Dog's genetics are important to Dog Training

Let's start at the foundation of what makes a dog.

Their DNA.

Dogs’ DNA brings predetermined instructions on how they will respond and behave. This is important to note when training dogs. Dog behaviours include but not limited to, barking, digging, chewing, chasing, jumping, running, sleeping, playing, licking and sniffing.

Some dogs are more prone to behave in these ways at certain times than others, due to their genome (as well as social-environmental factors). Genetic inheritance shapes how the dog moves, acts, and understands the world around them. Therefore, when approaching dogs our understanding of their capabilities and expectations needs to be managed.

Canine training needs to consider the inherited genetics of a dog are more impactful and important than breed. Kathleen Morrill et all’s (2022) study found a dog’s breed alone only affected behaviour by around 10%. Other studies have suggested within breed differences of behaviour (Asp et al, 2015) and that working lines and show lines show difference impulsivity for instance (Fadel et al, 2016). In other words, if the breed purpose is no longer a priority the ‘original’ purpose may fade.

For instance, there are many Asian fighting dogs such as the Tibetan Mastiff, Shar Pei and the Chow Chow which are no longer bred to fight in most countries. As seen in the show ring at Crufts (2023) which are crowded yet these dogs are behaving well around lots of other dogs.

Selective Breeding

In the wild it was important to aid survival to have big brains and good eyesight, however through the domestication process dogs no longer need these traits. Domestic dogs there is a significant reduction in cranium size as these would be less needed co-habiting with people (Diamond, 2002). Brian Hare et al (2002) emphasized one effect of the domestication process which included genetic changes in a dogs’ ability to think skilfully and communicate with humans. Considering over the last 150 years, selective breeding had resulted in effecting many dogs’ ability to communicate with body language or even pitch of growl or bark (due to mutations like abnormal windpipes). The RSPCA (2023), highlights the suffering from ‘exaggerated features’ on dogs that have occurred due to selective breeding; brachycephalic breeds who

struggle to breathe to problems giving birth naturally as some have extra-large heads and small hips, larger breeds are likely to suffer from ‘digestion, muscle and joint’ issues and the list goes on. John Rossi (2017, p.11) also explained the very features that make us love dogs, are also harming them as ‘excessive skin fold; short, stubby legs; corkscrew tails; short, “smushed” faces; distinctive coats; and so on–can directly cause disease or predispose the animal to disease’. Also, these domesticated traits are examples of maintaining ‘juvenile characteristics’ (Björnerfeldt, 2007, p.19). Dogs who look like human babies are perceived as cute by people.

The ‘paedomorphic’ (Waller et al, 2013, p.5) traits like big eyes, big foreheads, small noses to mouth ratio are reflected in some dogs and are appealing to humans. In adoption centres for instance, dogs with the ability to ‘raise the inner brow.. were adopted more’ (Waller et al, 2013, p.5). The reason for the exaggeration of features in dogs had been ‘based partly or wholly on aesthetic enjoyment’ (Overall, 2017, p.113). In other words, ‘how cute… [a dog] is judged to be’ (Thorn et al., 2015, p.583) directly relates to the value on the relationship between man and his best friend. Some people are more likely to invest time in training their dogs if they consider them cute, rather than rehoming them.

Pedigree dogs are ‘around 75% of the 9 million strong dog population in the UK’(The Kennel Club, 2023). In other words, highly selective breeding practices are producing pups in the UK. The Kennel Club have had to create a categorisation for the health concerns they have for some of the most popular breeds in the UK, called Breed Watch (2023).

In 2021 it was revealed that the registrations for the most popular dog breeds where; Labrador ‘Retriever’, ‘French Bulldog’, Cocker ‘Spaniel’, ‘Bulldog’ ‘Dachshund’ (Bedford, 2022) and so on. Consequently, 16 out of the top 20 UK breeds in the 2021 report were on the Kennel Clubs Breed Watch categories for health concerns. The demand for dogs exploded ‘during lockdown’ (Sawyer, 2021) which led to a lack of scrutiny by first time dog owners on where they were getting their dogs from. The health of popular breeds of the day is suffering which effects training.

