How Not To Treat Your Dog
Amongst the mail mountain awaiting me on my return from holiday was the latest edition of the Deerhound Club magazine. In it was a letter from a Club member
explaining her frustration at the fact that when she
exercised her deerhound his strong hunting instinct
meant he kept taking himself off into the woods in
pursuit of the local wildlife.
I have to confess it made me really sad to read this. I've no wish to turn this into a pro v anti hunting debate; people on both sides of that particular fence hold strong views and I respect their right to those views. But the point I want to make is that the deerhound *is* a hunting breed. Years of selective breeding have made it the way it is and, like all sporting breeds, ruthless culling of individuals that wouldn't do the job ensured only the keenest were bred from. So to expect this sort of dog to meekly trot along beside you on a walk is - in my opinion - niaive. But to then attempt to eradicate this sort behaviour is, again in my opinion, bordering on cruel. You might think that's a bit of an overreaction on my part but I truly believe that to try and 'correct' a dog for doing what centuries of breeding have instilled into every fibre of its being is completely unfair. It's like saying teenage boys should be told off for being attracted to teenage girls. They can't help it - it's the most natural thing in the world. So please give some thought to your dog's instincts before you start berating it for certain behaviour patterns. For instance if you have one of the retrieving breeds (ie labrador, golden, flatcoat, Chesapeake Bay, curly coat etc) be aware that it's natural instinct tells it to pick things up and carry them in its mouth. Sticks, balls, kids' toys, towels, shoes, items of clothing - you name it, if the dog can get hold of it chances are it's going to want to carry it about. If you don't think you can live with that then *don't* get a retriever - it's not the breed for you. Terriers are a group of dogs whose common ancestry calls essentially for a certain degree of beligerence. Most terriers have evolved to kill so called 'vermin'. That could be rats or maybe foxes. To carry out this task requires a unique 'do-or-die' mentality. Many terriers today will still be mad keen to go to ground or hunt rats and they often have huge egos, meaning they'll often want to square up to other dogs and try and start a scrap. If you don't think you can deal with that sort of temperament then *don't* get a terrier - they're not the breed for you. Likewise for me taking on a greyhound I know exactly what I'm likely to be dealing with. Centuries of breeding have ensured greyhounds are born to chase just about anything that moves, especially if it moves fast. They have a reputation for being particularly intolerant of cats. So my advice to any cat owner wanting to get a dog is to be very wary about having a greyhound! There's a wealth of information available on the history of all different dog breeds, so there's no excuse for not doing your homework and understanding where your dog 'comes from' (genetically speaking). Knowing that history will allow you to understand what drives your dog to behave in certain ways. Don't be surprised if your -
# beagle wants to put its nose down and follow a trail It should be obvious to you - the dog can't help itself. It was already pre-programmed to behave that way the very moment it was born. Recommended reading - "Dog Training Blueprint To Success".
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