Common dog myths debunked

Thinking of getting a dog? There are dogs in a shelter or rescue group near you who could be your new best friend if only given the chance.

Even with information easier to find than ever before, there are some long-standing beliefs about dogs that still cause people to buy puppies from breeders, rather than adopting. We are here to tell you that the dog you want may just be in a shelter near you. Dogs rely on all of us, and far too many who land in shelters don’t make it out alive. But you can change that.

A little information can go a long way, and in fact, the difference between the current situation of pets being killed in shelters can be turned around if just 6% more people planning to bring home a new pet this year choose to adopt one instead of purchasing.

Best Friends has taken in, cared for, and adopted out tens of thousands of dogs over the years. Not only does this give us a lot of information about dogs themselves, but we hear about people’s ideas about dogs, too.

Here are some of the myths that persist about our canine best friends — and the reality behind each one.

Just as you can’t judge a book by its cover, similarly a dog’s breed doesn’t guarantee his or her behavior or personality. All dogs are unique individuals and will have different reactions to the same things. More importantly, relying on breed to ensure your new dogs has a skill or personality trait that’s important to you is likely to lead you astray.

When considering a new dog to fit with your lifestyle, make a decision based on the individual dog to determine whether he or she is the right fit for you. Speak to staff at your local shelter or foster volunteers who can tell you about different dogs’ personalities. Meet many different breeds and mixes. Keep an open mind to get a clear idea of how your potential new best friend’s temperament, energy level, and other factors fit your lifestyle.

And don’t forget: If your heart is firmly set on a certain breed, check animal shelters, breed-specific rescue organizations, and rehoming websites because purebred dogs of all types can be found there too. But be sure to ask the same lifestyle and personality questions about purebred dogs you inquire about.

Here’s a secret that people within animal welfare know: Full-grown dogs are often way, way easier to bring home and adapt to your household than a puppy. Think of it this way. Puppies don’t know how to live in a human’s world yet.

They haven’t learned where we want them to go to the bathroom, what’s OK to chew and what isn’t, that new people are friends not foes, how to walk on a leash, what we do when we encounter another dog while out on a walk, and on and on.

When you bring home a puppy, all that responsibility and so much more is yours. When you are open to bringing home a full-grown dog, you can find one who has already learned all those things. Sure, they will need some time to learn how you like to do things compared to where they’ve lived in the past, and there will be a period of adjustment. But if months of potty training and puppy classes don’t excite you, consider a full-grown dog.

While it’s true that some dogs absolutely live for a large yard with plenty of fenced-in space to run, it’s not always the case. Some dogs are quite low energy and happy in a smaller home with a small yard or even no yard. What's most important is understanding your dog's individual exercise needs and making sure they match your lifestyle.

A giant couch potato of a dog might be happy to live in an apartment and go for a few strolls around the block each day. And a small but high-energy dog might require a few hours of running every day to be happy. It's another case of understanding each dog's individual needs, rather than assuming what they will be based on a dog's breed, size, age, or other physical characteristics.

It might, but more important than just the tail wagging is overall body language. Loose tail wags along with a wiggly body and soft facial muscles indicate that your dog is happy in that moment. But a tail moving in fast, small motions (called a flagging tail) can mean that your dog is on alert or uncomfortable.

Likewise, a dog who pants or yawns a lot can indicate fatigue or stress. Growling can mean anger, but if a dog growls during vigorous play, it’s more about being delighted with playtime. In each of these situations, reading all of a dog’s body language cues is the key to understanding what they are feeling in the moment.

The “guilty” behaviors we see in dogs often have more to do with how we as people react when our dogs do something undesirable. A dog who’s had an accident on the floor or destroyed something in the house hours before you get home won’t connect their behavior to how you respond.

Dogs only have a three-second window to link cause and effect. Beyond that time frame, they only know that something is wrong by reading our response, so they might engage in appeasement behaviors, such as hunching down, rolling on their back, or “smiling” by showing their teeth as if to say, “Hey, whatever’s wrong, please don’t hurt me.”

Recent research, which includes advanced DNA studies, shows that the long-held formula that one human year equals seven dog years no longer holds true. In fact, there are so many factors involved in comparing the aging of dogs to humans that it’s a lot like comparing apples and oranges. The newest info shows that dogs and humans experience similar physical milestones at different paces.

For instance, a 1-year-old dog doesn’t equal a 7-year-old child but instead corresponds to a 30-year-old human. A 4-year-old dog aligns with a 52-year-old human. A 9-year-old dog has the approximate genetic wear and tear of a 65-year-old human. The research also shows that these comparisons can vary based on a dog’s breed or type and size.

Dogs are not entirely colorblind, but instead they see colors different from humans. Humans’ eyes have three sets of cone photoreceptors while dogs’ eyes have just two. This difference limits dogs’ color perception to shades of blue and yellow.

That means they can distinguish between types of blues and yellows, but they are not able to see red or green very well. Dogs see the world similarly to humans who have red-green color blindness.

It might seem like your schedule takes up all your waking moments, but there’s an easy way to find out whether a dog could fit into your lifestyle. Signing up to foster, even temporarily, is a great way to try out life with a dog (and it really benefits both the shelter and the dog). And while some dogs only thrive with loads of time together with their people every day, each dog is different.

Some senior dogs, for example, are absolutely content to snooze in their favorite comfy spot while you’re away. Some dogs just have more aloof personalities and are quite happy with less people time. And if your budget allows, there’s doggy daycare while you are at work or dog walkers who can come to the house and take your pup out when you aren’t able to.

Dogs end up in shelters and rescue organizations for endless reasons, and most of them are human problems, rather than dog problems. There are unplanned litters from dogs whom someone couldn’t afford to have spayed. There are dogs whose person dies, and no one in the family is in a position to take them in. Some dogs end up not being the right fit personality-wise for their people, who give them up in hopes that they can be placed in a different home.

One of the most common reasons people cite for giving up a dog is that they are moving, and their new place doesn’t allow pets — or dogs, or large dogs. And as veterinary care is more difficult to come by, many people can no longer afford it.

Rescued dogs simply need new homes. That's the only truth that applies to all dogs in shelters or with rescue groups. And if you see dogs acting out in a shelter, consider this: They are in an unfamiliar place, and even the nicest shelter can be scary or overwhelming to dogs who have only known life in a home. There are usually lots of other animals around and strangers coming and going all day long, and that can cause dogs to act differently than they will in a home. But isn’t that understandable?

No matter where your new dog comes from, expect a period of adjustment as you get to know each other. Dogs who have come from shelters or rescue groups have just gone through many life changes, and a little empathy from their new person can make all the difference in the world.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.