Nature v Nurture
It’s fair to say that both nature & nurture have a role to play in our dogs behaviour.
Nature: Some behaviour can be linked to genetics, dogs have evolved with the influence of man. We have historically bred dogs to do certain jobs, it’s in their genes. For example Border Collies have an instinct for herding, the German Shepherd for guarding, the Beagle for their scent work.
All these dogs can have fantastic lives and be wonderful companions, but we have to understand that they need the correct training & environment to meet their genetic needs.
A litter of cute, gorgeous puppies, some may be super confident and come bonding over and others more reserved, needing more time to come and greet. Already these pups have developed individual personalities, all from the same litter and being brought up in the same environment.
Nurture: How does a dogs environment affect their behaviour, the answer is hugely. In the ideal world all dogs would have correct training, exercise, play, nutrition, care & love in order for them to reach their full potential and live a happy, enriched life. This sadly isn’t always the case and dogs being brought up in a below standard environment & treated badly, are likely to be unhappy and show undesired behaviour.
Take home team Lyra, my partner first saw her at around 8 weeks of age, when with a friend they went to see a litter of fox red labradors. He noticed 1 pup cowering at the back of the cage, he went back when the pups were 14 weeks old and little Lyra was the only one left and still cowering at the back of the cage. So genetically she was the reserved, nervous pup of the litter.
She had an enriched rural life, and was very loved but she struggled with fear and anxiety around people. She simply found life in our human world very frightening, genetically she was nervous and during her first 14 weeks lived in a poor environment not socialised and feeling scared.
With lots of confidence giving training, living with my goofball lab and oodles of love, she is a super happy dog, living her best life. She will never be the dog that happily goes places where there are lots of people, and she continues to feel fear around strangers, we fit life around her, walk in quiet places or on a long lead and we love her to bits !
So nature v nurture are interlinked and when we work with dogs who are showing undesired behaviour, we look at everything, even the most subtle things can cause undesired behaviour.
Home team Lyra with her beloved bestie Skye.
