Episode #11 - Working Selection: What Your Dog’s Breed Really Means - Utah Dog Trainer
Like 1 Dislike 0 Published on 11 Jul 2016
Dog owners commonly come to me saying things like, “I got this Labrador”—or Pyrenees, or any other breed—“and the breed book tells me it’s going to be exactly like this.” Or, “After I got my German Shepherd, I started reading up on them, so I know exactly what they’re like.”
Here’s the thing: there are differences between breeds, but most breeds have been drastically altered from the original breed standard. Your dog’s temperament, appearance, and behavior probably don’t match up with what’s in the breed book, at least not in every way.
Why is this the case? It’s mostly because, in modern times, there are s lot of people who breed dogs just for the sake of breeding dogs. For centuries, each dog was breed for a very specialized purpose. German Shepherds were breed for protection and sheep-herding. The Jack Russel Terrier was bred to catch vermin. Huskies were bred to pull sleds. My dog Chocolate Chip is a Cao de Fila de San Miguel. As you might expect, this breed is essentially a Fila dog from San Miguel, a small Portuguese island. Chocolate Chip was bred to be a cattle dog, and actually comes from cattle-herding stock.
During those times, many breeds kept strict standards. If you had a German Shepherd who couldn’t herd sheep or protect your house, then you just didn't breed it. Over time, through selection, those undesirable traits were bred out. What’s happened with many breeds, especially the most popular ones, is that few of them are bred to do any sort of actual work any more. When the dogs don't do the work that they were bred for, then those desirable traits are no longer even looked for.
For more info on this topic and to get your free dog training book go to - http://goo.gl/ThOQHA
Website: http://tythedogguy.com