Very strange things afoot in the dog training world. Cesar Millan is coming out with a new book titled "Cesar's Rules" and it seems that the father of positive dog training, Ian Dunbar, is featured in a chapter of it. It seems the book is a compilation of both Cesar and other dog trainers speaking about their methods.
While I believe Cesar has really set dog training back - its very encouraging to think he might be examining his methods, or at the very least using his fame to promote other trainers and methods.
No matter what you think of him, Cesar Millan has huge power because millions of people see him and adore him. Sadly many people take his word as gospel and that affects the lives of a great many dogs all around the world.
If he were to use his fame to promote reward training that would be a treat for trainers and dogs alike.
Here's the link of what Dr Dunbar said regarding working with Cesar:
http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/my-contribution-cesar-millans-new-book
Here is the video promo featuring Ian Dunbar and Cesar together
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z6XR3qJ_qY&feature=youtube_gdata
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Shock Collars
Shock collars are a big subject in the world of dog training. People who are opposed to them are vehemently (and usually angrily) against them. Those that promote them are very defensive of their stance.
I'm writing this post because I recently saw a Halifax training site, that is very heavily promoted, making use of what they refer to as "E-collars". E-Collars stand for electronic collar, which is a nicer way of saying 'shock' collar.
On this site they had 2-3 videos showing how great E-collars work - and I was really curious to see this. I was curious to see how a site was going to get customers when they are going to post videos of dogs being shocked. Upon watching them though I discovered the real ugly truth about this training method - they actually DON'T want you to see it up front!
One video showed a trainer and dog (a Shepard mix) doing an obedience routine with many sits, downs, lots of eye contact, and various obedience work being done on an agility style pause table. This dog was already trained and thus wasn't shocked once during the video. The premise of the video was to see how great E-collar training can make your dog - but without actually showing the method itself.
The second video showed how great E-collars are for curing aggression. This video showed an out of control dog, lunging and snarling in one clip - then faded to the same dog behaving perfectly and walking calming. Again - no shocks, no method shown, just final product.
The third video showed an 8 year old girl or so 'training' a rottie. Once again it was deceiving because the girl never actually 'trained' the dog - he was clearly trained very well. The little girl proceeded to walk around with the dog at perfect heel position, and give a number of commands. The shock collar was on the dog, and the trainer was filming. I'll mention the importance of this later.
Some people might ask, well I only want a trained dog, I am only interested in the final product, why should I care how a professional gets to the finished product? I don't need to watch my mechanic work on my car, I just want it to work when I pick it up.
Well dog training is very different - cars aren't alive, dogs are. The method used to train your dog is going to have a total effect on his personality, relationship with you and others, and may or may not cause other problems. This same training company says their training methods are 'based in science' however science is quite clear that punishment should be a last resort for training - and must be used extremely carefully to avoid lasting behavioral damage.
Stephen Lindsay in his excellent book "Handbook of applied dog behavior and training vol 1" lists 20 different concerns that you must be aware of when using punishment training. A whole chapter in this very long (420pg) book is devoted to the science of punishment in training and various experiments done on animals throughout the ages on punishment training. He lists well over 40 scientific papers in his review.
His conclusion in this matter: "Punishment should be used only after other positive training options have been carefully considered or exhausted."
Furthermore - the Veterinary Behavior Society of America states: "The AVSAB's position is that punishment is not appropriate as a first-line or early-use treatment for behavior problems. Modification should focus on reinforcing desirable behaviors, removing reinforcement for inappropriate behaviors, and addressing the emotional state and environmental conditions driving undesirable behavior."
The Canadian Veterinary Society states: "Recent years have seen a shift towards reward-based methods, such as clicker training and the use of food, toys and praise as motivators. Animal behaviourists conclude that training techniques that employ punishment rather than rewards-based methods do not improve dog obedience and actually increase problematic dog behaviours.Confrontational methods of training such as the use of physical force, rolling dogs, growling, or staring dogs down may increase the likelihood of aggressive responses in dogs. The use of shock collars is associated with short-term and long-term negative consequences including fear and anxiety.
