So, you can imagine how excited I got when I read a Yahoo News story titled, “Humans Make Dogs More Aggressive, Says Study.”
As the Yahoo story said: “the study provides convincing evidence that upsets the longstanding idea that the breed defines the dog.”
Just look at the first paragraph of the story: “For some time now, vets have argued – contrary to popular belief – that your dog’s breed has little to do with their aggression levels. Now, a new study has shown that your relationship with your dogs might make them more aggressive than you’d think.”
The study was done by researchers at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. They studied a group of 665 dogs of various breeds, including mutts like me and my foster siblings. The study focused on “the correlations between aggressiveness and morphological, environmental, and social factors” in the dogs.
By the way, morphological means relating to the scientific study of the structure and form of animals and plants. (See, I’m smart, too)
Here are some of the study’s findings:
*Social and environmental factors were better predictors of canine aggression.
*Parents who walked their dogs every day generally had fewer aggression issues.
*Heavier dogs tend to be less disobedient than lighter pets.
*Dogs owned by women bark less at strangers.
*Short-snouted breeds have worse behavior than medium and long-snouted dogs.
Heck, some of this is easy to understand. Those little yappy dogs are a pain in the ass compared to a friendly lab or pit bull. And, of course, dogs owned by women bark less. Men are barking about stupid stuff all the time. You should see my foster dad lose his mind when he watches his favorite football team play. That can rub off on a dog.
The researchers said the data showed that “behavior is not only learned or influenced by genetics but also the result of constant interaction with the environment.”
Duh.
You can see this reality all the time, from puppies that aren’t properly socialized, to dogs that are abused, to dogs in shelters where the stress and confinement cause changes in their personalities.
Look, we know there are bad dogs. Just like there are bad people. When you stereotype a group of people as all being the same, then you don’t bother to learn about them as individuals. Maybe that kind of narrow thinking caused you to miss out on having a great new friend.
It’s the same with dogs.
My foster dad likes to tell us that every person is a product of their life experiences. That when someone sees the world differently than we do, it’s not necessarily an indictment against them. It’s often the result of factors that we know nothing about.
(Okay, once in a while he says something that makes sense.)
Not all dog breeds are the same. If you want to adopt a dog — please adopt, don’t shop — you’d better educate yourself on what your particular dog needs. Some might not fit in your lifestyle, which is okay. Sometimes getting any kind of dog might not be a good idea for you at your particular stage in life.
And a good training class never hurts. Remember, as the human, you’re supposed to be the pack leader. Does it always work out that way? No. You should see our house. Sure, our dad thinks he’s in charge.
Owning a dog is a serious commitment. That’s a commitment for its whole life, not just until you get tired of it, or it gets “too big,” or its behavior is a problem because you didn’t bother to train it properly.
The problem is too many people are failing us. They’re breeding too many of us, selling us to people who don’t know what the hell they’re doing, and far too many times dooming us to life in a shelter, or worse.
We deserve better.
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Musings of a Nobody 