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> But they take soooo much time and energy to raise, they're nearly incompatible with a 9-5 job for the first year or so of their lives. So are Huskies. For w

> But they take soooo much time and energy to raise, they're nearly incompatible with a 9-5 job for the first year or so of their lives. So are Huskies. For whatever reason, people bought a ton of them at the beginning of quarantine. Once it was lifted, the dogs started tearing up homes when left alone all day. Local shelters are currently flooded with these things. Buyer's market right now. We just rescued one from a dumpster. > the "wild-type" breeds with more genetic variability are often much, much more challenging for human owners Yeah, fuck mutts. I've owned four in my lifetime and now own a purebred Husky. For the first time, I'm finding dog ownership fun. You never know what you're getting into with mutts, but it's a little easier these days since they have 23andMe type services for dogs so you can get some insight into what your future holds.

cyberlurker 4y ago
As someone who has had many mutts and rescued purebreds… I’m assuming you don’t know what you’re doing if you think all mutts are difficult. Generally, people don’t exercise their dogs enough and then run into problems. Doesn’t matter the dog, but a consistent routine of lengthy walks and runs has never failed. And if you don’t have time, don’t get a dog.
- jstarfish 4y ago
  I'm extrapolating from a sample set of 4. #1 was a half-chow nightmare from Hell (yes, I was clueless) but the next three weren't problem dogs, just difficult to understand. Conventional wisdom did not consistently apply across the three. It was like multiclassing three characters in an RPG you don't even know the classes of. Unlike purebreds. You can literally buy an instruction manual for your specific breed. Way easier.
  - _y5hn 4y ago
    What works is having a test-period before changing ownership. There can be many reasons for incompatibility, and often quite unfair to blame it on the dog who had no say.
etempleton 4y ago
There are a two breeds in particular that novices love because of their looks but will almost certainly not be equipped to handle—huskies and beagles. Huskies are just incredibly high energy. They need space and exercise. If you do not exercise them they are smart and will find creative ways to get their energy out. You won’t like it. Beyond that though they are actually pretty good dogs. Don’t be fooled by a beagle’s cute looks. They are scent hounds and all they want to do is track and anything between them and tracking is just a short term obstacle to overcome. They will dig through drywall if need be.

cyberlurker 4y ago

As someone who has had many mutts and rescued purebreds… I’m assuming you don’t know what you’re doing if you think all mutts are difficult. Generally, people don’t exercise their dogs enough and then run into problems. Doesn’t matter the dog, but a consistent routine of lengthy walks and runs has never failed. And if you don’t have time, don’t get a dog.

jstarfish 4y ago
I'm extrapolating from a sample set of 4. #1 was a half-chow nightmare from Hell (yes, I was clueless) but the next three weren't problem dogs, just difficult to understand. Conventional wisdom did not consistently apply across the three. It was like multiclassing three characters in an RPG you don't even know the classes of. Unlike purebreds. You can literally buy an instruction manual for your specific breed. Way easier.
- _y5hn 4y ago
  What works is having a test-period before changing ownership. There can be many reasons for incompatibility, and often quite unfair to blame it on the dog who had no say.

etempleton 4y ago

There are a two breeds in particular that novices love because of their looks but will almost certainly not be equipped to handle—huskies and beagles. Huskies are just incredibly high energy. They need space and exercise. If you do not exercise them they are smart and will find creative ways to get their energy out. You won’t like it. Beyond that though they are actually pretty good dogs. Don’t be fooled by a beagle’s cute looks. They are scent hounds and all they want to do is track and anything between them and tracking is just a short term obstacle to overcome. They will dig through drywall if need be.