Blank Slate?: Genetics and Temperament

“It’s all in how you raise them.”

If you’ve been in the dog world for an amount of time, you’ve undoubtedly heard that phrase in reference to young puppies. That if a puppy is raised with proper socialization, proper training, and with lots of love – it will not have any supposed issues as an adult, right? If a dog is anxious, aggressive, or fearful – it’s because of something in their past, right?

How about puppies from responsible breeders? We can agree they have predictable temperaments to fit that for which they were bred. That’s why they excel in certain areas. A well-bred Border Collie will be a great herder. A well-bred Labrador will be a great retriever. A well-bred English Foxhound will be a great hunting partner. A well-bred American Pit Bull Terrier will have a high game drive.

The environment in which a puppy is raised has a significant influence in his adult temperament. Lack of experiences, negative experiences, and/or lack of discipline can all help create a fearful dog. Positive experiences and proper training can help create a confident, stable dog.

But, what happens when you do everything right? You’ve provided proper socialization, started training as soon as the puppy came home, and he’s never had a negative experience – and yet he still struggles with significant insecurities? Or he’s still showing aggressive tendencies?

Proper socialization and proper training from an early age are definitely critical to producing the most stable temperament possible in a specific dog. They should absolutely not be skipped over or taken lightly; however, they are only part of the puzzle. Traits such as impulsiveness, mental ability, fearfulness, and aggressive tendencies are some of the traits that are heavily influenced by genetics. If an anxious dog is bred to a fearful dog, the puppies will likely not be outgoing & social adults.

When a dog is struggling with genetics and others openly perceive the dog as a “bad dog”, the owners of that dog often face comments telling them it is their fault, they didn’t raise the dog properly, and many other insinuations about their care for the dog. It is incredibly unfair to the owners and the dog. They begin to feel guilty and that only hurts the dog in the long-run as the owner may become too afraid to ask for the help and the resources needed to help them.

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Personally, I’ve heard everything from “well then that dog shouldn’t be allowed in public” to “then the dog should be euthanized”. Mostly from people who feel entitled to petting my dog or allowing their dog to approach my dog. Dogs are not public property for everyone to rush over and pet.

I have helped raise many foster puppies, and have had the significant majority grow into stable adults who’s families love them. That said, a select few have presented issues from an early age. Lately, I have worked with new client dogs and heard of a few other dogs who could be considered “genetically unstable”, and with that, I’ve seen the judgement that goes along with it.

If you look at the photo above, you wouldn’t think anything of it. If you see my Facebook posts about Quin, you probably see him as a loveable, cuddly mush-ball. Because that’s how I see him and that’s how he is with me and the 4 other people in his “chosen pack”. Even if you saw us in person without his muzzle, you wouldn’t expect anything negative from him. He’ll maintain a perfect heel or stationary command and will completely ignore you and your dogs even if you walk within a foot of us.

You wouldn’t guess that at 12 weeks old, that was the first time he raised all of his hackles while barking and growling at a stranger (to him) who tried to approach. Or that he began showing concerning posturing toward new dogs around 4-5 months old which progressed into attempting to attack another dog at 7 months old, despite always having proper introductions and no negative experiences. Yet, he’s still great with the dogs he’s been consistently around from early on (like Caelan), but absolutely no new dogs. Fortunately, I don’t mind working with these behaviors. He is still perfect for me – his trainability and working drive are high, making him an incredible training partner. He’s extremely handler-oriented, which I love. His athleticism matches Caelan’s so he’ll be great joining us for hikes.

My other dog, Caelan - who was also raised by me from within 2 weeks of the same age and had an extremely traumatic experience with another dog during one of his critical development periods - has an incredibly solid and stable temperament. There is no person he doesn’t like, he gets excited when allowed to meet a new dog, and he has a high tolerance for annoyances. He is super outgoing and just a happy, bouncy dog.

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So, remember to be kind and not make assumptions about other people’s dogs or how they are handled because you may not know the whole picture.

Below are some other links talking about genetic components to temperament:

- https://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/its-all-in-how-theyre-raised/

- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/10/191008165817.htm

- https://www.collared-scholar.com/raise-really-saving-pit-bull-breed/