Temperament, inherited or learned?

Enfys

Enfys

Well-Known Member
Joined
11 December 2004
Messages
18,085
Visit site
I have a bitch that I got as a completely wild, scared and unsocialised 5 month old, (yes she is CKC reg) it took months before she'd even let my husband or daughter get near her without her hiding behind me. She will still hide away from visitors and takes weeks to approach guests. But...behind all that she is a lovely dog, affectionate to those she knows and, when she can be, always at my side.

My other dogs are uber affectionate and friendly, to anyone, kind of "Come in, come in, this is where they keep the silver..."

Right, I have three fabulous (and registerable) GSD pups from her, they are friendly and VERY people orientated, so, the hypothetical question is, on viewing would you personally, take into account the bitchs' shyness, or take the pups on their own merits?
 
Bit of both, and please don't be offended but I -personally- would be wary about taking pups on from a very nervous or shy GSD.

The entire litter which my two came from are fighters and I am almost certain it came from the bitch line as it has done in almost all the shy or aggressive GSDs I have known.

I have a female with a weak character and she won't be being bred from, I don't like that trait at all in a GSD. To me it is like breeding from a female with a physical defect but again, this is just my opinion and what I am doing with my dogs, so please don't be offended.

However you sound like you are doing a good job on bringing them up and socialising them and you should find good homes for them, good luck and can we have some piccies please?
 
I would always look at the parents - both dam and sire if possible - of any pup quite closely for temperament. I don't think it's totally inherited but it is a factor.

Sorry, that's just what I do...
frown.gif
 
I don't want to lie, it would matter a lot to me if I came to look at a puppy and the brood bitch didn't want to have contact with me at all but if you gave a good explanation (such as that she wasn't really socialized with humans until you got her at 5 months of age), then I wouldn't so to say turn around in the door. I would look a little more closely on what I actually thought about your bitch's body language and see how normal/well socialized the puppies seemed to be.

The thing that probably would make me hesitate the most is due to how you express it, I would react on that you say "it took months before she'd even let my husband or daughter get near her without her hiding behind me." I would presume that they know how to behave around animals and if she still acted like that for months, it really doesn't sound good to me. Also months, that could mean that it could and did happen for more than a month but not all the time, but it could also mean that it happened every time during 4 to 5 months? Although the first option doesn't sound great, it sounds a lot better than my second option.




This said though, I think that the average puppy buyer doesn't react/think like me and some others on HHO, I think the average puppy buyer will hear your explanation, see that the puppies acts like well socialized puppies and they won't think no further about it. Hey, I've even met a dog owner with her own first dog (her parents had dogs when she grew up), where the brood bitch growled at her and she bought the poor, little puppy that was not even interested in socializing with its own breeder
g070.gif
. She had fallen in love with the puppies picture on the internet and travelled far, so she said she didn't want to leave empty handed... By the way, when I met them the puppy was an adult dog looking like a Papillon x small terrier cross, the owner was not the boss and I wouldn't have touched that dog with a barge pole unless somebody didn't force me.
So honestly with that in mind, I doubt you'll have any problems Enfys.

Good luck and I hope you find good homes for your puppies.
 
Thankyou for your opinions.
smile.gif

Fortunately every pup had someone wanting them before they were even conceived. If I wanted to make money I would get me a poodle and breed it to some little runty thing, call the resulting pup a 'Poo' something or other and charge $800-$1000 for a MONGREL! It happens over here too, sad.

link to photos:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2023910&id=1098984636&l=bc347bb6a8
 
Aww, puppy cuteness. Mother and me was just talking earlier today about how small our puppies was last year and some of the things they could do then but not now (such as learning how to use the cat flap etc).

grin.gif
 
Aaw Shepherd puppies , take them away or I'll want another
wink.gif

In answer to your original question, imho its part of each. There is no doubt in my mind that good socialisation can help overcome any temperament problems, but if it is in the genes it is quite likely to show in some way as the dog gets older.
I'm not sure if you know your bitches parents temperament, or if her full history is maybe unknown. However I am afraid I do always advise people who go to view puppies to meet the bitch and if there is any doubt about her temperament to walk away no matter how cute the puppies are.
frown.gif

Hope your pups all settle well in their new homes, are you keeping one?

My line actually goes back to a Can Ch GSD who I used when he was imported to Scotland.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top