Purebred Personalities
Stanley Coren is a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of many books on dogs, including “The Intelligence of Dogs,” “How Dogs Think,” and “The Modern Dog.”
Nearly 40 percent of dogs do not make it through their first year with their first owner, and instead are returned to their breeder, given to a shelter, euthanized or abandoned, according to statistics gathered by the U.S. Humane Society.
The advantage of purebred dogs is that they provide us with some level of predictability. In almost all of these cases, the reasons given for getting rid of the dog have to do with a mismatch in the behavior, personality or activity level between the dog’s owners and the dog. If you are going to happily live for 10 or more years with a dog, it is important that that dog fits into your lifestyle.The original purpose for establishing dog breeds was to cultivate certain behaviors and predispositions that could be passed on genetically. It turns out that certain useful traits, such as retrieving, pointing and tracking, which are important to hunters, or herding and guarding tendencies, which are useful working abilities, are included in these characteristics.
Personality characteristics are also genetically determined. There’s data from the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control indicating that Pit Bulls (American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers), Rottweilers, Akitas and Malamute or husky-type dogs are the breeds most likely to be involved in fatal biting incidents (see, for instance, this report).
At the other end of the spectrum are a number of companion breeds that have been bred for their sociability and friendliness. An example is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, where in Canada, the U.K., Australia and France, there is a temperament standard, and any dog of this breed that shows tendencies to bite will have its breeding certificate voided. The result is a particularly “kissy-faced” dog.
The advantage of purebred dogs is that they provide us with some level of predictability. You can know in advance the size, activity level, and general working and personality characteristics of the dog that you are choosing for your family.
A random-bred dog may become a fine companion, but it can also turn out to be a dog that does not fit your lifestyle, and thus becomes one of the 40 percent who end up abandoned or in shelters. A purebred dog allows you to know some of its character and personality traits in advance.
Stanley Coren is a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia and author of many books on dogs, including “The Intelligence of Dogs,” “How Dogs Think,” and “The Modern Dog.”
Nearly 40 percent of dogs do not make it through their first year with their first owner, and instead are returned to their breeder, given to a shelter, euthanized or abandoned, according to statistics gathered by the U.S. Humane Society.
The advantage of purebred dogs is that they provide us with some level of predictability. In almost all of these cases, the reasons given for getting rid of the dog have to do with a mismatch in the behavior, personality or activity level between the dog’s owners and the dog. If you are going to happily live for 10 or more years with a dog, it is important that that dog fits into your lifestyle.The original purpose for establishing dog breeds was to cultivate certain behaviors and predispositions that could be passed on genetically. It turns out that certain useful traits, such as retrieving, pointing and tracking, which are important to hunters, or herding and guarding tendencies, which are useful working abilities, are included in these characteristics.
Personality characteristics are also genetically determined. There’s data from the U.S. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control indicating that Pit Bulls (American pit bull terriers, Staffordshire bull terriers), Rottweilers, Akitas and Malamute or husky-type dogs are the breeds most likely to be involved in fatal biting incidents (see, for instance, this report).
At the other end of the spectrum are a number of companion breeds that have been bred for their sociability and friendliness. An example is the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, where in Canada, the U.K., Australia and France, there is a temperament standard, and any dog of this breed that shows tendencies to bite will have its breeding certificate voided. The result is a particularly “kissy-faced” dog.
The advantage of purebred dogs is that they provide us with some level of predictability. You can know in advance the size, activity level, and general working and personality characteristics of the dog that you are choosing for your family.
A random-bred dog may become a fine companion, but it can also turn out to be a dog that does not fit your lifestyle, and thus becomes one of the 40 percent who end up abandoned or in shelters. A purebred dog allows you to know some of its character and personality traits in advance.
