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Does pedigree predict whether your dog is feisty or not? I ask because if my dog even sees another dog from a distance, she ll go nuts?
Shes not a pedigree dog, and I love her even more for having a "personality" because those "behaved" dogs seem boring (like my sister s pittie, who is a sweetie, but is dull). The only regret is not being able to take her to per friendly cafes/restaurants.
12 Answers
- 3 years ago
Yes and no. Some dogs like, Labradors, are said to be one of the smartest and most active breeds. But my in laws dog is massively boring. That doesn't mean she isn't smart or active. She is bored out of her mind because she isn't engaged in anything. So I strongly believe, animals can have a bad temperament if you or someone mistreats them. Dogs are all good. But humans are not. Dogs also become "dull", if their owner doesn't keep them engaged or give them anything to do. They also become more quiet and laid back as they age.
- Anonymous3 years ago
● "Does pedigree predict whether your dog is feisty or not? I ask because if my dog even sees another dog from a distance, she ll go nuts"
You need to "tighten" your interpretation of some words.
In broad terms, yes, pedigree DOES predict temperament, also size, appearance, and so on. In that context, it simply means "ancestry".
But pedigree doesn't predict for a specific pup - it takes LOTS of pups to result in an average that matches the prediction. Study about Gregor Mendel to see how many fertilisations he had to combine to work out his "Laws" of genetics.
💥If the ancestry was all terriers bred to perform the traditional Terrier function - finding & killing rodents - then the pooch is VERY likely to have the "Terrier gene" for instant deafness when it's pet human tries to issue a command that will interfere with the FUN the terrier intends to have - and the deafness won't vanish until the terrier HAS had as much fun as it can handle in one session and begins to feel peckish. It will also instinctively attack & flick anything rat-like to break its spine. It won't matter how many of the ancestors were Scottish Terriers versus Border Terriers versus Fox Terriers versus Irish Terriers.
💥If the ancestry was all sheepdogs bred to perform the traditional shepherd dog function - herding sheep - it won't matter how many of them were Australian Kelpies versus Belgian Shepherd Dogs versus Border Collies versus German Shepherd Dogs, if they see sheep or ducks or children wandering around in a disorganised way, they will instinctively attempt to collect the sheep/ducks/children into a group.
Of course some terriers are better at their task than are others, and some herding dogs are better at their task than are others.
The BEST dogs at their breed's tasks are those whose parents were DELIBERATELY chosen for being outstanding at the breed's tasks, demonstrating that they had inherited the most suitable alleles of each gene from their pedigree aka ancestry and so were likely to produce pups that would be outstanding. (Too many people nowadays ignore FUNCTION and focus on producing a cute colour or a monumental size or a pretty pattern.)
🤢And sadly, many people nowadays mate together very un-breedlike pooches.💀
● "Shes not a pedigree dog,
Wrong term - you mean that HER pedigree is not REGISTERED, because SHE is not registerable as a BREED.
With very RARE exceptions, the international kennel clubs won't register a dog as a BREED unless both its parents are already registered as members of that BREED (a couple of exceptions were done to (1) get a lost allele into Dalmatians, so that the incidence of kidney-stones will be reduced, and (2) to give ½-to-⅔rds of the pups in Boxer litters naturally short tails (tail docking is banned in Europe).
However, cross-breeds and "no-breeds" CAN be registered on the training-competition register. It doesn't let them compete in the breed-ring, it doesn't let them have litters registered - but it DOES let them compete in Agility, Dancing with Dogs, Flyball, Herding Trials, Obedience Trials, Tracking Trials, Working Trials, and whatever other kinds of training competition your kennel club offers. And the best can earn Agil.Ch. or Obed.Ch. or WT.Ch.
● "and I love her even more for having a "personality" because those "behaved" dogs seem boring (like my sister s pittie, who is a sweetie, but is dull). The only regret is not being able to take her to per friendly cafes/restaurants."
Actually, I would spell what she displays as "poisonality"!
A well-trained dog can nevertheless have PLENTY of personality. As an example:
😊My now-dead "Otto" would break his stance and dance out to greet to the show judge. 😊At club days he would win the Longest Down-Stay competition where the judge did all sorts of things to try to get the dog to stand up and move away. But if another GSD also ignored those, and so the judge resorted to the ultimate test, "Otto" would lose - he wouldn't get up, but after very briefly air-scenting the chunk of dog sausage placed just out of his reach his hind toes would twinkle and slide him along on his chest until his tongue could flick out and make the sausage "magically disappear". 😊In our station wagon, he would be admired by the pump-hands who couldn't hear his sotto voce rumble because strangers were touching OUR vehicle. 😊 While waiting for vacant possession of my current house we had to board out our GSDs. "Otto" wouldn't let the boarding kennel owner into the run with him and his pregnant sister (we had to bathe them more than once each before they were fit to bring inside after a month in the pen!) 😊One day while "Otto" was surveying the neighbours seen from my hillside's top terrace, a stranger opened the house gate. We were inside at the far end of the house. Suddenly our end of the house shuddered as "Otto", after leaping off the 7ft high retaining wall, sprang from the path onto the gate that the visitor had closed behind himself JUST in time. When we went out to see what it was, then opened the gate to let the chap in, "Otto" calmly accepted our right to give the chap permission to enter.
