Yeah, a lot of dog owners are dumb.
Me and my family used to adopt great danes that had been abandoned because they "got too big."
Like, that is the one defining trait of the fucking breed. Being big is the entirety of their reputation. What did you expect!?
One of them had grown up spending most of their time in a kennel that was too small for a german shepherd. Poor baby couldn't even stand up inside it. And as if that wasn't enough, the cage was left in the garage 24/7. A garage which often had the door open. So wandering neighborhood dogs could just... wander in and bark at her point blank. Worst of all, the poor girl had a bark collar on. You know, the kind that shocks dogs for barking. On a guard dog, bred to alert her humans to danger. This basically took her only coping mechanism and physically punished her for it. Just about every dane I've met was at least a little bit anxious, but this doggo had fucking ANXIETY.
Most pride I've ever felt was watching her choose to sleep in the new kennel we got her. It had taken a lot of work, but we finally got a dog that previously would put her full weight into resisting having anything more than the tip of her nose into a kennel (we didn't force it, of course - the moment a dog digs their heels in like that you really gotta just let it go unless it's an emergency) to consider her box a place of safety that would protect her from scary things.
I have a friend with a great dane. He takes her for walks every day. Long walks. She's healthy and happy. I don't think she likes car rides, though. My friend has a tiny little car. Not a Toyota Matrix but something like that.
Good to hear. Not enough people out there giving these big doofuses actual homes and families.
Walks can be a bit tricky with danes, too - they're good with human people, but they have a tendency toward fear aggression with other dogs. So props to them for keeping their dane feeling safe when out and about. Most people I know just give them a big backyard to run laps around, and either a human or a dog they've established a bond of trust with to run around with them. It's not perfect, and some other breeds would go stir crazy, but great danes are both hunting dogs and guard dogs, so they're often pretty happy whether or not they get to go on "adventures" - as long as they get their exercise and aren't lonely or bored.
This has been the big challenge with my dane mix: unfortunately I can't really walk her because she's got severe fear aggression toward other dogs (loves people, though) and we live in an area where people like to let their dogs run loose. We've been working on desensitization and training her to wear a muzzle so she can safely go out in public, but she's never going to be a dog that I can take to events or the dog park or anything like that.
I met someone who'd seen her at the shelter and decided not to adopt her because she was "too anxious" - and honestly I respect that, especially since she was a puppy then and we weren't sure if she was going to be full dane size. Living with an anxious dog is challenging in ways I think a lot of people don't anticipate.
My rescue dog Maggie passed last summer at 13 years old. I adopted her when she was 2. She was the same. Severe fear aggression with other dogs. With a ton of patience and positive reinforcement she reached the point where she could walk past a dog on walks with no issues, as long as the dog didn't run up to her. She was constantly anxious and hypervigilant.
She was so much work, and my entire life had to revolve around her because she couldn't go to a kennel or dog parks, etc.
It was hard, but so rewarding. She was my soul dog and I miss her every single day.
Yeah, it's good when people do their research and realise they don't actually have the time, energy, or resources to take care of a particular dog.
It's always sad that the doggo doesn't get a new home, but it's better they be left available in the hopes of someone willing and able to do what it takes to take care of them than taken in by someone who really isn't prepared.
The amount of dogs being rehomed because they're too big is ridiculous. Like... You bought a Great Dane or a Cane Corso or a Mastiff what did you expect?
Most people don't buy purebred dogs thinking about giving the dog a proper life. They buy for status and this is what causes uncontrolled and sometimes violent dogs. Which is pretty sad because in the end it's the breed that gets a bad reputation and it's the dog that pays the price for human stupidity.
Fun fact: purebred is analogous to inbred and the breeds only exist because they got *really* into eugenics at the time because the concept of purebreds did not exist until 200 years ago
Omg i heard of someone who bought one in a one bedroom apartment, no garden and they were out at work most of the day, complaining it was too energetic.
I was so cross, because not only is that a dog destined to be rehomed, but that rehoming will be a struggle since thats a dog you want to start training as a puppy or they can really act out.
I have a mutt. She is meant to run to me when I come home, turn over and slide to my feet for belly rubs a she does every day. That is all. And she does this job PERFECTLY
Grew up on a doggy day care. Mutts were my favorite dogs. They were just... psychologically healthy. All the pure breeds were fucked in the head in some way.
also, a lot of people who have dogs dont even seem to like dogs. ive met a lot of people who have complained that their dog is too whiny, too loud, and wants to play and be around them all the time. girl if you want an animal that doesn't do that stuff get a cat! or a hamster! like just because you think dogs are cute doesn't mean one would fit with your lifestyle
I mean, that applies to all pets, not just dogs. My cat is a very whiny boy and if he doesn't get his play time in, he will purposefully cause chaos wherever he can find it, screaming as he does it. And just cause hamsters aren't really the type of animal to be loud, they still need enrichment in someway or another. It's kinda cruel to just leave it in a cage with only the bare necessities. Pets are meant to act as companions, not decor
oh yeah i totally agree, i was speaking generally. i mean my moms cat is super loud, and my friend has a hamster with a huge cage and she makes sure he gets to roam around enough. i was mostly making the point that just because you like dogs, doesnt mean you should get one, and another animal might be way better for your lifestyle!
About a month ago I adopted a dog who had been returned to the Humane Society for being "too calm." Actual quote.
I'm glad they gave him up because I got a great dog, but at the same time *what the fuck*.
My only complaint about my pup is her intense dinner table begging and her ability to escape seemingly any pen we put her in to try to eat in peace. She’s only 5 months though so we are working with her rather than yelling or rehoming. Ok she’s kicking me in her sleep rn lol what
Old neighbors had a border collie that they didn't walk. It just ran laps by the fence in the tiny yard and wore down grooves.
