Solutions to Dog Problems Start Upstream
By the time you contact me about a problem you’re having with your dog, several other people have - or could have - already had an effect on your dog’s behavior. If those folks had done a good job and everyone had listened to their advice, many of the problems we routinely face with dogs could go away almost entirely.
I realize it’s a bit of a pipe dream, but let’s imagine for a moment how things could be so much better. And let’s imagine the solution looking like a path. Or better yet, a stream. Here are the people, in chronological order, who could help us create dogs with fewer problems.*
Let’s take a brief look at each of these groups of people to see how they could produce “better dogs” and eliminate an awful lot of my business (which would be okay with me since people simply wouldn’t need as much help).
Researchers
Dogs are researched more than any other animal except humans. We are always learning more - but we already know a LOT about how dogs work. We know a lot about genetics, ethology, how they learn, how to introduce fear and to avoid introducing it, nutrition, medicine/health, and so much more. And, again, we’re still learning more. It’s hard to keep up with the constant flow of information that we’re getting from the very good research being done. No, not all studies are of the highest quality - and one study done only once doesn’t necessarily mean we should abandon what we believed in the past. But that iterative process is what makes science so reliable in the end. We keep looking at an issue and keep trying to disprove guesses about the problem until we’re left with really good information. And we have tons of it. And if people downstream will use that information, things will be better. Which leads us to breeders.
Breeders
I’m very pro “responsible breeding” (Full disclosure: I have two purebred dogs from a responsible breeder myself.) Responsible breeders work to produce better dogs of specific breeds. Better means healthier of body AND of mind/temperament. And it means better able to do their “job” - whatever that might be for that breed. And there are a lot of breeders who take that job very seriously and produce great examples of their chosen breed. They carefully vet who will get their dogs - and not everyone qualifies. Our breeder has said to me numerous times, “I don’t sell dogs - I find good homes for MY dogs.” Responsible breeders have networks of other great breeders to work with for matchmaking - they don’t advertise on Facebook for a match. They do expensive health testing and rule out dogs with health issues so those issues aren’t passed along to puppies and the human families they’ll ultimately live with. They insist on the right to take a dog back if the buyer can’t keep the dog. And they actually do that when there’s a reason the dog needs to be given up.
But then there are the rest. Labeled “backyard breeders” or “hobby breeders” or “puppy mills” - these people produce dogs for various reasons (typically for profit) and not for the love of the breed. They don’t have long-term goals for helping the dog world, they are running a business. They treat living beings with teeth and emotional lives as nothing more than products to make a buck. Some of them feel some odd sense of obligation to allow their dog to “experience the miracle of birth” or because they want their children to witness that miracle. But, again, without considering the welfare of the animals they are responsible for bringing into the world. They don’t do health testing. They breed dogs who grow up to be fearful of the world (and keep in mind, fearful dogs are often the ones who bite) because they don’t know how easily fear can be passed down from generation to generation and they end up breeding their beautiful but “I’m afraid of strangers” dog because she’s pretty. (Another example: we could eliminate almost all instances of noise phobias in just a handful of generations of careful breeding - but many breeders don’t rule out dogs with noise phobias because it’s simply not something they care as much about as they do the appearance of the dog.)
If breeders kept up with the ongoing research, we’d be producing better dogs with fewer health and behavior problems.
And it would help if breeders did a better job of selecting who they’d sell a dog to. Certain breeds of dogs have been bred to be pets - to sit on someone’s lap and hang out and to enjoy human interactions and attention even from strangers. And then there are dogs who have been intentionally bred for thousands of generations to be wary of strangers in order to protect the humans (or sheep/cattle) they live with. When members of that latter group end up living in a house filled with children who start having play dates with their friends and the parents of those friends or live in a busy high-rise building in a busy city filled with strangers, the dog can really struggle not to act on their genetic programming to ward off strangers - sometimes using their teeth. Allowing anyone with the cash to buy any dog causes real problems for people - and for the dog who finds themselves in the wrong environment altogether. People frequently describe behaviors which I’d fully expect for certain breeds as problems and ask me to change their herding breed individual into a tolerant and friendly 120 pound dog who acts like a perfect Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. While our ability to change behavior can be impressive at times, we can’t work miracles. Having the right dog for the right “job” can make a huge difference.