🤯Others here have told you some of the disadvantages of having a dog that HASN'T been trained to calmly accept what its human decrees. The longer you waste before STARTING getting coached in a training class, the longer you will need to be IN that class before you can be confident that your dog will accept YOUR decisions.
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😛 To discuss a breed, type the breed-name into the top field of
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then choose a couple of groups to Join - use the group's
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on its /info page to make sure that it still has members who are ACTIVE. Then send an e-mail about yourself to the Subscribe address on that page.
The people in them KNOW about that breed. Plus you can include several actual photos in your posts.
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King Les The Lofty - first pup in 1950; GSD breeder & trainer as of 1968
- OcimomLv 73 years ago
No. Its all in how you properly train your dog whether its a purebred or a mix. I've known many purebred dogs that are raised with NO manners, and many mixes I love to be around because they are well trained. I hate when any dog is not trained - especially those who's owners allow them to be jumping up on people!
Now the terrier breeds tend to be more feisty towards other dogs by nature so its likely your dog has terrier in her. But that doesn't excuse you from training her to behave.
- bluebonnetgrannyLv 73 years ago
No, it does not. A pedigree is just a list of ancestors, who was bred to who & so on.
Your dog is an individual & will be what its genetics predict. It has its own temperament, its own intelligence, its own behavior.
The only way you can take the pup/dog with you any where, it has to be a Service Dog & your pup is not a Service Dog. It cannot go with you any where. You cannot get a Service Dog unless you are severally disabled & need a dog to preform tasks you can no longer do for yourself.
She is not a trained dog, that is the behavior of an untrained dog. If you were to put her through Basic Obedience she would at least obey your commands. She would be obedient.
- Nekkid Truth!Lv 73 years ago
Yes and no...
There are certain traits you can reasonably expect a particular breed to have. Some breeds are more feisty by nature and some are more laid back. Dogs are still individuals tho, and you get some that just dont have the typical temperament for the breed.
- GllntKnightLv 73 years ago
Genetics determines temperament, genetics can't be changed, only somewhat controlled by an experienced/knowledgeable handler/owner, because she isn't a purebred her temperament maybe all over the board, depending on which genetics are dominant and which are not. As mongrels aren't genetically tested prior to breeding, or required to meet any standard.
Your responsibility to keep her and everyone/everything safe from harm at all times and to train/correct any poor behavior immediately whenever it occurs.
- ?Lv 73 years ago
I think you are mistaking the word 'pedigree' for 'purebred' (often done). ANY dog could have a pedigree (a history of ancestors) if enough is known, far enough back.
In any case this isn't down to anything other than what's in the genes of the individual dog, and their TRAINING. Terriers tend to be more scrappy than some other groups however.
And being trained - behaving is NOT 'boring'.
- Julie D.Lv 73 years ago
Genetics determine the temperament of any individual dog, and since there are so many different breeds, each individual breed should display closely related traits. Even dogs within their own breed can display different temperaments which mostly boils down to being well bred or poorly bred examples of that individual breed. Mixed breed dogs are just that....mixed, so there is really no predictability when it comes to their temperament or individual physical appearance either. Training and socialization can also play a part on how a dog reacts to it's surroundings. If a dog isn't use to being around other dogs with the exception of an other dog or dogs that live under the same roof, usually they will react differently that a dog that has been socialized with a lot of other strange dogs that it doesn't live with. Again, that can also depend on the individual BREED, but your dog is a mixed breed dog and we have no idea how much socialization and training it's had. Your own interpretation on what makes a "dull dog" may also be different than an other person's interpretation of that For an example, I might think that your Sister's Pit is very well trained and socialized and may also think that your dog isn't just feisty, but also not well trained or well socialized meaning it's a bit of a brat.
- JojoLv 73 years ago
No....its the temperament the dog was born with and genetic...OR its caused by lack of socialisation with other dogs when young.
Feisty is not the right word for this anyway. Neither is Personality.
Well behaved dogs are NOT boring, they are confident dogs who have no need to put on a display of aggression for no reason.
Usually dogs that go berserk when seeing other dogs are usually lack confidence and put on a display of aggression in the hope of scaring the other dog away. This is often much worse when the aggressor is on the lead and has no means of escape.
Once let off the lead, the dog will usually take evasive action and not be so aggressive to another dog.
Without more info on your dog, like her breed and age and if you have owned her from a puppy, and if not, is she a rescued dog, its hard to give any more positive advice.
Source(s): GSD owner for 55 years. - choko_canyonLv 73 years ago
Pedigree does not predict that beyond a certain basic level. Certainly some breeds are MORE feisty/aggressive than some others, but it's not the sole determining factor.