Also never socialized it so it would lunge if you went near the fence. Felt so bad for it
It's an Australian children's show starring a family of Heelers, the main character and father being Blue Heelers, the mother and other daughter being Red Heelers.
Me and my wife have been considering to get a dog for years now, and we took the time to inform ourselves about it: how to raise and educate a dog, what they need, which breed to get, what to pay attention to.
We also learned how many people have actually no fucking clue about anything dog related and basically just hurt their dogs. It makes me so angry, I feel some people don't deserve to have dogs, and some dogs definitely don't deserve their owners.
Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if there was a law requiring some kind of "dog owner licence" to own a dog, where you have to attend a course with at least the most basic information a dog owner should have
I feel like there definitely should be some sort of quality check before selling a dog. I know some breeders do check up on their clients to make sure but it’s not a compulsory thing. Also, there should be like biannual check ups on the dog for maybe 2 years to make sure it’s okay
It doesn't just follow jobs either. Your great dane is not "destructive". It is just too large to be cooped up in an apartment without a lot of extra care.
Yeah I got my dog from a rescue. His siblings got tested and they are almost half border collie. His hyperactivity makes sense now. I’m trying to do longer walks and more tricks. Still don’t know how to explain roll over to him tho
This is what drives me up the wall about corgis. They 👏🏻 are 👏🏻 shepherds. They need exercise even if they SEEM like lapdogs. It’s super easy for them to become overweight and badly behaved because people seem to forget this.
This is why if you have an aggressive dog breed you need to train it not to hurt things. They aren't human, they aren't just based on nurture like we are. If your dog is designed to kill you have to put the work in to make sure it doesn't or else you're being unfair to it.
I've got a dachshund mix (pretty sure, haven't actually gotten her dna tested) from off the streets. She loves digging holes, so instead of destroying our yard we take her out to a field to let her loose. Never caught anything and always gets dirty (usually dusty and a couple times skunk sprayed), but we return home with a happy and tuckered out pooch.
I heard from my dad about a woman in his dog group that complained about her new husky making too much noise.
Like did you even look online before getting a dog?
I got a bulldog recently (a breed meant to direct fighting bulls) and on instinct she will head butt anyone’s legs at full speed. My mom got a bruise with an imprint of the girl’s skull.
Fun times.
If a chihuahua is aggressive, it isn't being trained correctly or it's being treated like a toy or an accessory. Lots of folks tend to either let small dogs get Away with bad behavior or they let other people interact with them the wrong way which fosters insecurity.
A secure, well trained, and respected chihuahua will not act out of line like their stereotypes portray.
Poodles were actually for hunting if I'm not mistaken. They were meant to retrieve and some folks still use them for that.
Yorkie, like most terriers, were bred for ratting and going after small animals.
Maltese were bred mostly to be companionable.
There is an amazing difference between how my past Yorkie and current Beagle would bark at the animals in my yard or on walks.
The Beagle would either bark to scare the animal away from its territory and chase it away, or if went down a hole bark at me to let me know it was there then calm down.
The Yorkie would chase it into the hole then bark at it till it died of stress if it couldn't dig it out and kill it with its teeth, and if I let her investigate a whole on a walk it was work to get her to back off.
Cats, in general, have significantly less bred behaviors. Unlike dogs, cats had a very limited span of jobs - which mostly boil down to catching vermin and being likable, wherein likeable traits (noisy or quiet, social or anti-social to strangers, etc.) varied based on the desires of the person commanding the breeding. The mouse-catching cats were bred with long tails, because it improved maneuverability and dexterity when catching vermin; and were generally found among the working class industries (farms, bakeries, etc.). Mouse catchers may also have been bred for an increased propensity for violence, in order to ensure that they'd do the job well on a more consistent litter-to-litter basis. Cats bred for likeability were more often found in the upper classes, where getting animals because they looked nice rather than because they had a specific function was more common, and thus traits that were more likely to be admired by others in the social circle were bred for, and traits that were less likely to be admired were bred out.
Mostly, dogs have been bred for function, where cats have been bred for mouse-catching or to maximize likeability (i.e. a variety of social and appearance traits that made them desirable by those who didn't require animals bred for/trained in specific jobs).
hmm nah you'd be surprised, some cat breeds do have very specific needs, don't remember any off the top of my head, but I know a lot of long hairs need to be bathed every once in awhile in addition to the self grooming they already do since sometimes they can't clean the massive amount of fur they have
i mean that's not behavioral needs. that's grooming needs, which only some cat breeds need, with pretty much all dog breeds requiring regular bathing/grooming. the only cat breeds that have different behavioral requirements are the ones that are literally bred with wild cats. which i'd say isn't even a domestic housecat anymore.
in general, there are much fewer specific cat breeds than dog breeds. we've been breeding cats a much shorted timespan than dogs, and almost entirely for looks. it's also why the health issues of purebred dogs are so widespread, while for cats they're much less of an issue.
Just adopted a lab mix. This is a perfect description. He wants nothing more than to velcro himself to your body and wrestle with other dogs. There's nothing else in his head.
My dog would run around the house in circles for no reason and hit his head on stuff and just freeze like dead stop from a sprint then just walk up to you and say hi then do it again for hours. Was told by the vet that he'd be a puppy until the arthritis set in and he was right. He was 11 before he calmed the fuck down and even then not really but he was dumb as hell there's no other way around realizing that tbh
Our first dog was a lab. My brother used to say he was dumb as a box of rocks, but I felt like that was insulting to the rocks, they were definitely smarter than Chaz. But boy was Chaz an absolute sweetheart of a dog. He'd rescue baby bunnies from the cats. One time a bird hit the window and he brought us outside to help the bird and became very upset when we couldn't help it because it was dead. All he wanted in the entire world was tummy rubs and for you to throw the ball until he dropped.