Oh, and before we move on, let’s talk about breeding restrictions imposed by organizations like the AKC and similar kennel clubs around the world. ALL dogs recognized by the AKC are now incredibly inbred. This is leading to skyrocketing instances of health problems. For example, roughly 60% of all Golden Retrievers now get cancer. That’s ridiculous since it’s almost entirely avoidable. Other notable examples include dogs who can’t breathe while lying down due to the shape of their head or can’t give birth naturally (requiring caesarian births) because of the shape and size of their pelvis - simply because we’ve arbitrarily decided that those features “look better.” And with more time, we’re creating health problems with nearly every breed due to the inbreeding. We could produce healthier dogs with careful cross breeding while still ensuring their ability to do the job they were created for. But when good breeders have tried to do this - for the sake of creating “better” dogs of their chosen breed - they’ve been denied permission or even thrown out of the AKC.
So, there’s a new approach that is gaining popularity. And that’s creating “functional” dogs regardless of breed. I was highly skeptical when I heard about this idea. But it’s absolutely grown on me as I’ve learned more. The Functional Dog Collaborative is leading the charge. They have ambitious goals (which you can read about by clicking their name a line or two above) that I support and they are led by highly-regarded researcher Jessica Hekman and others. The AKC can’t be counted on to provide us with good (healthy of body and behavior) pet dogs going forward so I’m glad someone else is stepping up.
If all dogs (whether pure breeds or mixed breeds) were born in the care of responsible breeders the number of dogs in shelters would plummet.
Owners
Eventually, a puppy lands in the living room of a new human family. Frequently, this dog is still very young - perhaps eight weeks old (younger than that is illegal in many US states for very good reasons: puppies should not be separated from their birth families of mother and littermates any earlier for developmental reasons). At this age, dogs are undergoing extreme change from week to week. A full description of the remarkable changes which take place in a dog’s first year can be found in the book “The Year of The Puppy: How Dogs Become Themselves” by Alexandra Horowitz.
Because of the extensive changes dogs are undergoing, what you do with them in the first several weeks is likely to affect their behavior for the rest of their lives. So, doing it right is truly critical (note, you can overcome mistakes - but they might take months or years to resolve the problems that could have been avoided). Yet, people too frequently get a dog with zero planning because they saw a cute puppy being sold in front of the grocery store or (worse) in a pet store.
So what can pet parents do to avoid problems?
First, carefully research breeds and pick one that’s going to be a good match with your lifestyle - not just because they are cute. I think there’s nothing cuter than a Malinois puppy. But I’m not sure I could meet their needs - and then I’d be faced with the consequences of that when they grow up. So, I don’t have a Malinois right now.
Then, select a dog from a reputable breeder. We’ve already looked at the importance of good breeding so find a good breeder. Go to dog shows, dog sports classes or competitions, join a Facebook group which specifically gives reviews about individual breeders (contact me for their name). Start a dialogue with breeders. The best breeders typically have waiting lists - so any puppies they might have right now are probably already claimed and it could be a year or two before a puppy is available (it’s worth the wait). But on occasion, a buyer backs out for one reason or another and a puppy might be available sooner. Ask questions about health and behavior. If the breeder seems confused or annoyed about those things, move on to another.
While you’re developing a relationship with your future breeder, learn about puppies. Look at the Resources page on this website and read as many of the books there as possible (I’ve updated the list to include those I feel are best for new or prospective puppy owners).
When you get your puppy, your first and most important job is socialization. Socialization is NOT simply meeting a lot of people and dogs. It’s a process that, when done correctly will go a long way towards teaching the dog that the world is a safe place filled with noises, sights, sounds, smells, and experiences that exist to be explored with gusto. Do it wrong, and you might likely have a dog who is afraid of strangers, big trucks, skateboarders, and other dogs (just for starters). And keep in mind, it’s scared dogs who often bite. Don’t forget, you’ve elected to bring an animal into your home. An animal with full weaponry in their mouth. You want a dog who doesn’t feel the need to use that weaponry except in the most unusual of circumstances - because they are happy and confident.
Provide the best possible home for your puppy by committing to using positive reinforcement to teach your new dog what you want and never using pain, fear, or intimidation to punish behaviors you don’t want. And get help. Puppies are hard. Sometimes very hard. So enlist the professionals. And that leads to the next two groups of people.
