Christy said in rec.pets.dogs.breeds:

The truth is, rescue dogs and Bichon.ca's dogs are likely
to be almost identical, because regardless of knowing their
history, the same level of care and responsibility is taken
in breeding. None.

I'll Betcha CDN Dollars to CDN Doughnoughts that the more
knowledgeable dog person would prefer a rescue Bichon than one
from Bichon.ca

Odds?

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Bichon.ca writes:

Rescue dogs can have more then just typical
problems of the adolescent dog.

Pretty much any dog can have "more than
just the typical" problems of the adolescent
dog.

JohnR
Pit Bull Libertarian

Never sneer at the power of a little
pink squeaky toy!

Bichon.ca wrote in message news:

Not knowing how the dog has been treated in the past leaves you and
the dog open to making things worst. Your "simplest to proceed" method
is is far from the best for the dog.

Not so. At some level the history becomes of limited use and can get
in the way of addressing a behavior problem. What you really need to
know is whether the behavior is due to experience or to genetic
temperament. Those problems due to experience are the easiest to
remedy because you simply make a different association with the
triggers. The triggers can be identified without knowing what
established them (the history). The only benefit of knowing the
history is that it gives you a hint of what to look for as possible
triggers. One of the biggest problems with actually knowing the
history is that it is filtered through the perception of the owner.
I'd say that a good 80% of the time what I hear from a client as the
cause of a problem (the history) is totally unrelated to the problem.

Lynn K.

Bichon.ca wrote in message . ..
Human behavior does have a affect on animals,
for the good and bad. :-}

Again, sometimes true, sometimes not. Genetic temperament is just as
often the root of a problem as experience. Hence the saying
"Temperament too good to ruin; temperament too bad to help."

Lynn K.