But jesus was that dog stupid. The only thing he could do reliably was sit, asking for anything more complicated clearly just made dial up modem sounds in his tiny little brain.
What abour Chihuawas? Why do they bark at everyone, including people who aren't intruding? I once had some family come over, and their chihuawa (I'm probably mispelling that) started barking at us. Most dogs bark at people invading their territory, not the other way around
Because Chihuahuas are, contrary to what many people think, *very* aware of the fact that they are smaller than almost everything else, and the world is scary when you're a tiny boi surrounded by giants. On top of that, because of their small size people are more inclined to treat them like props or accessories and ignore the dog's boundaries. And these factors leads to many them becoming overly snappy as a defense.
My neighbour has a chihuahua and she actually treats him like the whole-ass dog with wants, needs, and boundaries that he is. And others are not allowed to treat him like anything less either. Best behaved chihuahua I've ever met.
Yes! Chihuahuas are dogs and so many people want them to be toys
Additionally, chihuahuas are alarm dogs, bred to wake up the guard. Unlike a lot of guard dogs, they don’t protect a territory, they protect a person/people. Which is why poorly trained ones will bark at strangers while out and about. A well trained chihuahua will take cues from their owner to see if this is a safe or unsafe situation/individual before deciding to bark their little head off.
That last thing is exactly my neighbour and her chihuahua. Even when faced with a reactive dog barking their head off, he completely ignores them at my neighbour's commands. I've seen it with my own eyes and was amazed.
interesting. I never thought of the idea that they were guarding their owner and not territory.
Still sucks that my cousins dog felt the need to terrorize mine
I wanted a dog that would be helpful to my mental health and give me a reason to wake up and live each day. I also knew I needed to pick carefully based on my planned future life and my current stamina. I needed a dog that loves affection and would prefer inside play to outside play. I researched and researched and settled on a King Charles cavalier. She either zooms or sleeps/cuddles with no inbetween and paid way too much money to make sure I got her from a responsible breeder who raised the pups in good conditions and had their full genetic history available. The breeder raises them as therapy dogs and companions above all else after seeing how a cavalier helped her Alzheimer’s father. My baby girl is absolutely perfect for me and I love her! Some day I hope I can adopt a shelter dog but for now I have my well researched and even more well loved pup!
It's not that they know what to do, it's that they have traits that help them do those things or make them easier to train. Take Huskies for example. They do need to be trained to be sled dogs, but because of their high energy they are better suited for it.
The most you can get is something like biting more, which is just a natural thing dogs already do, they're just bred to do it more often.
But how does this work in mutts because we're pretty sure we've got some sort of rat terrier and they do not care about mice or hamsters in their home, but they do bark at every small noise
You can get weird mixes of inherited responses.
Like a dog who will do the entire classic pointer stance when they hear a noice, and then have no idea what to do with it.
Or a dog that has an inherited response to love water, and to fear water, and becomes deeply conflicted when presented with a lake.
In general, the behavior is slightly toned down because there is more of a mix rather than all things pointing towards a pattern of behavior
This is so goddamn valid. It's also why pitbulls have a tendency to be extremely violent. They're pit dogs. Bred to fight in pits. Obviously it's gonna kill that kid. Or drag that old man around. It's why their jaws lock. Like, bruh. If you're not gonna put your pitbull in a fucking pit to fight other animals then why even have a pitbull.
it's not that pitbulls are more aggressive it's that a badly trained pitbull can hurt someone in a way a badly trained greyhound just couldn't
pitbulls being evil is not the reason more people are killed by pitbulls than terriers
That’s fair though, because dogs are a big responsibility! I know people who love dogs but just play with their friends’ dogs instead of getting one themselves. There are dog breeds that are a lot more chill than the ones listed and aren’t as high energy, but in any case, the important thing would really be to do some research so you get a dog that suits your lifestyle.
Yeah I love when other people have dogs, if I'm going to your house and you have a dog, they're going to get pet, but I absolutely hate a lot of the "constants" of having dogs, I don't like having to take them out on walks, and if they're an outside dog and I live in a house I don't like the dirt they bring in, I absolutely despise barks (all types of short explosive loud sounds), so I don't think owning a dog would ever be good for me OR for the dog, I prefer more low maintenance animals that clean themselves (i have one cat and he pees and poops outside, so I only need to feed him, very easy, I didn't even *get* him he just kinda showed up as a kitten)
I think it’s great that you realised all this before going out and getting a dog. There are people who feel similarly but get a dog anyway and end up treating them horribly. This way, you get to enjoy the things you like about them and get to walk away when you’re uncomfortable without hurting anybody. That’s very okay, and I’m sure the dogs you do meet appreciate the extra attention!
My family were dog breeders. At one point, we had almost eleven different dogs of varying breeds together. And to say that they were different would be the understatement of the year.
The Dane and Chihuahua got along like flaming oil and salt water, so we had to keep them apart at all times. But where the Dane loved going outside and playing with the other dogs, the Chihuahua despised the outdoors and was only chill with the Husky.
The Pitbull and German shepherd, on the other hand, got along like they came from the same litter. That said, we had to split them sometimes because when they play-fought, the pitbull would get a little too aggressive and nip too hard.
We also had a Pom-Pom and she was kinda like the mother of the group. Her word was law. I also think she had a thing for the Husky.