I go into more detail on why punishment isn't effective on my site - but the biggest problem I see with punishment is a very general one. Dog training is generally done BY the owner - with guidance and direction from the trainer. This means that most training being done on the dog isn't by a professional, but rather the owner.
When I run obedience classes I give homework to my classes - without practice there is no way a group of dogs can learn any behavior reliably in an hour. We discuss success and failure through the 6 week class and work on improvement. I want pet owners who feel like they can communicate and train their dog without always needing a professional trainer.
As with any new skill, people make mistakes. Some people are more skilled and catch on - others take more time and make more errors. When I do clicker training I see people clicking at the wrong time, forgetting to click, giving food at the wrong time, not phasing out food in time - you name it. I have older people that may take extra explanation, and children that are overly eager and excited. We coach and work through the errors and issues to improve everyone's skill.
With clicker and food training - this isn't a big deal. Worse case scenario is the dog takes longer to train and maybe gets a lot of extra food that maybe he didn't really need. A wrong click or a wrong food delivery won't hurt anyone. People also get frustrated and sometimes want to give up but we talk through it.
With punishment however - errors can cause serious psychological damage and aggression. This is specially true if the owner is getting frustrated. This is also not a method that every dog will respond to. I normally see shock collar demonstrations on Shepards and other large, tough breeds - I have yet to see an E-collar on a pug or king charles spaniel. Every dog however likes reinforcement - and it doesn't have to be food - it can be play, toys, freedom, whatever.
So the bottom line here is if you make mistakes using positive reinforcement methods - you might not have a well trained dog until you sharpen your skills - if you make mistakes using punishment, you might have a highly aggressive dog, or one that shuts down and lives a miserable life of fear and frustration. Or worse case, you don't notice anything is wrong with the dog until he bites your neighbours kid.
Remember the little girl from the video? Well one issue with punishment is the behavior falls apart if the conditions during punishment are no longer present. For example if the trainer is the only person shocking the dog, he may not listen to the little girl unless the trainer is present. In the video the trainer is there filming - so the dog obeys the girl because conditions for punishment in place.
There is no reason to need to resort to punishment unless positive methods have failed, and this will very rarely happen. I would also argue that no matter how well behaved a punishment trained dog is - I would never trust one around my children or loved ones. Punishment can build a ticking time bomb of aggression. People and animals alike who are consistently subjected to punishment will only take so much before they explode. Why even take that risk?
I'm writing this post because I recently saw a Halifax training site, that is very heavily promoted, making use of what they refer to as "E-collars". E-Collars stand for electronic collar, which is a nicer way of saying 'shock' collar.
On this site they had 2-3 videos showing how great E-collars work - and I was really curious to see this. I was curious to see how a site was going to get customers when they are going to post videos of dogs being shocked. Upon watching them though I discovered the real ugly truth about this training method - they actually DON'T want you to see it up front!
One video showed a trainer and dog (a Shepard mix) doing an obedience routine with many sits, downs, lots of eye contact, and various obedience work being done on an agility style pause table. This dog was already trained and thus wasn't shocked once during the video. The premise of the video was to see how great E-collar training can make your dog - but without actually showing the method itself.
The second video showed how great E-collars are for curing aggression. This video showed an out of control dog, lunging and snarling in one clip - then faded to the same dog behaving perfectly and walking calming. Again - no shocks, no method shown, just final product.
The third video showed an 8 year old girl or so 'training' a rottie. Once again it was deceiving because the girl never actually 'trained' the dog - he was clearly trained very well. The little girl proceeded to walk around with the dog at perfect heel position, and give a number of commands. The shock collar was on the dog, and the trainer was filming. I'll mention the importance of this later.
Some people might ask, well I only want a trained dog, I am only interested in the final product, why should I care how a professional gets to the finished product? I don't need to watch my mechanic work on my car, I just want it to work when I pick it up.
