Question about puppy temperament

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Patchworkpony

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In a litter of puppies if one puppy (a bitch) always dominates its siblings and pushes itself forward is it intelligent and therefore will it grow up confident and easier to train OR is it bossy and wilful by nature making it more difficult to train in the future? Difficult to decide.
 
The former, as long as the puppy grows up with clear parameters of what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't :) It is all in the training...
 
We have got the dominant (bitch puppy). All of her small baby picks she is on top of the pile, and she was very much the first everywhere. She is now a year old and has been very confident and easy, harder in some ways than a less confident dog but I find her a million times easier overall.
 
Difficult to answer your question too! It's my belief that by 16 weeks 'generally', a puppy's character is formed. That said, harsh handling can demoralise a puppy which would seem to be bold, and equally, no control at all, 'may' allow a normally 'sensitive' puppy to blossom. It's my preference to allow a puppy to develop, without allowing it the opportunity to commit serious crimes, and then, judging the right time, to apply a little pressure, initially, and then either relaxing the rules, or allowing it more time to gain in confidence and allow it to become a little more self assured. The danger with the apparently backward puppies is that they can all so often be rather sensitive and unforgiving, and there are those which simply can't cope with correction.

I would always prefer the bold and outgoing puppy, working on the basis that I need a dog which needs 'stopping', rather than pushing the timid or apparently backward individual. I'm not sure that it's anything to do with the intelligence of a puppy which is dominate, but more to do with its attitude and approach to life.

Mostly, your puppy will be what you make it!

Alec.
 
tough one, the friend that bred my lurcher bitch chose her out of the litter for me, I did not meet her till her delivered her aged 8 weeks-I never met any of her siblings. When the breeder came tovisit us when my bitch was about 5 months old he was gobsmacked to meet an outgoing,gregarious,over confident mad puppy, it was at this visit he told me he had reservations about her being the right puppy for a house with 2 young children and 2 other dogs/horses and life in a small space (a mobile home), I had asked for a puppy to work/race and show but I wanted to do well showing-apparently she had been the quietest/most reserved and shyest pup in the litter of 12, she is nearly 8 now and mad as a hatter and loves the world and everyone in it.

as Alec says they are mostly what you make them
 
My Skye was the dominant puppy in her litter, her breeder told me later that she was a bit worried about me having her as she was so dominant, she has turned into the best dog, my dog in a million. She is really intelligent and was easy to train at agility (she's competed at Crufts), flyball and tricks, she is very confident and has the best temperament, she's been a registered PAT dog. She has also been difficult at times as she is so confident, she will chase the horses given half a chance and if she's bored on a walk will just run off. Given the chance I would have another just the same!
 
Alec Swan said:
Difficult to answer your question too! It's my belief that by 16 weeks 'generally', a puppy's character is formed. That said, harsh handling can demoralise a puppy which would seem to be bold, and equally, no control at all, 'may' allow a normally 'sensitive' puppy to blossom. It's my preference to allow a puppy to develop, without allowing it the opportunity to commit serious crimes, and then, judging the right time, to apply a little pressure, initially, and then either relaxing the rules, or allowing it more time to gain in confidence and allow it to become a little more self assured. The danger with the apparently backward puppies is that they can all so often be rather sensitive and unforgiving, and there are those which simply can't cope with correction.

I would always prefer the bold and outgoing puppy, working on the basis that I need a dog which needs 'stopping', rather than pushing the timid or apparently backward individual. I'm not sure that it's anything to do with the intelligence of a puppy which is dominate, but more to do with its attitude and approach to life.

Mostly, your puppy will be what you make it!

Alec.
Click to expand...

Exactly!

When I bred dogs, a client would come and see the litter and pick out a bold pup, often remarking that another seemed to be shy so they would not take that one even though they liked the colour/shape/whatever.

Five minutes of sympathetic handling and the formerly timid pup would now be the boldest.

I am convinced that boldness/timidity is probably learnt from experience while sensitivity, and so a propensity to learn quickly from experience, is genetic.

I bred two bitches at the same time and as the pups were the same age, I put the two litters together and let their mothers in to nurse on a rota. One bitch was the sensitive type, the other couldn't have cared less. Even though they had an identical unbringing, the pups from the two dams inherited their mother's temperament.

Personally, I've always preferred the sensitive types because they can be handled with slight body language even at long range, but I can see where Alec is coming from. Spaniels need to have a different temperament.

So my answer to the OP's question is that, yes, temperament is genetic but also strongly due to environment. Max is currently under going training for man work. From being chased out of the paddock by an eight week old foal, he is now itching to take on my "helper" and if he gets to bite the sleeve, he is not going to let go! His experience is, "If I bark, the burglar runs away. I have POWER!"
 
Interesting that DR and Alec prefer different types, just shows we are all individuals, just like our dogs.
My OH's lab, who was shy, has been very easy to train but does need kid gloves, you can't make a mistake with her as she takes it all very personally. Young bossy pup just crashes on regardless, so as a learner driver I find that easier.
 
Dry Rot said:
Exactly!

When I bred dogs, a client would come and see the litter and pick out a bold pup, often remarking that another seemed to be shy so they would not take that one even though they liked the colour/shape/whatever.

Five minutes of sympathetic handling and the formerly timid pup would now be the boldest.

I am convinced that boldness/timidity is probably learnt from experience while sensitivity, and so a propensity to learn quickly from experience, is genetic.

I bred two bitches at the same time and as the pups were the same age, I put the two litters together and let their mothers in to nurse on a rota. One bitch was the sensitive type, the other couldn't have cared less. Even though they had an identical unbringing, the pups from the two dams inherited their mother's temperament.

Personally, I've always preferred the sensitive types because they can be handled with slight body language even at long range, but I can see where Alec is coming from. Spaniels need to have a different temperament.

So my answer to the OP's question is that, yes, temperament is genetic but also strongly due to environment. Max is currently under going training for man work. From being chased out of the paddock by an eight week old foal, he is now itching to take on my "helper" and if he gets to bite the sleeve, he is not going to let go! His experience is, "If I bark, the burglar runs away. I have POWER!"
Click to expand...
That is such an interesting point of view. We lived opposite a very hard and cruel female hill farmer for a short time while we were house hunting and she had a litter of collie pups. She kept one for herself which was the most friendly, bold and outgoing pup in the litter. Within 6 months her harsh treatment had changed that poor little bitch into a cowering, disobedient dog that ran away if you called its name and growled if you went to near. What a small tragedy! Also all its poops were full of tape worm. However all the other farmers thought the woman was a 'grand lass' for coping on her own. Oh and both the mother and daughter were locked up most of the time in a cold and draughty enclosed passageway with a concrete floor, no proper bed, dirty water and at least 50 poops lying everywhere. The dogs barked all night because they were so unhappy but the council didn't give a damn - just said she was a struggling farmer trying to do her job. Grrr... people.
 
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