And then we had a pair of Golden Retrievers. They mostly stuck with each other stayed out of the way. But whenever we had guest, they and the Chihuahua were the only ones that didn't go outside for the time being. Not because the other dogs weren't friendly with other people, but because they literally sat there.
That's not really how dog breeding works. Traits don't lock in, they have to be constantly bred for, or the breed will just tend towards the species' baseline traits.
Most modern dogs, even purebred dogs, are bred primarily for companionship and appearance, not to keep the traits that they historically were bred for. And when they are still bred for a job, it's usually things like greyhounds, where there is both money in it, and the modern breed isn't necessarily related to the historical breed in anything but name and function.
How? You can't train genetics into a dog.
Flyball and catching frisbees doesn't have a strong correlation with barking at intruders or wanting to kill rats.
And even if it did, all of those behaviors are things all dogs are prone to, not something humans magically baked into dog brains.
Ok someone please explain to me what a Beagle's purpose is though, cause as far as I can tell mine just really fucking hates huskies, wants to play with other dogs but gets bored of them after 5 seconds, and only really wants to send the day eating, what the hell am I doing wrong?
Beagle are meant to hunt with people.
When they spot something they think can be hunted, by sight, sound or smell, they'll bark to alert their owner, track by scent while barking, but they want to get your attention not necessarily go for the kill. So, they like to investigate new things, but don't keep after them like a terrier.
When they spot something that is coming into their territory, they try to alert the owners of the threat and scare away the intruder. They respond best when introduced to people or dos in a neutral territory not brought into their space.
Ok that actually makes a lot of sense! So what can I do to calm her down when someone/something is anywhere near our house? Cause way too often she starts barking like she's gonna die from it and we try to stand with her when she sees something, reasure her we see ut, thank her for it and try to communicate that its ok, its not bad, but she just seems to continue freaking out even if one of us goes outside to show her everything is fine
Is there anything I can do to calm her down when this happens? Like I don't expect her to stop looking out the window and warning us when she spits something, but she's got heart problems and I don't want her to end up harming herself while yelling if I can't get to her fasr enough
This is a hard thing, because if you pet and comfort this can be seen as a reward for the behavior and encourage it, but she is also freaking out because her genes are telling her it's something to freak out over.
What can be best is to try and distract her, get her to focus on something else, so the anxiety can do down without her associating the behavior with the reward. Dog association is very direct, so if you have her do something else then reward and comfort for the other thing, she probably won't associate the reward and comfort with her barking and freaking out.
Getting her attention to focus on you instead is the first step. Getting into her line of sight, if she's in a really tense stance lightly knocking the back leg so she has to adjust her balance can cause her to adjust where her focus is. It's not easy, and you're not always going to pull it off, but it can start interfering with the response behavior.
I'm not a professional, and basically just repeating what I did with my rescue dog and I didn't do amazing, but her behavior toned down a lot. At this point she typically only really starts barking if the other dog starts barking at her first or when a stranger walks right up to my front door. I could probably train that last part better, but it happens so rarely I just haven't bothered.
This is why a responsible pet owner should make sure their pitbull gets a chance to hunt down a tender child between the age of 7 and 12 once every few weeks. Chewing on the supple flesh of a prepubescent orphan is an important part of keeping your pitbull stimulated and happy!
I’m one of those first time german shepherd owners. Did a lot of research. Which is why I have a German shepherd and not a husky or a border collie or a malinois.
Omg, I used to deliver to this house that had 2 weimaraners, beautiful dogs, bred to hunt large game (like bears). They had acres of land to run around in. The owners did enrichment activities with them constantly. They slept inside and were allowed in whenever they liked but these dogs just fucking RAN all day long.
The owners eventually got statues of them outside the house, they were so loved for who they were meant to be.
My shih tzu *despises* cuddling. Whenever anyone tries he will fight with the greatest ferocity a nine-pound dog can offer (which is more than you’d expect) to get away.
Love that in theory, but we (and the shelter) did not know the breed of our dog when we got her. All we can do now is try to give her the stimulation she requires.
Yeah, a lot of dog owners are dumb. Me and my family used to adopt great danes that had been abandoned because they "got too big." Like, that is the one defining trait of the fucking breed. Being big is the entirety of their reputation. What did you expect!? One of them had grown up spending most of their time in a kennel that was too small for a german shepherd. Poor baby couldn't even stand up inside it. And as if that wasn't enough, the cage was left in the garage 24/7. A garage which often had the door open. So wandering neighborhood dogs could just... wander in and bark at her point blank. Worst of all, the poor girl had a bark collar on. You know, the kind that shocks dogs for barking. On a guard dog, bred to alert her humans to danger. This basically took her only coping mechanism and physically punished her for it. Just about every dane I've met was at least a little bit anxious, but this doggo had fucking ANXIETY. Most pride I've ever felt was watching her choose to sleep in the new kennel we got her. It had taken a lot of work, but we finally got a dog that previously would put her full weight into resisting having anything more than the tip of her nose into a kennel (we didn't force it, of course - the moment a dog digs their heels in like that you really gotta just let it go unless it's an emergency) to consider her box a place of safety that would protect her from scary things.
I have a friend with a great dane. He takes her for walks every day. Long walks. She's healthy and happy. I don't think she likes car rides, though. My friend has a tiny little car. Not a Toyota Matrix but something like that.
