Genetics

Let’s talk genetics! 

This is by far the toughest lesson I had to learn when it comes to dogs. My background was in sociology which is a lot of nurture over nature. That combined with “it is all how you raise them” left me very naive when we got Fausto. 

Without rehashing his entire story, he is still by far the most intense and serious dog we have met (after 9 years of specialising in reactivity and aggression). We spent all our savings on one behaviourist after the next, all stating that there was something inherently wrong with him (he was a very angry boy) and the best thing would be to PTS for everyone’s safety. Let’s just say we spent some time that first year trying to make him someone he was not. 

It was not until we spoke to @grcdogsports that we started to not just understand Fausto better, but to fully embrace who he really was, so that we could channel that love of conflict in a healthy way, making it easier (and more fair) for him to compromise and curb those desires the rest of the time.

The biggest problem that I saw in lockdown dogs was not separation anxiety, nor was it lack of socialisation. Instead, it was that the prices of dogs increased so drastically, that many people started buying dogs from farmers and hunters, bred for working rolls, for a life in the city. In reality, many of these terriers, lurchers and herding breeds are always going to suffer from a lifestyle that is mostly centred around park strolls and cafe visits. Creating a constant tension between what the owner wants to provide for their dog, and what the dog really needs.

To me, the best way to bond with your to is to provide a way for them to express behaviours which they have the been genetically programmed to love. I have written about this more extensively on our blog. There can be a lot of genetic variation not just between breeding lines, but also within the same litter. If you have a dog with unknown breeding, or who is a mix of a large number of breeds, you can simply test what aspects of searching, stalking, chasing, fighting or consuming your dog enjoys the most by observing them in nature, or by playing with them.