Well dog training is very different - cars aren't alive, dogs are. The method used to train your dog is going to have a total effect on his personality, relationship with you and others, and may or may not cause other problems. This same training company says their training methods are 'based in science' however science is quite clear that punishment should be a last resort for training - and must be used extremely carefully to avoid lasting behavioral damage.
Stephen Lindsay in his excellent book "Handbook of applied dog behavior and training vol 1" lists 20 different concerns that you must be aware of when using punishment training. A whole chapter in this very long (420pg) book is devoted to the science of punishment in training and various experiments done on animals throughout the ages on punishment training. He lists well over 40 scientific papers in his review.
His conclusion in this matter: "Punishment should be used only after other positive training options have been carefully considered or exhausted."
Furthermore - the Veterinary Behavior Society of America states: "The AVSAB's position is that punishment is not appropriate as a first-line or early-use treatment for behavior problems. Modification should focus on reinforcing desirable behaviors, removing reinforcement for inappropriate behaviors, and addressing the emotional state and environmental conditions driving undesirable behavior."
The Canadian Veterinary Society states: "Recent years have seen a shift towards reward-based methods, such as clicker training and the use of food, toys and praise as motivators. Animal behaviourists conclude that training techniques that employ punishment rather than rewards-based methods do not improve dog obedience and actually increase problematic dog behaviours.Confrontational methods of training such as the use of physical force, rolling dogs, growling, or staring dogs down may increase the likelihood of aggressive responses in dogs. The use of shock collars is associated with short-term and long-term negative consequences including fear and anxiety.
I go into more detail on why punishment isn't effective on my site - but the biggest problem I see with punishment is a very general one. Dog training is generally done BY the owner - with guidance and direction from the trainer. This means that most training being done on the dog isn't by a professional, but rather the owner.
When I run obedience classes I give homework to my classes - without practice there is no way a group of dogs can learn any behavior reliably in an hour. We discuss success and failure through the 6 week class and work on improvement. I want pet owners who feel like they can communicate and train their dog without always needing a professional trainer.
As with any new skill, people make mistakes. Some people are more skilled and catch on - others take more time and make more errors. When I do clicker training I see people clicking at the wrong time, forgetting to click, giving food at the wrong time, not phasing out food in time - you name it. I have older people that may take extra explanation, and children that are overly eager and excited. We coach and work through the errors and issues to improve everyone's skill.
With clicker and food training - this isn't a big deal. Worse case scenario is the dog takes longer to train and maybe gets a lot of extra food that maybe he didn't really need. A wrong click or a wrong food delivery won't hurt anyone. People also get frustrated and sometimes want to give up but we talk through it.
With punishment however - errors can cause serious psychological damage and aggression. This is specially true if the owner is getting frustrated. This is also not a method that every dog will respond to. I normally see shock collar demonstrations on Shepards and other large, tough breeds - I have yet to see an E-collar on a pug or king charles spaniel. Every dog however likes reinforcement - and it doesn't have to be food - it can be play, toys, freedom, whatever.
So the bottom line here is if you make mistakes using positive reinforcement methods - you might not have a well trained dog until you sharpen your skills - if you make mistakes using punishment, you might have a highly aggressive dog, or one that shuts down and lives a miserable life of fear and frustration. Or worse case, you don't notice anything is wrong with the dog until he bites your neighbours kid.
Remember the little girl from the video? Well one issue with punishment is the behavior falls apart if the conditions during punishment are no longer present. For example if the trainer is the only person shocking the dog, he may not listen to the little girl unless the trainer is present. In the video the trainer is there filming - so the dog obeys the girl because conditions for punishment in place.
There is no reason to need to resort to punishment unless positive methods have failed, and this will very rarely happen. I would also argue that no matter how well behaved a punishment trained dog is - I would never trust one around my children or loved ones. Punishment can build a ticking time bomb of aggression. People and animals alike who are consistently subjected to punishment will only take so much before they explode. Why even take that risk?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Find me somebody to love....
Arguably the behavior that seems to drive most people into a frenzy at the dog park (other than a serious fight) is dogs mounting. The most curious thing about this is listening to the aftermath of owners discussing the reasons why this is happening. I'd say the number one thing I hear most is "he/she is being dominant".