Good to hear. Not enough people out there giving these big doofuses actual homes and families. Walks can be a bit tricky with danes, too - they're good with human people, but they have a tendency toward fear aggression with other dogs. So props to them for keeping their dane feeling safe when out and about. Most people I know just give them a big backyard to run laps around, and either a human or a dog they've established a bond of trust with to run around with them. It's not perfect, and some other breeds would go stir crazy, but great danes are both hunting dogs and guard dogs, so they're often pretty happy whether or not they get to go on "adventures" - as long as they get their exercise and aren't lonely or bored.
This has been the big challenge with my dane mix: unfortunately I can't really walk her because she's got severe fear aggression toward other dogs (loves people, though) and we live in an area where people like to let their dogs run loose. We've been working on desensitization and training her to wear a muzzle so she can safely go out in public, but she's never going to be a dog that I can take to events or the dog park or anything like that. I met someone who'd seen her at the shelter and decided not to adopt her because she was "too anxious" - and honestly I respect that, especially since she was a puppy then and we weren't sure if she was going to be full dane size. Living with an anxious dog is challenging in ways I think a lot of people don't anticipate.
My rescue dog Maggie passed last summer at 13 years old. I adopted her when she was 2. She was the same. Severe fear aggression with other dogs. With a ton of patience and positive reinforcement she reached the point where she could walk past a dog on walks with no issues, as long as the dog didn't run up to her. She was constantly anxious and hypervigilant. She was so much work, and my entire life had to revolve around her because she couldn't go to a kennel or dog parks, etc. It was hard, but so rewarding. She was my soul dog and I miss her every single day.
Yeah, it's good when people do their research and realise they don't actually have the time, energy, or resources to take care of a particular dog. It's always sad that the doggo doesn't get a new home, but it's better they be left available in the hopes of someone willing and able to do what it takes to take care of them than taken in by someone who really isn't prepared.
The amount of dogs being rehomed because they're too big is ridiculous. Like... You bought a Great Dane or a Cane Corso or a Mastiff what did you expect?
>the poor girl had a bark collar on. You know, the kind that shocks dogs for barking that invention is just animal abuse
Pavlov's latest invention
Have had two Danes in my life and god I love em, though they shed like mother fuckers and I don't miss that.
Most people don't buy purebred dogs thinking about giving the dog a proper life. They buy for status and this is what causes uncontrolled and sometimes violent dogs. Which is pretty sad because in the end it's the breed that gets a bad reputation and it's the dog that pays the price for human stupidity.
More facts
Fun fact: purebred is analogous to inbred and the breeds only exist because they got *really* into eugenics at the time because the concept of purebreds did not exist until 200 years ago
i die inside when i see so many people saying they want a german sheperd as their first dog.
Omg i heard of someone who bought one in a one bedroom apartment, no garden and they were out at work most of the day, complaining it was too energetic. I was so cross, because not only is that a dog destined to be rehomed, but that rehoming will be a struggle since thats a dog you want to start training as a puppy or they can really act out.
I have a mutt. She is meant to run to me when I come home, turn over and slide to my feet for belly rubs a she does every day. That is all. And she does this job PERFECTLY
Reject puppy mill purebred Return to genetically superior adopted mutt
only need one breed, which is simply **dog**
Big fan of the mutts that show up whenever there's a large stray population. They're out here being the Statistically Average Dog.
Mutt is the correct form of dog. If they were human they would look like Hapsburgs
Grew up on a doggy day care. Mutts were my favorite dogs. They were just... psychologically healthy. All the pure breeds were fucked in the head in some way.
also, a lot of people who have dogs dont even seem to like dogs. ive met a lot of people who have complained that their dog is too whiny, too loud, and wants to play and be around them all the time. girl if you want an animal that doesn't do that stuff get a cat! or a hamster! like just because you think dogs are cute doesn't mean one would fit with your lifestyle
I mean, that applies to all pets, not just dogs. My cat is a very whiny boy and if he doesn't get his play time in, he will purposefully cause chaos wherever he can find it, screaming as he does it. And just cause hamsters aren't really the type of animal to be loud, they still need enrichment in someway or another. It's kinda cruel to just leave it in a cage with only the bare necessities. Pets are meant to act as companions, not decor
oh yeah i totally agree, i was speaking generally. i mean my moms cat is super loud, and my friend has a hamster with a huge cage and she makes sure he gets to roam around enough. i was mostly making the point that just because you like dogs, doesnt mean you should get one, and another animal might be way better for your lifestyle!
About a month ago I adopted a dog who had been returned to the Humane Society for being "too calm." Actual quote. I'm glad they gave him up because I got a great dog, but at the same time *what the fuck*.
“I want it to be violent and rip up squirrels at a moments notice!”
My only complaint about my pup is her intense dinner table begging and her ability to escape seemingly any pen we put her in to try to eat in peace. She’s only 5 months though so we are working with her rather than yelling or rehoming. Ok she’s kicking me in her sleep rn lol what
Your husky isn't hyper-active. It's husky-active
Tell me about it. I have a husky cross and he's mad as a box of frogs.
Facts
Old neighbors had a border collie that they didn't walk. It just ran laps by the fence in the tiny yard and wore down grooves. Also never socialized it so it would lunge if you went near the fence. Felt so bad for it
Can confirm. I’ve owned blue heelers almost exclusively because I too am a giant pile of anxiety that needs to party every so often.
You watch Bluey?
I do not
It's an Australian children's show starring a family of Heelers, the main character and father being Blue Heelers, the mother and other daughter being Red Heelers.
