Breeds: A Double-Edge Sword

Dogs have been a part of human history for... well, most of human history.  Since their domestication by Homo sapiens, dogs have been bred for every size, shape, form, and function that you can think of, and this has led a wide range in form and function.

AKC Great Dane and AKC Pekingese Pages

While there is a range of issues with breeding a dog for a specific trait, breed development was meant to introduce consistency into a species that is hugely variable (see above).  Unfortunately, this has also lead to the assumption that all dogs that look a like must also act alike.  Perhaps it is part of human nature to assume such, but it is a false assumption - one that does not hold in human beings, nor in dogs.  In spite of this, it is an assumption that none-the-less dictates the fate of dogs around the world every day.

Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL), laws dictating what breeds of dog a person can or cannot own and/or how they must be handled, are common in North America at the local or state/provincial level, and around the world.  Such laws are implemented under the guise of "protecting the public", but there is little evidence to support any claims of their effectiveness.  The notorious inaccuracy of breed-related bite statistics, as well as the strong correlation between the proportion of bites from a certain breed and that breed's popularity, all both completely disregarded by the implementation the creation of BSL.  Published studies of the topic is often highly biased due to inaccurate or incomplete reporting of bites by victims, and due to being frequently based solely on new reports, which tend to only report bites of breeds viewed as being dangerous by the public.  Not only are people extremely bad at identifying dog breeds (which means that many dogs that bite end up being labelled by the media as a "pit bull" or whatever the public considers to be that year's most dangerous dog breed), but because of the large number of unregistered and mixed breed dogs getting accurate numbers for each breed of dog (or its mixes) is nearly impossible.  This  prevents the number of bite events from being turned into accurate rates as there is no accurate way to determine the denominator, i.e. the total number of dogs of a particular breed.  This is further compounded is compounded by BSL, as dogs that are potentially of BSL-banned breeds or mixes are often not registered or licensed, further throwing off the breed counts and artificially inflating the breed-related bite-rate.

In my view, governments that implement BSL are doing so either because they have their own personal and extreme biases against certain breeds, or because it is an easy way to "do" something without having to hold owners accountable.  Regardless of the breed of the dog, the owner is ultimately responsible for the dog and its actions, and I think it is time that governments start recognizing that fact, instead of punishing entire breeds of dogs for simply existing.

Happy New Year!

It's that time of year again when everyone sets unrealistic goals that result in us being completely discouraged and eventually giving up, only to try again next January.  Statistically, you won't slim down to your high school weight (sorry), nor will you only eat fruits and vegetables, go jogging five days a week, be more productive at work, quit smoking cold turkey, or whatever it is you've promised yourself you're going to accomplish this year.  Not because you don't want it enough, but simply because our goals and expectations far outstrip our real-world capabilities.  In dog training, this is usually referred to as setting the dog up to fail.  The idea is simple... if you do everything in your power to ensure that the dog actually knows what you want and is capable of doing it, the dog will be more likely to succeed.  Duh.  The same principle is used in all aspects of dog training, although how they are applied may be different.  Teaching a dog to sit, you use luring to get the dog into the position you want.  Resource guarding, you start small - give the dog something very low value, not worth much to the dog, and give him a super duper awesome reward for deciding to give it to you.

So, my wish for you all is that you set yourselves up to succeed at whatever it is you want to accomplish this year.  Keep your goals realistic, and realize that it might take a lot of smaller steps before you run the whole marathon.

As for me... I'm focusing on system-based things this year, rather than results-driven goals, and they say that you're more likely to stick to your resolutions if you share them, so here are mine:

1.  Be more consistent with Snowball's training, especially his reactivity.  2013 was alternately an awesome year and a terrible one - by July, his leash-reactivity was almost completely eliminated.  Then he went to stay with the in-laws while we renovated, and then at the kennel while we were away getting married, and it didn't get worked on regularly for months, and now he's almost back where he started.  Eliminating his reactivity for good will happen when it happens (and it may never happen) - I don't have 100% control over that.  What I do have control over is how often and how much effort I put into working on it.

2.  Work on becoming a  better communicator, both with dogs, and with people.

3.  Drink more water.  Specifically, drink a glass of water first thing in the morning and right before bed every day.

4.  Get at least 30 mins of exercise most days of the week.  (Note to future me: This does not mean that going to the gym for 60 minutes one day counts as the amount for 2 days!)  Thankfully having a dog makes this one easy.

5.  Bake more bread, so that I can get better at it.  Just like dogs, experience is the best teacher.

6.  Spend more time with Snowball.  Specifically, I want to take a beginner agility class, and I plan on going to the off-leash park every chance I get.  With no more courses to take for my degree, there are no excuses!

What are some of your resolutions/goals for the year?

The Beginning

Last time I kept a blog, I wasn't very good at it. My updates were sporadic, months apart, rambling... but in spite of the long word counts, I didn't really have anything to say. Sure, I posted recipes and helpful kitchen tips, but there was nothing of real substance, no difference between my blog and my journal. If I kept a journal.
But I realized that like so many of my Gen Y peers, I was just writing a blog to write. Because I could, because I thought I was important enough to make people care, even though there really wasn't anything to care about, and not because I had anything important or interesting to say. (I didn't). But I do now. I have been volunteering at my local animal shelter for over a year now, but recently I became much more involved with the dog program working under the direction of the behaviorists to reduce/eliminate the unfortunate behavioural issues that some dogs have when they arrive. Things like anxiety, fearfulness, lack of impulse control, and even aggression. I am constantly amazed at the difference that the staff and other volunteers make, even in the short space of a week.

I really want to document my experience working with these dogs, to have a record of the things that I am able to teach them, and especially a reminder of what they have taught me. And a place to rant; sometimes I need to blow off some steam and my friends and family are likely already sick of my tirades about the ignorance of people and the treatment of animals, training methods, the definition of a no-kill shelter, and the insanity of rescue agencies. And, most importantly, to share cute pictures of cute puppies.


The cutest one being my own, of course.