Understand Your Breed, Understand Their Behavior
Today, with the adoption of so many mixed breeds, it is my opinion that knowing the dog’s background, or ancestry is an important part of understanding their behaviors. Some behaviors are hard-wired for most breeds. What we may think is aggression, fear, etc., may in fact be related to the breed of the dog. When we hold all dogs to a standard of behavior, as an example the Golden Retriever, we get ourselves into trouble. Not all dogs behave like Goldens or Labradors with friendly, outgoing and confident behavior. Some dogs are by nature, more reserved. As an example, I have German Shepherds. The standard for a German Shepherd is to be aloof to strangers. That does not mean that an aloof shepherd has a character flaw that needs fixing. Instead, it means we must understand the breed to understand many of the dog’s behaviors.
So, when we adopt a mixed breed dog, I personally am a huge proponent of doing genetic testing. While some of these tests are more accurate than others, it still gives us some basis for researching the breed to know what the characteristics could be.
As an example, terriers are bred to be tenacious and have huge prey drive. That means that terriers (or terrier mixes) are more predisposed to barking at fast moving objects and are more likely to “spar” with another dog given the opportunity. They can be very courageous, and incredibly smart!
This is not to say one dog breed is better than another, but helping to know what breeds may be in a mix helps us to understand the underlying behaviors that we may feel are inappropriate or causing us a lot of confusion or frustration.
It is also important to understand that many hard wired breed characteristics cannot be changed, or can only be altered slightly. This can also help us make choices about dogs we want to come into our lives for 15 years! Are we ready for the tenacity, which can bring along dog reactive behavior of a terrier? Are we ready for a dog whose nose is always on the ground and his ears are turned off?
Selecting a dog based on looks is not always the best idea when it is a long-term commitment to have this dog in your house and in your life for a very long time! I have a friend whose tiny hairy dog was actually part Greyhound!!! What a lovely little guy he is! But, by the looks you would NEVER guess he had Greyhound in him! A lot of the Greyhound qualities give this guy such a sweet personality.
Research the breeds you like, then look for a dog whose traits seem to fit those criteria. Take your time and find a dog that fits for YOU so both of you can be happy for all those years!
Caption: Lucy was what we thought was a Corgi/Sheltie mix. She was perfect for my daughter’s 4-H projects and hiking!