I'm going to try not to go into detail about dominance in this post and save that for another time since I want to specifically just discuss mounting - but I'll argue that dominance is usually the number one reason given for mounting.
Go ahead and try to Google 'mounting in dogs' and see what you get. The very first article I see talks about dogs being like wolves, alpha's, and dogs mounting for dominance. Guess that explains why google isn't a good dog trainer and you need to take great care when looking for practical information on the Internet!
I find this topic really interesting because despite the obvious answer to why this behavior occurs, no one seems to want to accept it. So whats mounting then? It's sex. Pure and simple. Rather, its "play" sex. Let me explain
Dogs and all animals come loaded with certain behavior patterns pre-programmed into them. These are referred to as fixed action patterns "FAP's". One good example is a mother dog that bites the umbilical cord of a new born puppy, or puppies that lick the face of their mother to make her regurgitate food. The dogs were never trained to do these things, they are born with the knowledge to help them survive. Usually these fixed patterns have to do with fighting, fleeing, reproducing and eating. When dogs play and get aroused, these patterns come out - dogs will play fight, play chase and yes, play mount.
Ever see a human male get "aroused" and try to "mount" everything he sees in the night club?
Mounting can be a sign of a dog who is unsure or unsocialized. Usually this is because when presented with an unfamiliar situation - the dog gets easily aroused and the FAP's start to show up. While two previous dog friends might have established good rapport to do some play chasing and wrestling - unfamiliar dogs may not engage in that right away, so the mounting FAP shows up instead.
One thing that makes dogs different from wolves is their sexual behavior. In wolves only the 'breeding pair' or what was referred to as alpha male and female would mate. The chief reason for this was to control population to ensure they didn't reproduce more than the food source could handle - however dogs are different.
Dogs don't form packs the way wolves do - dogs in the "wild" form loose social groups that are normally close to human settlements and they live off scraps of food and garbage dumps. Dogs are scavengers and don't hunt big game, so they have no need of packs. As such their sexual behavior is quite promiscuous and will mate with anyone, anywhere. Wolf males are only able to reproduce seasonally, while male dogs are able to reproduce at anytime.
Another difference is the testosterone levels of dogs. An adolescent dog's testosterone levels actually rise above the levels of an adult dog and level off later - so mounting can be much more prevalent during this time.
Another pretty good argument for mounting being sex play is that mounting is greatly reduced after neutering. Mounting may not stop if a dog is neutered later in life and has been play mounting for a while. He's likely to continue the behavior simply because it's been rewarding (Fun) to do in the past.
So what about females? Well one FAP of courtship is to flirt - and one way a female flirts is to quickly mount the male and run off. I'd also argue that mounting in females much more rare than in males.
So what about certain TV personalities arguments that mounting is dominance? Well normally we see mounting behavior follow this pattern -
1) Dog A mounts or starts to mount Dog B
2) Dog B runs away, snaps, growls snarls and dog A gets off
3) Dog A might try again right away or in a few minutes
What should be the reaction if one were trying to establish dominance? Dog A should attack dog B for daring to fight back. However this is very rarely the case and likely has very little to do with his mounting being rejected but rather a response to the aggression of Dog B.
Dominance hierarchies do exist between wolves in captivity in relation to items, however it's normally based on strength - hence when the alpha wolf in captivity is weak or hurt - someone else takes over. It's very common however to see very physically inferior dogs try to mount physically superior dogs, even after being snapped at or growled at as described above.
So when it comes to mounting - the simplest explanation is the correct one. Dogs just get excited and mount sometimes. It's up to us to teach them that mounting isn't an appropriate behavior and to teach them what is. One way to prevent it is to remove your dog from play when he mounts (negative punishment) or to simply tell him to "Sit" if he's well trained.
So remember, if your dog decides to mount you, he's not showing dominance or trying to take over the house - he just really likes you :)
I'm going to try not to go into detail about dominance in this post and save that for another time since I want to specifically just discuss mounting - but I'll argue that dominance is usually the number one reason given for mounting.
