Owning a dog is something that a lot of people look up to, especially those people who adore animals and enjoy their company. However, the whole process of getting a dog can be more complicated than what people initially expect, and many of those complications often involve the actual breed of the dog.
There are many different types of breeds of dogs all around the world, and each breed has specific features that differentiate them from one another. Some of them are more present and popular than others because of said specific features, while other breeds are more used for different tasks, from shepherding to guarding.
The reason for this is because, believe it or not, the breed of the dog can heavily influence various aspects of its development, both physically and mentally. But why does this happen? And what are some clear examples of this?
Well, if you are interested in getting to know the way in which a breed can play a huge role in the development o a dog, this dogs guide is definitely for you.
That being said, let’s talk about the most important aspect to consider about dogs when it comes to their breed: Their genetics.
To Some Extent, We Are Slaves of Our Genes
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A hard truth we have to accept whether we like it or not is that our genes play an incredible role when it comes to the way develop as human beings. Genetics can heavily influence the way we will look, including things such as the shape of our heads, our height, the color of our eyes, hair, and skin, and possibly the development of our organs, bones, and muscles, and even how much calories our body absorbs from food!
Of course, genes also decide various aspects of dogs, and many of those aspects are usually specific to certain breeds. For example, various breeds of dogs are categorized for being small, medium-sized, and large, and also, some breeds are well known for having specific types of coats with particular colors. Generally speaking, a breed of a dog will pretty much decide the way it will look.
More Than Just Physical Features
Besides deciding the appearance of a dog and many of its physical features, as mentioned over here the breed can also play a huge role in their behavior, from how much training the dog might need to how compatible they are for a human-dog relationship. When we talk about behavior and personality, some things to consider include:
- Tameness
- Level of aggression
- Sociability
- Protectiveness
- Independence
Various of these factors can also include other personality traits such as stubbornness, playfulness, how territorial they can be, their level of energy and hyperactivity, and whether they are more prompt to suffering from separation anxiety or not.
But Why Does This Happen?
Well, just like ourselves, dogs had to adapt their physical features to their circumstances. A lot of dogs, if not all dogs, are descendants of ancient wolves that were tamed, and lived along with humans for centuries. They helped us track animals, hunt them, protect our cattle, and become our guards during the night, but in the process, as our society changed, they also changed.
Some dogs still keep some of their ancient traits for the sake of survivability. The Bernese Mountain Dogs, the Siberian Huskies, and the Chow Chows are well known for their dense and thick coats that protect them from the cold.
On the other hand, German and Australian Shepherds are famous for their energy levels and endurance, and this is only because, back in the day, running for them was pretty much a daily occurrence.
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Needless to say, this also entails mental and behavioral aspects. For example, Boxers are poorly misinterpreted and categorized as very aggressive dogs, only because of their sad history involving dog fights and cattle pursuing, and some incidents that have happened around the world. Some of their aggression is due to the fact that they once were used for very aggressive and active activities which are now illegal but have affected the way they behave to a certain extent.
That being said, boxers are very lovely and loyal animals that will protect a family under any circumstances, and these problems are only caused because of irresponsible and