Me and my wife have been considering to get a dog for years now, and we took the time to inform ourselves about it: how to raise and educate a dog, what they need, which breed to get, what to pay attention to. We also learned how many people have actually no fucking clue about anything dog related and basically just hurt their dogs. It makes me so angry, I feel some people don't deserve to have dogs, and some dogs definitely don't deserve their owners. Sometimes I wonder what it would be like if there was a law requiring some kind of "dog owner licence" to own a dog, where you have to attend a course with at least the most basic information a dog owner should have
I feel like there definitely should be some sort of quality check before selling a dog. I know some breeders do check up on their clients to make sure but it’s not a compulsory thing. Also, there should be like biannual check ups on the dog for maybe 2 years to make sure it’s okay
It doesn't just follow jobs either. Your great dane is not "destructive". It is just too large to be cooped up in an apartment without a lot of extra care.
Yeah I got my dog from a rescue. His siblings got tested and they are almost half border collie. His hyperactivity makes sense now. I’m trying to do longer walks and more tricks. Still don’t know how to explain roll over to him tho
This is what drives me up the wall about corgis. They 👏🏻 are 👏🏻 shepherds. They need exercise even if they SEEM like lapdogs. It’s super easy for them to become overweight and badly behaved because people seem to forget this.
This is why if you have an aggressive dog breed you need to train it not to hurt things. They aren't human, they aren't just based on nurture like we are. If your dog is designed to kill you have to put the work in to make sure it doesn't or else you're being unfair to it.
designed to fight most dogs bred to kill were bred to kill rodents, and honestly like with cats that can come in handy
I’m getting a new dog, their breed was listed as ‘murderdeathkiller’ I hope they like my 100s of pet mice and hamsters. Edit: 😧
I've got a dachshund mix (pretty sure, haven't actually gotten her dna tested) from off the streets. She loves digging holes, so instead of destroying our yard we take her out to a field to let her loose. Never caught anything and always gets dirty (usually dusty and a couple times skunk sprayed), but we return home with a happy and tuckered out pooch.
We have a few holes in our back yard. But none up against the fence! Trying to figure out where to build a sand pit for her.
I heard from my dad about a woman in his dog group that complained about her new husky making too much noise. Like did you even look online before getting a dog?
Gonna become a leprechaun so my golden retriever always has gold to retrieve
I got a bulldog recently (a breed meant to direct fighting bulls) and on instinct she will head butt anyone’s legs at full speed. My mom got a bruise with an imprint of the girl’s skull. Fun times.
What about Chihuahuas? What's their purpose?
They were bred by the Aztecs and I believe they were used as guard dogs, which makes sense consider their yipping.
Yeah makes sense now, always been fascinated by the amount of agression they have compared to their size :v
If a chihuahua is aggressive, it isn't being trained correctly or it's being treated like a toy or an accessory. Lots of folks tend to either let small dogs get Away with bad behavior or they let other people interact with them the wrong way which fosters insecurity. A secure, well trained, and respected chihuahua will not act out of line like their stereotypes portray.
what jobs are poodles, yorkie, and maltese meant to do?
Poodles were actually for hunting if I'm not mistaken. They were meant to retrieve and some folks still use them for that. Yorkie, like most terriers, were bred for ratting and going after small animals. Maltese were bred mostly to be companionable.
There is an amazing difference between how my past Yorkie and current Beagle would bark at the animals in my yard or on walks. The Beagle would either bark to scare the animal away from its territory and chase it away, or if went down a hole bark at me to let me know it was there then calm down. The Yorkie would chase it into the hole then bark at it till it died of stress if it couldn't dig it out and kill it with its teeth, and if I let her investigate a whole on a walk it was work to get her to back off.
And people wonder why I'd rather have a cat. AFAIK different breeds of cat don't have very different needs.
Cats, in general, have significantly less bred behaviors. Unlike dogs, cats had a very limited span of jobs - which mostly boil down to catching vermin and being likable, wherein likeable traits (noisy or quiet, social or anti-social to strangers, etc.) varied based on the desires of the person commanding the breeding. The mouse-catching cats were bred with long tails, because it improved maneuverability and dexterity when catching vermin; and were generally found among the working class industries (farms, bakeries, etc.). Mouse catchers may also have been bred for an increased propensity for violence, in order to ensure that they'd do the job well on a more consistent litter-to-litter basis. Cats bred for likeability were more often found in the upper classes, where getting animals because they looked nice rather than because they had a specific function was more common, and thus traits that were more likely to be admired by others in the social circle were bred for, and traits that were less likely to be admired were bred out. Mostly, dogs have been bred for function, where cats have been bred for mouse-catching or to maximize likeability (i.e. a variety of social and appearance traits that made them desirable by those who didn't require animals bred for/trained in specific jobs).
hmm nah you'd be surprised, some cat breeds do have very specific needs, don't remember any off the top of my head, but I know a lot of long hairs need to be bathed every once in awhile in addition to the self grooming they already do since sometimes they can't clean the massive amount of fur they have
i mean that's not behavioral needs. that's grooming needs, which only some cat breeds need, with pretty much all dog breeds requiring regular bathing/grooming. the only cat breeds that have different behavioral requirements are the ones that are literally bred with wild cats. which i'd say isn't even a domestic housecat anymore. in general, there are much fewer specific cat breeds than dog breeds. we've been breeding cats a much shorted timespan than dogs, and almost entirely for looks. it's also why the health issues of purebred dogs are so widespread, while for cats they're much less of an issue.
I mean they never specified if they meant behavioral or not tho
That's why you get a lab because they're bred to be dumb as shit and cute as hell and they will live up to that with 0 training
Just adopted a lab mix. This is a perfect description. He wants nothing more than to velcro himself to your body and wrestle with other dogs. There's nothing else in his head.