And what about dogs who come from shelters and rescues? First, and with complete sincerity, god bless you for taking in a dog who needs a good home. You probably don’t know their full histories. So, you do the best you can. But, again, there’d be far fewer dogs in shelters if breeders had done a better job from the start.
Puppy Trainers
I’ve separated people who train puppies from the rest of the dog trainers for a reason: teaching puppies should be seen as an advanced skill. Unfortunately, it’s seen as a good place for new trainers to learn to teach far too often. New trainers are often teaching puppies to learn their craft. But remember, young dogs are developing more in their first months than they will the rest of their lives. It’s vital that we “do it right” while they are young. If we do, they’ll be more likely to able to shrug off mistakes we make in the future. But blow it now and you may have problems for years. So shop around for an experienced dog trainer for your pup. That may mean avoiding the training classes offered at big pet stores (though, in fact, you can sometimes find qualified trainers there).
How do you find a good trainer? Well, a highly-respected associate of mine has written an entire article about that. So, I won’t just re-type all of Zazie’s solid advice - I’ll suggest that you read it by Clicking Here.
I had the pleasure of attending a few weekends listening to Dr. Daniel Mills of the University of Lincoln speak about various research on dog behavior. While joking, he said that new trainers should work on fear and aggression cases while only the most experienced trainers should be allowed to teach puppies. Why? Because getting puppies off to a good start is so very important and so easy to do wrong. And those new trainers? Well, they’ll either get better fast or they’ll change careers after getting bitten!
Dog Trainers
And that leads us to my profession - dog trainers. If everyone above did all the right things already, I’d be helping dog owners teach their dogs the skills they need to navigate in a human world. We’d still need them to come when called and to stay (for the dog’s safety), not to jump on people at the door (for the safety of visitors - especially if the dog is large), cute tricks (for enrichment for the dog as well as the human), and other basic “manners” things. Despite having been bred for thousands of generations to live with humans, they still need some guidance to live in human homes - they ARE still animals, after all. But many of the problems we see with fear and aggression caused by genetics, poor socialization, and pain would simply disappear. And that’s a large percentage of my caseload.
I look forward to the day when there’s simply not enough work for the many dog trainers out there.
Of course, we have tons of room for improvement in our industry too. Despite all that research that’s been done and is being added to constantly, many trainers continue to use the same methods they used 30, 40, or even 50 years ago. Those methods include the entirely unnecessary use of pain (including the use of prong collars, shock collars, and choke chains) to stifle behaviors they don’t like. Not only is it entirely unethical, it has the potential for negative fallout including an increase in fear and aggression. These trainers call themselves things like “balanced” to hide the fact that they are using pain. Some of them deny that things like prong collars work to change behavior because of pain. This shows the lack of education which is prevalent in our industry and unfortunately leaves it up to the unsuspecting dog owner to decipher who is educated and humane and who isn’t. It’s entirely unfair to consumers who need help - and to their dogs who are going to be subjected to abusive treatment simply because people have insufficient education, low ethical standards, or both. Again, do your homework to find a good trainer. You’ll find information about doing that by Clicking Here. If you select the wrong dog trainer, you could end up paying a far higher price by having to hire other trainers to undo the damage they’ve done. Or worse, your dog will be taken away by the authorities and killed when the dog bites someone.
Hire the right trainer and what you and your dog can accomplish can sometimes look almost miraculous.
What I’ve described is utopia. It’s a little unrealistic to expect that we’ll make all these advances in our lifetime. But if each of us starts doing the right things now, then things won’t get worse - they’ll get better.
Note: I’m using the word “problem” here in a very cavalier way. When I see an animal behaving, I’m aware that the dog is acting in a way that seems appropriate to them for the circumstances they are facing. They don’t see their behavior as a problem. And, I’m absolutely convinced, they don’t behave a certain way to cause problems for us either. They are simply trying to produce an outcome they desire or avoid one they don’t want. We use labels like “problem behavior” to describe behaviors we see as undesirable for various reasons (whether those behaviors are safety concerns or inconveniences or a hit to our ego when the dog blows off our request to do something because we’ve not adequately trained them using proper motivation).