract right Right.
Thanks for walking us throughthe unique journeys these pups
take before they hit thegrooming table.
Can't wait to dive into morestories next time.
We'll see you next time.
Shannon and Tanya have a greatday.
We'll see you next time,shannon and Tanya have a great
day.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
That's a wrap for this episode of Tail Talk with
Hound Therapy.
Ready to book your pet's nextgroom daycare stay or grooming
academy tour?
Call us at 469-367-0009.
That's 469-367-0009 to schedulean appointment, or visit us
online at wwwhoundtherapycom.
Serving North Texas with expertpet care.

(10:48):
Until next time, keep thosetails wagging.