Let's See Your Dogs!!

SOMEBODY got some new toys today...

 

Yeah...been there...

LOL

 

Life's a beach! A stinky, tides out, mud flats type of beach but, a beach never the less!

 

Nap time

 

Good genetics are more important than socialization.

 

Genetics do matter. But you have a better chance of affecting outcome with socialization and training from an early age.

 

Socialization and exposure are extremely important, but I have one shepherd who has poor genetics. She was socialized and exposed her entire life yet still skittish,fearful,not super confident. I have another shepherd who is confident,strong nerve, good genetics, and although he is exposed and socialized he would be totally confident and stable with limited socialization. A confident stable dog doesn’t need tons of socialization. I know shepherds who have had zero socialization but are perfectly stable with people,dogs, and environments due to having strong genetics.

Nature>nurture all day. It’s not all In How you raise them.

I used to believe that it was in how you raised and trained them and that genetics didn’t matter, which is why one of my shepherds was just picked up from Craigslist lol. Love her to death but she will always be a skittish/fearful type dog.

 

At the point you have a puppy, training and socialization are all you have. Confidence and stability are things that come from socialization & training. There are any number of studies that support this. This article from the American Dog Breeder's Association talks about it.

Genetics/Breeding have their place. German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers (as examples) are traditionally purpose bred. Of course, each breeder has their interpretation of "desirability" but just because you breed for specific characteristics, doesn't mean you'll always get them. This article talks about genetics and how it plays into your dog's behavior.

Again, I'm not suggesting genetics are not important only that at the point you have a puppy or a dog, you can't do anything about it. All you can do is socialization and training.

 

Thor... God of thunder.... actually he is the only chihuahua in the world that is a total wuss.

 

Yes I agree. If you already have a pup then certainly socialize and expose the dog. Early exposure and socialization is very important for any dog. My pup received Nuero stimulation before his eyes were even open from his breeder.

A lot of people think they can just go get a pure bred dog on Craigslist and think they will have an excellent working dog prospect, I see this all the time in the service dog community, and it almost never works out.
This article has a good perspective About nature vs nurture, specifically with pit bull fighting dogs.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2012/12/10/its-all-in-how-theyre-raised/amp/

 

I looked all around and couldn't find who dug up the strawberries.

 

Say what? Are you just using an extreme example here? Anyone who would look for a pure bred dog on Craigs List should not own a dog.

 

Is this a serious question? I know TONS of people who think they are getting a good deal on a pure bred dog from Craigslist.

Usually this comes after the find out my dog came from a breeder. Everyone thinks he’s not pure gsd anyways lol

 

Your answer is a bit confusing. I'm a bit of a slow bowler. I had to ask. I've owned pure bred dogs for some time. And it was with careful consideration that I picked a particular breeder. I've never heard of anyone getting a pure bred dog from Craigslist. I'm not sure why anyone would get any kind of dog from Craigslist.

 

One of my shepherds is from Craigslist and she is pure. We did a dna test for fun. She’s a great dog despite the fear issues. There are tons of pure bred dogs from Craigslist, but pure bred doesn’t mean well bred. I also have a rescue dog who is a mix of multiple breeds lol

 

The girls are getting big! 11 weeks old and full of energy!

https://imgur.com/3vW3qBn

 

Never a dull moment!

 

This is the greatest picture I’ll ever have of my doggo.

 

Down to business!