Go ahead and try to Google 'mounting in dogs' and see what you get. The very first article I see talks about dogs being like wolves, alpha's, and dogs mounting for dominance. Guess that explains why google isn't a good dog trainer and you need to take great care when looking for practical information on the Internet!
I find this topic really interesting because despite the obvious answer to why this behavior occurs, no one seems to want to accept it. So whats mounting then? It's sex. Pure and simple. Rather, its "play" sex. Let me explain
Dogs and all animals come loaded with certain behavior patterns pre-programmed into them. These are referred to as fixed action patterns "FAP's". One good example is a mother dog that bites the umbilical cord of a new born puppy, or puppies that lick the face of their mother to make her regurgitate food. The dogs were never trained to do these things, they are born with the knowledge to help them survive. Usually these fixed patterns have to do with fighting, fleeing, reproducing and eating. When dogs play and get aroused, these patterns come out - dogs will play fight, play chase and yes, play mount.
Ever see a human male get "aroused" and try to "mount" everything he sees in the night club?
Mounting can be a sign of a dog who is unsure or unsocialized. Usually this is because when presented with an unfamiliar situation - the dog gets easily aroused and the FAP's start to show up. While two previous dog friends might have established good rapport to do some play chasing and wrestling - unfamiliar dogs may not engage in that right away, so the mounting FAP shows up instead.
One thing that makes dogs different from wolves is their sexual behavior. In wolves only the 'breeding pair' or what was referred to as alpha male and female would mate. The chief reason for this was to control population to ensure they didn't reproduce more than the food source could handle - however dogs are different.
Dogs don't form packs the way wolves do - dogs in the "wild" form loose social groups that are normally close to human settlements and they live off scraps of food and garbage dumps. Dogs are scavengers and don't hunt big game, so they have no need of packs. As such their sexual behavior is quite promiscuous and will mate with anyone, anywhere. Wolf males are only able to reproduce seasonally, while male dogs are able to reproduce at anytime.
Another difference is the testosterone levels of dogs. An adolescent dog's testosterone levels actually rise above the levels of an adult dog and level off later - so mounting can be much more prevalent during this time.
Another pretty good argument for mounting being sex play is that mounting is greatly reduced after neutering. Mounting may not stop if a dog is neutered later in life and has been play mounting for a while. He's likely to continue the behavior simply because it's been rewarding (Fun) to do in the past.
So what about females? Well one FAP of courtship is to flirt - and one way a female flirts is to quickly mount the male and run off. I'd also argue that mounting in females much more rare than in males.
So what about certain TV personalities arguments that mounting is dominance? Well normally we see mounting behavior follow this pattern -
1) Dog A mounts or starts to mount Dog B
2) Dog B runs away, snaps, growls snarls and dog A gets off
3) Dog A might try again right away or in a few minutes
What should be the reaction if one were trying to establish dominance? Dog A should attack dog B for daring to fight back. However this is very rarely the case and likely has very little to do with his mounting being rejected but rather a response to the aggression of Dog B.
Dominance hierarchies do exist between wolves in captivity in relation to items, however it's normally based on strength - hence when the alpha wolf in captivity is weak or hurt - someone else takes over. It's very common however to see very physically inferior dogs try to mount physically superior dogs, even after being snapped at or growled at as described above.
So when it comes to mounting - the simplest explanation is the correct one. Dogs just get excited and mount sometimes. It's up to us to teach them that mounting isn't an appropriate behavior and to teach them what is. One way to prevent it is to remove your dog from play when he mounts (negative punishment) or to simply tell him to "Sit" if he's well trained.
So remember, if your dog decides to mount you, he's not showing dominance or trying to take over the house - he just really likes you :)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
The Right Dog for you
I had a request from a friend to write about choosing the right breed of dog so I'll do my best to address the subject. I believe first and foremost however that you need to decide if ANY dog is right for you. Dogs require a lot of time commitment, monetary commitment and mental commitment.