How much does exaggerated features effect training?

The selective breeding of some breeds with exaggerated features impact canine training as the dog’s health issues have to be taken into consideration and adaptions of techniques would need to be made. Consequently, a dog that is in pain may not necessarily take to training as well as healthy dogs. Furthermore, the illness or injury due to exaggerated feature may in-directly cause behavioural issues. For example, a miniature dachshund, who was in crate rest for the first year of their life, due to spinal injuries and later surgery recovery, will mean they had little to no socialisation and this will impact the dog’s ability to cope in the outside world. Another consideration was a dog’s ability to communicate effectively with other dogs and people will be impacted by exaggerated features. Dogs with limited rotation of their ears or body, who cannot freely move, or move their face to make an expression, result in others do not know if that dog is, happy, engaging in play, fearful, or aggressive, which can be dangerous.

What do you think is going on in this picture?

Change Image

• Both Dogs want to play
• The Frenchy is not interested but the Collie wants to play
• Neither dogs want to play

Citations

Asp, H.E., Fikse, W.F., Nilsson, K. and Strandberg, E., 2015. Breed differences in everyday behaviour of dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 169, pp.69-77.

Björnerfeldt, S., 2007. Consequences of the domestication of man’s best friend, the dog (Doctoral dissertation, Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis).

Bedford, E. 2022. Leading dog breeds ranked by number of registrations in the UK 2021. Statista. Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://www.statista.com/statistics/915202/top-dog-breeds-by-registered-number-united-kingdom-uk/

Breed Watch. 2023. Breed Watch. The Kennel Club. Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/events-and-activities/dog-showing/judging-dog-shows/breed-watch/

Crufts. 2023. Day 4 – Sunday 12 March 2023 – Utility and Toy. Crufts, The Kennel Club. Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://crufts.org.uk/whats-on/day-4-sunday/

Diamond, J., 2002. Evolution, consequences and future of plant and animal domestication. Nature, 418(6898), pp.700-707.

Fadel, F.R., Driscoll, P., Pilot, M., Wright, H., Zulch, H. and Mills, D., 2016. Differences in trait impulsivity indicate diversification of dog breeds into working and show lines. Scientific Reports, 6(1), p.22162.

Hare, B., Brown, M., Williamson, C. and Tomasello, M., 2002. The domestication of social cognition in dogs. Science, 298(5598), pp.1634-1636.

Overall, C. ed., 2017. Pets and people: The ethics of our relationships with companion animals. Oxford University Press.

Rossi, J., 2017. on the ethiCs of Pedigree-breeding. Pets and People: The Ethics of Our Relationships with Companion Animals, p.111.

RSPCA. 2023. Health problems in pedigree dogs. RSPCA. Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://www.rspca.org.uk/ADVICEANDWELFARE/PETS/DOGS/PUPPY/PEDIGREEDOGS

Morrill, K., Hekman, J., Li, X., McClure, J., Logan, B., Goodman, L., Gao, M., Dong, Y., Alonso, M., Carmichael, E. and Snyder-Mackler, N., 2022. Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science, 376(6592), p.eabk0639.

Sawyer, J. 2021. First time dog ownership skyrockets during lockdown. IFAW. Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://www.ifaw.org/uk/journal/first-time-dog-ownership-skyrockets-during-lockdown

The Kennel Club. 2023. What is a pedigree dog? Viewed 01/04/2023. Available at: https://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/getting-a-dog/are-you-ready/what-is-a-pedigree-dog/

Thorn, P., Howell, T.J., Brown, C. and Bennett, P.C., 2015. The canine cuteness effect: Owner-perceived cuteness as a predictor of human–dog relationship quality. Anthrozoös, 28(4), pp.569-585.

Waller, B.M., Peirce, K., Caeiro, C.C., Scheider, L., Burrows, A.M., McCune, S. and Kaminski, J., 2013. Paedomorphic facial expressions give dogs a selective advantage. PLoS one, 8(12), p.e82686.