Does Dog Behavior Differ Between Breeds?

Dogs are surprisingly variable between breeds, but still they have many things in common.

There is an estimated amount of 800 different breeds in the developed countries alone. Albeit not always that distinct, the majority of them do differ quite substantially. A surprising variety especially when you compare it to humans that can may be categorized in 12 ‘breeds’.

Dogs come from wolves and humans only began domesticating the dog some 10.000 years ago. Because of this relative short time, despite their differences dogs have many character traits in common. Next I present 2 common traits.

Dogs are exploratory:

Puppies learn and discover in the same way as kids do. Experts think that dogs have the same mental capacity as children of about 2 years of age. So, just as you have to make your house child proof you’ll have to make it dog or puppy proof, if you want to avoid accidents. It is highly recommendable to teach your dog the difference between his toys and the rest of the stuff he is not allowed to play with. This is the only way to assure your dog can live with you in a peaceful manner.

Toys should preferable be distinct from other interesting objects in the house. I’d rather give him a bone than a tennis ball. If you play tennis he might chew up you good balls too. However thanks to his great capacity to smell he can also distinguish toys on scent, which normally does the trick.

Your dog likes to dig. All dogs like to dig. That’s why you shouldn’t let him unsupervised in the garden, because if not your lawn will look like a desert in no time. Think about protecting your flowers with cayenne pepper. That at least will save them from destruction.

Dogs are scavengers

Dogs will eat just about anything that comes in their way, like cow droppings, dead rodents, grass and many more things that can even severely setup their digestive system, even when they have plenty to eat at home. You can punish him anything you like, but they will do it over and over again.

Dogs have a very limited capacity to understand consequences now with the cause in the past. Be careful when you take your dog out for a walk and make sure he can’t eat anything what’s bad for him.

Recognize your dog’s nature, and work with it rather than against it. Enjoy all their positive things, such as spontaneous dog hugs, paw shaking or when he lays his head down on your lap. Those are just a few of the rewards for being a responsible owner.