You need to take a good look at your lifestyle and work life and decide if you can give a dog what he wants the most - companionship. Lets clear one myth up - dogs don't want a big backyard. They do however want a big backyard in which to play with their owner or as a second choice, another dog(s).
If you are working 12 hour shifts or long work days - unless your prepared to pay / find someone to care for your dog when your not around - you need to really consider if getting a dog is the right decision for you and the future dog.
Now if you've sure you want a dog, lets talk about breed selection. To understand what makes a "breed" and why there are so many, lets talk a little bit about genetics.
Dogs developed into specific breeds by human intervention. That is, humans picked certain traits they wanted within a dog and bred for that purpose. One famous example of this is a Russian Scientist by the name of Dmitry Belyaev who bred generations of foxes for the sole trait of domestication. As each litter of foxes was produced, only the most tame and human friendly foxes were bred. Over several generations (this experiment has been going on since the 60's) the foxes become more domesticated so that the foxes started to seek out human companionship from birth. However many traits also 'came along for the ride'. So in seeking to breed a certain trait - many others will also appear. For example, there were marked differences in the coat color and hair shape of the 'tame' foxes - as well as internal biological differences such as 2 estrus (heat) cycles per year instead of 1 which is normal for foxes. (This difference appears in dogs vs wolves as well)
So what does this tell us? While dogs do develop based on their experiences throughout their life (specially as puppies but that's another post), certain breeds come pre-loaded with built in desires and abilities that have been bred into them, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
So what breed is right for you? Well there are many questions you need to ask yourself in order to figure that out. Here's a good list to start:
1) What size dog do you want? Big dogs require more space and more food and generally have more health problems and shorter life spans. Small dogs can be more vocal and are more easily subjected to injury in a fight or attack.
2)How often will you be around other dogs? If you want to go to the dog park everyday or you live in the city, pick a breed that is known to be very friendly with both people, children and other dogs. People in rural areas don't need to be as concerned with this.
3) How often do you want your dog off leash? Hounds, specially bassets, bloodhounds and beagles tend to follow their nose. Without some really solid recall work you might lose your dog if they are off leash.
4) How much time do you want to spend grooming and dealing with dog hair? Some breeds like poodles are hypoallergenic and don't have hair to deal with. Dogs like an afghan hound or English sheepdog require a lot of coat maintenance.
5) How experienced are you with dogs? I don't recommend powerful breeds to be in the hands of first time owners or anyone who isn't prepared to put a lot of time into training their dog. Rotties, Pit bulls and German Shepards are best left to experienced handlers. Please let me be clear - I love these breeds but in the hands of inexperienced owners, an aggressive Rottie will be a greater risk than an aggressive Pomeranian.
The last thing I want to mention is the most important of all - Energy level. It's critical that you pick a dog that has equal to, or less energy than you. If you want a dog for agility or to take swimming on a regular basis - great - there's plenty of dogs out there for that. If you want to just lay on the couch and walk them a few times a day, there's dogs out there for that too.
Several years ago Dr Stanley Coren wrote a book called "The intelligence of dogs". He asked professional obedience judges to rank the most intelligent dogs, and border collies ranked number one. Immediately people went out and started getting border collies. So what happened? Well border collies need high energy and exercise and lots of mental stimulation that many people were not prepared to handle. As such, most trainers will tell you that border collies rank close to the top for behavioral problems, which are mostly rooted in boredom.
So in summary - dogs ARE a product of their environment and treatment, however genetics predisposes them to a number of factors that owners should be educated about. Beware that not all the dogs of the same breed are created equal! The best way to judge how a dog will behave is to look at the parents (something you can't do in a pet store). Over-breeding has caused some stock (genetic line) to move away from their well know traits. The most concerning trait to look for is energy and to ensure your up to meeting the dogs mental and physical needs, and also if they can meet yours.
The number one reason dogs end up in shelters is behavioral issues - and behavioral issues normally develop from stress and the dogs needs not being met. Pet ownership should be for life - please do your homework, for both your sakes.
ps - if you want help with choosing the right dog for you, send me an email.
