"Who Get's The Dog"

[Raised By Wolves]

I think this show is a real stinker. Although, Tamar, I think she is a dog behaviorist and trainer, gives some good advice, (and so does the vet on the show), what I see expressed in some of these dogs, is pretty sad. Although, putting a shelter dog through three different households, while encouraging bad behaviors as "tricks" may be entertaining, since when is offering a living animal as a game show prize a good idea?

[Ritz459]

It doesn't sound like a good show to me either. I've never watched it, but I don't see why people should be competeing over one dog, when there are a LOT of dogs in shelters begging for a home. I think that the switching around from household to household is just putting more stress on the dog. And how can you tell what the dog is really like, or what he is really feeling, when he is totally stressed?

[gaddylovesdogs]

I've heard of it....I have mixed feelings. On one hand, the dog is finding a home, on the other it's very stressful for the dog.

[D.Schäferhund]

hi
besides the pint that it is difficult for a dog to get through three homes in a short time
i have somtimes real problems with the tasks, or the way they judge them. sometimes they have really need some trust and i wouldn't do with a dog i have for a day, teeth cleaning or bathing or pawmassage. well I do not know if they try the dogs tolerance for that before they think about these tasks...
I guess they do the tasks to see how the people try to get the tasks done to see how they try to interact, but i am not sure if i wanted to do that with a newly dog, and i didn't want to judge that on successfully done...
e.g the task of houling :get the dog to houl!!! well some dogs do some don't this is nothing you can teach a dog in just one day if you really want to.

well i got to give them credit they tried to make it fair, they gotr one task now averybody got to do, but oh well no dog is that stupid if they got it once they will do it again.... no biggi in teaching a dog jumping throu a hoop after two familyes allready taught it...

And I have an issue with that dog getting into a new place and beeing constanly obseved by cameras, lots of people arround, and "forced" to execute some tasks in a absolutly new invironment, overwhelmed with usually more then 2:1 care. that would freak me out, if i were a dog...

Yes i believe this dogs will end up in a good home, they are rescued dogs, that need it, and appearantly the families are getting screened.
Hope they overcome that stress pretty good

[vonissk]

I agree with everyone's posts. First I think the dog must have had quite a bit of training to be able to do all these things and not stress out. Like someone said the dog is like the prize in a game show. I just think it is a dumb show and I don't think it's fair to the dog or the prospective owners. Some of those people have never had a dog before and as we all know a new dog behaves much differently the first few days than it does after it is settled in--as a rule. Also the people are so hyped up they are going to do anything and who knows how they will feel a week later when the dog starts chewing on the windowsills or baseboards when they miss a few days going to the park because they are stressed out from work or whatever and then they don't understand what happened to their perfect dog. I have seen a few shows on AP I like and I love the dog shows but as a rule I don't watch it that much because I don't care for it. Minta

[FurryAngel33]

I agree with Gaddy. I never really thought about it till now. You all make good points.

[Raised By Wolves]

The real "PU!" moment for me was when they had a food aggressive beagle mix, (I think), with little kids around the food bowl. I could see the dog start to tense up and go into the "zone". They cut the cameras at that moment. I'm pretty sure I saw a little later, someone was going to offer the dog a bone or a treat, and you could hear someone say something like, " no, better not do that...".

Some of the dogs on this show were just big goofy youngsters, and took everything just fine, but I really picked up on the dogs that were uncomfortable.

[richnrissa]

I'm not sure i agree with the dog finding a good home idea necessarily.
These people are going on TV and competing for a dog, as though it were a washer and dryer.
We talk a lot about irresponsible breeders but what about irresponsible owners? There a lot of threads here and elsewhere, and a lot of posts, urging people, sometimes attacking people, to do their research, to have things set up, to know what they want in a dog, and that they are prepared for the lifetime commitment of owning a dog. I really dont see that in this show.
I loath reality TV in most of its forms, so im sure that did effect my judgement of this show, i've seen it once, and barely made it through one episode.
These dogs are submitted to a multitude of strangers (camera men, host, the 'contestants', general public) whose sole goal is to MAKE the dog do something, not for the dogs benefit, but FOR THEIR OWN, so they "WIN".

I'm sure most of the people truly want a dog, and have the ability to truly care for it.....but w/all the dogs we know are destroyed every single day....is a reality tv competition really a good message to send out about dog ownership??

Another show i happened to catch that i thought was awesome was the APL show "nuts for mutts', an annual get together that is a "show" of sorts (fastest dog, best kisser, best trick, etc) for MUTTS only. They had educational info, adoption possibility and ALL the dogs featured were mixes, rescues, etc. It was put together well (for TV) and really focused on the benefits available to encourage 'mutts' and the need for more shelter adoptions, responsible breeding, etc.

i say 2 thumbs down for the whole concept of "who gets the dog'.

[Pippinislove]

I don't DISLIKE this show. Really, going through three homes (and staying with each for only 24 hours) isn't as bad as some rescue situations where the dog is in the shelter, fostered out, adopted, brought back, fostered in a diff. home and finally adopted. I like the idea that it's promoting adoption as well.

I personally don't see what's wrong with the homes "competing" for the dog. The homes are obviously screened and prepared to have a dog in their home, and they choose the best match for the dog.

I don't like watching the show, I find it boring. :\