Breeds and Behavior

I've been told many times that you need to research a breed before getting a dog. I know people who will only get one breed because they like behavior and temperament so much.

When Misha was given to me, I did quite a bit of research on Jack Russell Terriers. What I read worried me. They are dominant, pushy dogs. They must be in dog training mode all the time or they will take advantage of you. They will get into trouble if you don't watch them all the time. They will kill cats because it's in their nature to chase down small animals. They are smart--sometimes too smart. They are loaded with energy and will drive you nuts if they are not occupied at all times. They have a high, yappy bark and will bark at everything.

I have found Misha to be a bit pushy. I have to maintain the leadership role or she pushes boundaries. She has gotten into trouble when left on her own, but I think that is normal for any young dog. She is very smart and it's fun to watch her learn new tricks. She barks often during the day.

However, some things don't fit. I've never seen her show aggression towards cats. She does know one cat, a very mean cat, so she has learned that they can be trouble. She doesn't even notice when the squirrels run along the fence most of the time. She is fearful. I've never had a dog afraid of so many regular every day things. She does have a lot of energy, but it comes in spurts, so it's not that difficult to manage.

My family has many dogs. They are different breeds. Some of them seem to fit their breeds, others do not. My sister has a German Shepherd that is submissive and fearful. My brother has a Doberman Pinscher that has the personality of a Lab. He has two Mini Pinschers. One is aggressive and dominant. The other is submissive and mellow. It makes me wonder how much of their temperament and behavior should be chalked up to the breed and how much comes later.

How much of a dog's behavior do you think can be blamed on their breed? How much is environment and dog training (or the lack of dog training)? Do you think that we can project breed specific behavior onto our dog because of our expectations? Have you ever had a dog you thought fit the breed exactly?

 

I have not experienced owning almost all of those breeds so hard to say if their breed contribute a lot, maybe just a part of their personality.
I had experienced owning a doberman mixed breed with our local dog here and he was not that different from all the other mixed breed dogs I had before.

 

That's pretty much difficult because in truth, one of the major attributions to a dog's personality is their very own master's behavior. A dog wouldn't be aggressive dominant if the owner is able to control the tell-tale signs of it the moment they see it in him. For example, the tug of war game isn't recommended for dogs who are already a bit on the dominant side but it's encourage in puppies with low self esteem.

Behavioral training will start with the mother. And mothers from reputable breeders will have taught their puppies proper "puppy etiquette" so that the dogs don't play too rough with their litter mates and respect the hierarchy of the pack. These are just some of the aspects which should be considered aside from the breed's overall assessment.

Speaking of, Peanuts loves chasing small animals. She currently has a shih-tzu sister. Imagine having to deal with Chooey, the shih tzu, and Peanuts everyday because Peanuts thinks she's a rodent or bunny. And Chooey won't allow Peanuts to bully her so you hear miniature growls from her too.

 

I believe that most of a dog's behavior comes from how he is raised. I have had dogs known to be unfriendly breeds and they were wonderful pets. My Scottish Terrier, Mickey, was a gentle, loving, dog. Whenever I would call the groomer for a visit, they would always comment, "Oh, the nice Scotty!" My Vet also told me that Scottish Terriers were not normally as gentle and loving as Mickey. My son acquired a Pit Bull terrier and I was really worried as he had small children. Tiger, the Pit Bull, was a happy, friendly dog. I found that he did not like other dogs, but loved people. Again, how he was raised was a factor in his behavior. Inbreeding can cause some problems in dogs, so purchasing from a reputable breeder is a must. Training your dog to be a valuable member of your family insures many years of great memories.