Nature v Nurture

Author: Bella (proHOUND Co-Founder)

How much do your dog’s genetics contribute to their personality and behaviour?

Answer: a lot! 

 

Your dog’s genetic traits will be there regardless of how he is trained (or how well he is trained). 

You can’t change genetics and there’s nothing as unkind to a dog as trying. 

 

We all know how powerful Mother Nature can be, and her work doesn’t stop with the sun shining in the summer and snow falling in the winter either. Our dogs’ natural biological tendencies are fuelled entirely by their genetics, by Nature. 

Training doesn’t ever change DNA. Even the best dog trainer can’t fix every single dog and no dog trainer at all can train out natural genetic traits. 

 

What about Nurture though?

What about things like environment, training, lifestyle, maturity, human intervention…?

Nurture obviously plays a huge role. The average dog owner is only in charge of Nurture. Of course, we can decide what elements of Nature we want to welcome into our homes by choosing a breed that suits us, but the more you know BEFORE you welcome your dog home, the better. 

The bottom line is: you aren’t going to stop your Border Collie from herding. You aren’t going to stop your German Shepherd from barking & biting. You aren’t going to stop your Siberian Husky from running and you certainly aren’t going to stop your Beagle from sniffing, but you CAN teach an appropriate time & place for these genetic traits, thereby providing an outlet. 

I find it fascinating that puppies from the same litter can turn out totally differently because each has a different experience of Nurture with their new families. Two of my friends have recently purchased German Shepherd puppies from the same litter - one is more interested in bite work and building drive; the other is more interested in having an active pet. Of course the breeder matched both of my friends with the puppy that would best suit these desires, but I also think if the puppies had been swapped, Friend 1 would still have a fiery, pushy little puppy and Friend 2 would still have less drivey active pet. 

 

I would say Nature is relevant overall (extremely relevant by the way) – the bigger picture, that sort of thing, and Nurture has a role in the finer details in life. We can Nurture a dog to express their natural traits appropriately, but we cannot train Nature to make our nurturing lifestyle easier! 

 

Examples of Nature: 

• Your terrier likes ‘killing’ toys
• Your sighthound has crazy prey drive 
• Your spaniel constantly dives in and out of bushes ‘flushing’
•  

Examples of Nurture: 

• Your terrier knows not to touch the family guinea pigs, but has plenty of time to ‘kill’ his toys, play violent games of tug and is even a keen ratter at your friend’s farm! 
• Your sighthound is e-collar trained for woodland walks/walks around livestock and/or kept on a long line, but really enjoys lure coursing and has time in enclosed fields where he can run, run, run! 
• Your spaniel participates in gun dog training to meet his genetic needs and has recall & a strong concept of a Release Marker Word to tell them they can dive into that bush!

 

If you’re wondering what sort of dog might be good for you, check out our Choosing & Sourcing the Dog for You online event in our Webinar Wednesdays series. Play Skills might be good too!

 

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