A typical lockdown puppy....

[Mrs. Jingle]

I am sitting here tutting about unsuitable owners buying very unsuitable puppies and dogs during lockdown, mentally telling myself I would NEVER buy pups or dogs during a lockdown type of situation, then realised I have actually bought 2 last year lol! In my defense we did lose out 6 year old lab and our very ancient little Patterdale within a month of each other last year and put adverts out on my FB business page and eventually ended up with these two hooligans.
My beautiful black lab girls Jem on the left a very, very pretty ex show dog who hated the show ring, 4 years old.
Jess on the right coincidentally also 4 years old, but a field trials bred lab that we suspect probably just feffed off and did her own thing when she was supposed to be setting up snipe lol!

Cant believe my luck - we adore them and they adore us, almost too much, Jem in particular is very over protective with the family and has to be carefully supervised outside the home with people she doesn't know who come to close to us (in her opinion not ours!) .- they do have some minor issues but nothing we are not able to deal with day to day and they adore each other too. ??

 

[Smitty]

A dog I haven't seen since January, who's owner I told (among other things) to get him out and about and expose him to lots of different things, feed only from the hand/pocket, to basically control every aspect of his life because he was extremely reactive and insecure, almost had a chunk out of my arse yesterday when my back was turned.
Bought from a farm, parents seen 'in cages', no papers, was the only survivor of his litter apparently, and now potentially an absolute danger at just nine months old.
And on paper, not an unintelligent owner.
(The same advice was given as was in January, recieved as if revelatory).

What breed is this dog CC? Just curious. As for owners on paper, had a very eventful walk with a friend and her 1 year old black lab bitch yesterday. I have to say it was bloody awful walk and the dog left a trail of growling, barking and traumatised dogs and owners behind it as it was just being friendly and wanted to say hello?. This is her 4th dog.

 

[CorvusCorax]

What breed is this dog CC? Just curious. As for owners on paper, had a very eventful walk with a friend and her 1 year old black lab bitch yesterday. I have to say it was bloody awful walk and the dog left a trail of growling, barking and traumatised dogs and owners behind it as it was just being friendly and wanted to say hello?. This is her 4th dog.

GSD. It is getting referred to someone who actually charges for the pleasure and owner has been advised to take it to the vet as it is so hyper-alert (barking straight out of the car) I'd query a pain response. Probably a cheap/easily available dog that will wind up being expensive one way or the other.

 

[CorvusCorax]

I am sitting here tutting about unsuitable owners buying very unsuitable puppies and dogs during lockdown, mentally telling myself I would NEVER buy pups or dogs during a lockdown type of situation, then realised I have actually bought 2 last year lol! In my defense we did lose out 6 year old lab and our very ancient little Patterdale within a month of each other last year and put adverts out on my FB business page and eventually ended up with these two hooligans.
My beautiful black lab girls Jem on the left a very, very pretty ex show dog who hated the show ring, 4 years old.
Jess on the right coincidentally also 4 years old, but a field trials bred lab that we suspect probably just feffed off and did her own thing when she was supposed to be setting up snipe lol!

Cant believe my luck - we adore them and they adore us, almost too much, Jem in particular is very over protective with the family and has to be carefully supervised outside the home with people she doesn't know who come to close to us (in her opinion not ours!) .- they do have some minor issues but nothing we are not able to deal with day to day and they adore each other too. ??
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I got a puppy too but I own her father so I knew she was going to be a looney tune ? all were booked before birth.

I don't think there's any issue with people acquiring dogs, more people getting them for the wrong reasons/unsuitable breed or type/not doing their research.
As mentioned previously, during lockdown, people I know who showed no interest in dogs previously, have rushed out to buy dogs, didn't put the extra legroom in to socialise them during these unusual times (mine is relatively babyish as a result but we're finally getting a bit of focus and engagement under distraction) and are now going back to work.

 

[Smitty]

GSD. It is getting referred to someone who actually charges for the pleasure and owner has been advised to take it to the vet as it is so hyper-alert (barking straight out of the car) I'd query a pain response. Probably a cheap/easily available dog that will wind up being expensive one way or the other.

Thank you. Why would you question pain response on reactivity getting out of the car? Are you thinking along the lines of its breeding producing the neurotic behaviour?

I am ever so interested in this nature/nurture thing. My little terrier type came from a very unscientific background and yet is very laid back, although the mix visible in him could be quite challenging. I can't believe it was due to me. He just seemed to have a calm nature from day one, but totally inexhaustible for years if that makes sense.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Thank you. Why would you question pain response on reactivity getting out of the car? Are you thinking along the lines of its breeding producing the neurotic behaviour?

I would query a pain response because the dog was at no point relaxed, it was constantly looking for things to vent on/at...people in the distance, dogs minding their own business in vehicles, crows, me bending over to pick something up. None of these things should be perceived as a threat. A dog in constant pain, when it doesn't know what is causing the pain, may display extreme behaviour because it links discomfort with whatever it is looking at (Is HE hurting me? Is it THAT?).

But as a generalisation, that sort of behaviour is absolutely genetic, the dog has no strength of nerve whatsoever. I have seen plenty of dogs who have led pretty sheltered lives and/or are living with pain which don't freak out over completely innocuous things, because they have innate mental stability.
Poor temperament/weak nerve used to mean a dog wouldn't be bred from but now it doesn't seem to matter.
To paraphrase a great trainer, when this dog is stressed, 'he reaches back for help from his ancestors, but there is no one there'.

 

[Smitty]

I would query a pain response because the dog was at no point relaxed, it was constantly looking for things to vent on/at...people in the distance, dogs minding their own business in vehicles, crows, me bending over to pick something up. None of these things should be perceived as a threat. A dog in constant pain, when it doesn't know what is causing the pain, may display extreme behaviour because it links discomfort with whatever it is looking at (Is HE hurting me? Is it THAT?).

But as a generalisation, that sort of behaviour is absolutely genetic, the dog has no strength of nerve whatsoever. I have seen plenty of dogs who have led pretty sheltered lives and/or are living with pain which don't freak out over completely innocuous things, because they have innate mental stability.
Poor temperament/weak nerve used to mean a dog wouldn't be bred from but now it doesn't seem to matter.
To paraphrase a great trainer, when this dog is stressed, 'he reaches back for help from his ancestors, but there is no one there'.

Thank you for that. VERY interesting.

 

[CorvusCorax]

Thank you for that. VERY interesting.

NP! I've been lucky to observe lots of different dogs in training and nothing will convince me that reactivity/response to stress isn't genetic (as are a lot of other things).
It's not an excuse not to socialise or not to try and fix/manage/influence it and of course some behaviour can come from bad experiences, but you have a better chance if the dog is calm and confident by nature to begin with/it will recover better.