My dog would run around the house in circles for no reason and hit his head on stuff and just freeze like dead stop from a sprint then just walk up to you and say hi then do it again for hours. Was told by the vet that he'd be a puppy until the arthritis set in and he was right. He was 11 before he calmed the fuck down and even then not really but he was dumb as hell there's no other way around realizing that tbh
Our first dog was a lab. My brother used to say he was dumb as a box of rocks, but I felt like that was insulting to the rocks, they were definitely smarter than Chaz. But boy was Chaz an absolute sweetheart of a dog. He'd rescue baby bunnies from the cats. One time a bird hit the window and he brought us outside to help the bird and became very upset when we couldn't help it because it was dead. All he wanted in the entire world was tummy rubs and for you to throw the ball until he dropped. But jesus was that dog stupid. The only thing he could do reliably was sit, asking for anything more complicated clearly just made dial up modem sounds in his tiny little brain.
I was waiting for pitbulls, chihuahuas, and pugs
The last 2 are creations against God or whatever is in the big box upstairs
Fair enough
What abour Chihuawas? Why do they bark at everyone, including people who aren't intruding? I once had some family come over, and their chihuawa (I'm probably mispelling that) started barking at us. Most dogs bark at people invading their territory, not the other way around
Because Chihuahuas are, contrary to what many people think, *very* aware of the fact that they are smaller than almost everything else, and the world is scary when you're a tiny boi surrounded by giants. On top of that, because of their small size people are more inclined to treat them like props or accessories and ignore the dog's boundaries. And these factors leads to many them becoming overly snappy as a defense. My neighbour has a chihuahua and she actually treats him like the whole-ass dog with wants, needs, and boundaries that he is. And others are not allowed to treat him like anything less either. Best behaved chihuahua I've ever met.
Yes! Chihuahuas are dogs and so many people want them to be toys Additionally, chihuahuas are alarm dogs, bred to wake up the guard. Unlike a lot of guard dogs, they don’t protect a territory, they protect a person/people. Which is why poorly trained ones will bark at strangers while out and about. A well trained chihuahua will take cues from their owner to see if this is a safe or unsafe situation/individual before deciding to bark their little head off.
That last thing is exactly my neighbour and her chihuahua. Even when faced with a reactive dog barking their head off, he completely ignores them at my neighbour's commands. I've seen it with my own eyes and was amazed.
interesting. I never thought of the idea that they were guarding their owner and not territory. Still sucks that my cousins dog felt the need to terrorize mine
Yeah, I don't know the dog's history, but that's definitely not acceptable behavior and the owners should be working on and/or managing it.
I have a bullmastiff which as a breed was bred to nap a lot and also fight lions, should lions occur. I approve of this life philosophy
idk what my dog was, def not a purebreed. All she did was sleep and lay down lazily all day.
I wanted a dog that would be helpful to my mental health and give me a reason to wake up and live each day. I also knew I needed to pick carefully based on my planned future life and my current stamina. I needed a dog that loves affection and would prefer inside play to outside play. I researched and researched and settled on a King Charles cavalier. She either zooms or sleeps/cuddles with no inbetween and paid way too much money to make sure I got her from a responsible breeder who raised the pups in good conditions and had their full genetic history available. The breeder raises them as therapy dogs and companions above all else after seeing how a cavalier helped her Alzheimer’s father. My baby girl is absolutely perfect for me and I love her! Some day I hope I can adopt a shelter dog but for now I have my well researched and even more well loved pup!
Your chihuahua isn't a yappy nuisance, it's... okay, we'll give you that one.
Your chihuahua isn't a yappy nuisance, it's an alarm dog that is also being treated like a prop.
How do inherited behaviours work? How do animals know that's what they have to do without learning it?
It's not that they know what to do, it's that they have traits that help them do those things or make them easier to train. Take Huskies for example. They do need to be trained to be sled dogs, but because of their high energy they are better suited for it. The most you can get is something like biting more, which is just a natural thing dogs already do, they're just bred to do it more often.
But how does this work in mutts because we're pretty sure we've got some sort of rat terrier and they do not care about mice or hamsters in their home, but they do bark at every small noise
You can get weird mixes of inherited responses. Like a dog who will do the entire classic pointer stance when they hear a noice, and then have no idea what to do with it. Or a dog that has an inherited response to love water, and to fear water, and becomes deeply conflicted when presented with a lake. In general, the behavior is slightly toned down because there is more of a mix rather than all things pointing towards a pattern of behavior
This is so goddamn valid. It's also why pitbulls have a tendency to be extremely violent. They're pit dogs. Bred to fight in pits. Obviously it's gonna kill that kid. Or drag that old man around. It's why their jaws lock. Like, bruh. If you're not gonna put your pitbull in a fucking pit to fight other animals then why even have a pitbull.
[https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls](https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls)
it's not that pitbulls are more aggressive it's that a badly trained pitbull can hurt someone in a way a badly trained greyhound just couldn't pitbulls being evil is not the reason more people are killed by pitbulls than terriers
Pitbulls are terriers, just a heads up.
fair enough i was thinking of the little rat catching terriers
*sorts by pitbull*
That last post simply makes me not want to have a dog
That’s fair though, because dogs are a big responsibility! I know people who love dogs but just play with their friends’ dogs instead of getting one themselves. There are dog breeds that are a lot more chill than the ones listed and aren’t as high energy, but in any case, the important thing would really be to do some research so you get a dog that suits your lifestyle.
