Genetics, Temperament and Aggression
“Just so long as it is believed that environment alone will influence the behavior of our dogs, and that heredity is not the main influence, just that long will we have timid and uncertain temperaments in the breed.”
~ Lloyd Brackett, from the May 1932 Shepherd Review.
Many times as trainers we are called into a situation where a dog is exhibiting some sort of aggressive or undesirable behavior that leaves his owners completely befuddled as to how to fix it. With aggressive dogs, we will tell people up front that the best case scenario for a dog with severe aggression issues is to manage it, not necessarily that given reign to its own instincts will that dog be trustworthy in all situations.
Picking a Purebred
As I’ve no doubt mentioned before, my husband and I breed a rare large dog called a Leonberger. Leonbergers are well known for exceptional temperaments around people, children and most animals. But that will only continue to be the case so long as the majority of breeders specifically choose breeding stock with that temperament in mind. As it is, there are some Leonbergers whose temperaments are better than others. If we only breed the mediocre, or worse, not so great temperaments, than that fundamental characteristic of our breed is subject to change, possibly extinction.
The quote at the heading of this article accredited to Mr. Brackett was specifically related to German Shepherd Dogs, but it applies to all dogs.
If you decide to purchase a purebred dog, make sure you do your research. Don’t just research the supposed temperament of a given breed, look at the parents, and be objective. By making smart decisions about where you purchase your pup, you are making good decisions about the life you can expect to build with your new family member.
This is true with any dog, but all the more so with breeds who are reputed to have “bad” or “aggressive” temperaments. A massive media focus has been paid to pit bulls in the last few years. I have known many, many pit bulls who are docile, and sweet, definitely loving. Does that mean that all pit bulls are? No. Just as it means one pit bull dog bite incident does not mean all pit bulls will bite – hence the absolute absurdity of breed specific legislation. Just as I mentioned earlier, in my own breed, Leonbergers, whom I will love with my dying breath, there are questionable temperaments, but the vast majority of Leos are some of the most gentle dogs anyone is likely to find.
What about Shelter Dogs?
If genetics are so important, what about shelter dogs, you ask. Or, I as I think of them, dogs of ambiguous, if not mysterious, heritage. Dogs don’t lie. The temperament of a dog when you first meet them many times is largely representative of how they will be. There is no first date, make a good impression inclination in dogs, if anything the opposite is true. A dog is likely to be more wary of you in the beginning than once you earn their trust. In other words, what you see is what you get! If the dog is shy, or growls, or comes right up to you, that is temperament of the dog. Now as the dog adjusts to its new home, some other behaviors may definitely come out as they become more comfortable – some for the better, and some for the, well, not so good. A shelter environment can be very stressful for a dog. I personally own a shelter dog, Zip. He quickly told us that he needed some work done. And with time and training, he has become a core part of our family, even sleeping with us at night when we allow it.
Nature versus Nurture
Nature versus nurture has been around for centuries. Or, genetics versus environment. Does environment also have a role to play in temperaments? Unequivocally YES. Everything from a pups earliest socialization with his mother and litter mates, to the prime socialization period up to four months of age, training, and experiences. In short, much like people, every experience a dog has shapes who he will be from that moment forward. But because their brains are not as complex as ours, dogs rely more on preprogrammed responses. Much of the work we do with aggressive dogs is to reprogram that programming.
At the end of the day, as much as genetics plays a key role in determining a dog’s temperament, so does the environment in which he was raised. If genetics were the only factor, and it was true that say, Rottweilers, just had an “aggressive” temperament, than there would simply be no more Rottweilers. Why? Because there are literally millions of Rotties in this country, and death by Rottweiler would literally be an every day occurence. As it stands, the total number of fatal dog attacks in the United States averages 30 or less each year (still 30 too many). But there are millions or Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers, and yes, Pit Bulls in this country, not to mention every other dog out there. So clearly, these dogs are neither genetically, nor environmentally, preprogrammed to killing or seriously injuring people.
The opposite is also true. If all that mattered was the environment in which a dog is raised, there would never be a case of a dog from a loving home who bites. We have trained plenty of dogs who have been in that exact situation.
One final consideration with regard to temperament are medical conditions. Just as people have conditions that may make them more violent, or, for lack of a better term, “not quite right”, dogs are the same. There is some evidence that a sudden shift in behavior from a dog may be an indication of a thyroid imbalance. But there are countless other conditions which may have an impact on a dog’s temperament.
The best thing to do when you notice a shift in your dog’s reaction, say, to a loud noise, or another animal, is to seek to adjust the reaction quickly – usually through a professional trainer who has experience with behavior modification. Most behavior problems simply do not get better with time and no intervention.