You need to take a good look at your lifestyle and work life and decide if you can give a dog what he wants the most - companionship. Lets clear one myth up - dogs don't want a big backyard. They do however want a big backyard in which to play with their owner or as a second choice, another dog(s).
If you are working 12 hour shifts or long work days - unless your prepared to pay / find someone to care for your dog when your not around - you need to really consider if getting a dog is the right decision for you and the future dog.
Now if you've sure you want a dog, lets talk about breed selection. To understand what makes a "breed" and why there are so many, lets talk a little bit about genetics.
Dogs developed into specific breeds by human intervention. That is, humans picked certain traits they wanted within a dog and bred for that purpose. One famous example of this is a Russian Scientist by the name of Dmitry Belyaev who bred generations of foxes for the sole trait of domestication. As each litter of foxes was produced, only the most tame and human friendly foxes were bred. Over several generations (this experiment has been going on since the 60's) the foxes become more domesticated so that the foxes started to seek out human companionship from birth. However many traits also 'came along for the ride'. So in seeking to breed a certain trait - many others will also appear. For example, there were marked differences in the coat color and hair shape of the 'tame' foxes - as well as internal biological differences such as 2 estrus (heat) cycles per year instead of 1 which is normal for foxes. (This difference appears in dogs vs wolves as well)
So what does this tell us? While dogs do develop based on their experiences throughout their life (specially as puppies but that's another post), certain breeds come pre-loaded with built in desires and abilities that have been bred into them, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not.
So what breed is right for you? Well there are many questions you need to ask yourself in order to figure that out. Here's a good list to start:
1) What size dog do you want? Big dogs require more space and more food and generally have more health problems and shorter life spans. Small dogs can be more vocal and are more easily subjected to injury in a fight or attack.
2)How often will you be around other dogs? If you want to go to the dog park everyday or you live in the city, pick a breed that is known to be very friendly with both people, children and other dogs. People in rural areas don't need to be as concerned with this.
3) How often do you want your dog off leash? Hounds, specially bassets, bloodhounds and beagles tend to follow their nose. Without some really solid recall work you might lose your dog if they are off leash.
4) How much time do you want to spend grooming and dealing with dog hair? Some breeds like poodles are hypoallergenic and don't have hair to deal with. Dogs like an afghan hound or English sheepdog require a lot of coat maintenance.
5) How experienced are you with dogs? I don't recommend powerful breeds to be in the hands of first time owners or anyone who isn't prepared to put a lot of time into training their dog. Rotties, Pit bulls and German Shepards are best left to experienced handlers. Please let me be clear - I love these breeds but in the hands of inexperienced owners, an aggressive Rottie will be a greater risk than an aggressive Pomeranian.
The last thing I want to mention is the most important of all - Energy level. It's critical that you pick a dog that has equal to, or less energy than you. If you want a dog for agility or to take swimming on a regular basis - great - there's plenty of dogs out there for that. If you want to just lay on the couch and walk them a few times a day, there's dogs out there for that too.
Several years ago Dr Stanley Coren wrote a book called "The intelligence of dogs". He asked professional obedience judges to rank the most intelligent dogs, and border collies ranked number one. Immediately people went out and started getting border collies. So what happened? Well border collies need high energy and exercise and lots of mental stimulation that many people were not prepared to handle. As such, most trainers will tell you that border collies rank close to the top for behavioral problems, which are mostly rooted in boredom.
So in summary - dogs ARE a product of their environment and treatment, however genetics predisposes them to a number of factors that owners should be educated about. Beware that not all the dogs of the same breed are created equal! The best way to judge how a dog will behave is to look at the parents (something you can't do in a pet store). Over-breeding has caused some stock (genetic line) to move away from their well know traits. The most concerning trait to look for is energy and to ensure your up to meeting the dogs mental and physical needs, and also if they can meet yours.
The number one reason dogs end up in shelters is behavioral issues - and behavioral issues normally develop from stress and the dogs needs not being met. Pet ownership should be for life - please do your homework, for both your sakes.
ps - if you want help with choosing the right dog for you, send me an email.
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