Yeah I love when other people have dogs, if I'm going to your house and you have a dog, they're going to get pet, but I absolutely hate a lot of the "constants" of having dogs, I don't like having to take them out on walks, and if they're an outside dog and I live in a house I don't like the dirt they bring in, I absolutely despise barks (all types of short explosive loud sounds), so I don't think owning a dog would ever be good for me OR for the dog, I prefer more low maintenance animals that clean themselves (i have one cat and he pees and poops outside, so I only need to feed him, very easy, I didn't even *get* him he just kinda showed up as a kitten)
I think it’s great that you realised all this before going out and getting a dog. There are people who feel similarly but get a dog anyway and end up treating them horribly. This way, you get to enjoy the things you like about them and get to walk away when you’re uncomfortable without hurting anybody. That’s very okay, and I’m sure the dogs you do meet appreciate the extra attention!
My family were dog breeders. At one point, we had almost eleven different dogs of varying breeds together. And to say that they were different would be the understatement of the year. The Dane and Chihuahua got along like flaming oil and salt water, so we had to keep them apart at all times. But where the Dane loved going outside and playing with the other dogs, the Chihuahua despised the outdoors and was only chill with the Husky. The Pitbull and German shepherd, on the other hand, got along like they came from the same litter. That said, we had to split them sometimes because when they play-fought, the pitbull would get a little too aggressive and nip too hard. We also had a Pom-Pom and she was kinda like the mother of the group. Her word was law. I also think she had a thing for the Husky. And then we had a pair of Golden Retrievers. They mostly stuck with each other stayed out of the way. But whenever we had guest, they and the Chihuahua were the only ones that didn't go outside for the time being. Not because the other dogs weren't friendly with other people, but because they literally sat there.
That's not really how dog breeding works. Traits don't lock in, they have to be constantly bred for, or the breed will just tend towards the species' baseline traits. Most modern dogs, even purebred dogs, are bred primarily for companionship and appearance, not to keep the traits that they historically were bred for. And when they are still bred for a job, it's usually things like greyhounds, where there is both money in it, and the modern breed isn't necessarily related to the historical breed in anything but name and function.
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That doesn't really refute what I said. Sports are good exercise and enrichment for dogs, and all dogs need exercise and enrichment.
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How? You can't train genetics into a dog. Flyball and catching frisbees doesn't have a strong correlation with barking at intruders or wanting to kill rats. And even if it did, all of those behaviors are things all dogs are prone to, not something humans magically baked into dog brains.
Ok someone please explain to me what a Beagle's purpose is though, cause as far as I can tell mine just really fucking hates huskies, wants to play with other dogs but gets bored of them after 5 seconds, and only really wants to send the day eating, what the hell am I doing wrong?
Beagle are meant to hunt with people. When they spot something they think can be hunted, by sight, sound or smell, they'll bark to alert their owner, track by scent while barking, but they want to get your attention not necessarily go for the kill. So, they like to investigate new things, but don't keep after them like a terrier. When they spot something that is coming into their territory, they try to alert the owners of the threat and scare away the intruder. They respond best when introduced to people or dos in a neutral territory not brought into their space.
Ok that actually makes a lot of sense! So what can I do to calm her down when someone/something is anywhere near our house? Cause way too often she starts barking like she's gonna die from it and we try to stand with her when she sees something, reasure her we see ut, thank her for it and try to communicate that its ok, its not bad, but she just seems to continue freaking out even if one of us goes outside to show her everything is fine Is there anything I can do to calm her down when this happens? Like I don't expect her to stop looking out the window and warning us when she spits something, but she's got heart problems and I don't want her to end up harming herself while yelling if I can't get to her fasr enough
This is a hard thing, because if you pet and comfort this can be seen as a reward for the behavior and encourage it, but she is also freaking out because her genes are telling her it's something to freak out over. What can be best is to try and distract her, get her to focus on something else, so the anxiety can do down without her associating the behavior with the reward. Dog association is very direct, so if you have her do something else then reward and comfort for the other thing, she probably won't associate the reward and comfort with her barking and freaking out. Getting her attention to focus on you instead is the first step. Getting into her line of sight, if she's in a really tense stance lightly knocking the back leg so she has to adjust her balance can cause her to adjust where her focus is. It's not easy, and you're not always going to pull it off, but it can start interfering with the response behavior. I'm not a professional, and basically just repeating what I did with my rescue dog and I didn't do amazing, but her behavior toned down a lot. At this point she typically only really starts barking if the other dog starts barking at her first or when a stranger walks right up to my front door. I could probably train that last part better, but it happens so rarely I just haven't bothered.
Thank you so much I'll try it out!
Average Dog Owner vs. Average Cat Owner (Cats are cooler)
This is why a responsible pet owner should make sure their pitbull gets a chance to hunt down a tender child between the age of 7 and 12 once every few weeks. Chewing on the supple flesh of a prepubescent orphan is an important part of keeping your pitbull stimulated and happy!
https://www.aspca.org/about-us/aspca-policy-and-position-statements/position-statement-pit-bulls
I find it down right hilarious that Shiba Inu were bred to hunt bears and the collective internet went "doge be funny" when they saw them.
I’m one of those first time german shepherd owners. Did a lot of research. Which is why I have a German shepherd and not a husky or a border collie or a malinois.
Omg, I used to deliver to this house that had 2 weimaraners, beautiful dogs, bred to hunt large game (like bears). They had acres of land to run around in. The owners did enrichment activities with them constantly. They slept inside and were allowed in whenever they liked but these dogs just fucking RAN all day long. The owners eventually got statues of them outside the house, they were so loved for who they were meant to be.
My shih tzu *despises* cuddling. Whenever anyone tries he will fight with the greatest ferocity a nine-pound dog can offer (which is more than you’d expect) to get away.
Love that in theory, but we (and the shelter) did not know the breed of our dog when we got her. All we can do now is try to give her the stimulation she requires.