Misconceptions of Man's Best Friends
By Roux
For many years, humans have been breeding dogs to look, behave and live how they want them to. However, recent studies have shown that the effort some people go to in order to have the ‘perfect dog’ may have been a waste of time.
Many breeds are chosen for their appearance and other useful characteristics, but many people will choose a dog thinking they’ll be well behaved, or avoid others because they are a ‘dangerous breed’. This is an opinion that has been held for many years, based on stereotypes and the uses of these breeds throughout history. One example of this is the Doberman. This dog was developed in Germany by a tax collector who required a guard dog to protect him as he collected money from the nearby townspeople. In the modern day, these dogs are still seen as aggressive, despite surveys and research that shows many are trustworthy and affectionate, and this may be partly due to practice of ear and tail cropping that gives the dog a fierce appearance and reduces their ability to communicate and socialise with other dogs.
Although a dog’s genetics may have some effect on their behaviour, any problems that may arise are more likely to be caused by a lack of training, or under socialising a puppy while they are still young and impressionable.
I have had many people question me about the calm and friendly nature of my chihuahua as he doesn’t fit in with the stereotype of a ‘yappy’ dog that may bite. This behaviour is common in chihuahuas as many people believe that they don’t need to bother training a pet that is ‘too small to cause damage’ and won’t let them spend time with other dogs whilst they are young to ‘keep them safe’. This, unfortunately, leads to a dog becoming very anxious around people and dogs and they are likely to become aggressive as their frustration builds. While this behaviour is easily corrected at a young age, they are extremely difficult to stop as the dog gets older and more used to this behaviour.
Another thing a person may look for when buying a dog is their lifespan. A recent in-depth study run by the Royal Veterinary College has been released that shows the average lifespan of pet dogs in the UK. It shows that many desirable dog breeds have shorter lifespans, with medical conditions that are a result of their breeding. French bulldogs and pugs are part of a group of breeds known as brachycephalic, or flat faced, dogs. They were bred for their cute squished faces, but almost every dog from these breeds experiences extreme breathing problems and a large number of them require a special surgery as a puppy that can widen their airway. This surgery doesn’t work for their whole life and many dogs will die young after struggling to breathe during hot weather or when exercising. Because of this, the french bulldog has a life expectancy of 4.53 years, much less than the 7.79 years the American bulldog is likely to live to.
This shouldn’t be used as a reason not to care for a dog of a certain breed, as these average lifespans are only an average and are affected by many things. This is something demonstrated by our good friend, the chihuahua, who has an average lifespan of 7.91 years. This may put some people off adopting a six year old chihuahua as they are only going to spend a year with them, but this is very unlikely. In the study, the results have been skewed by the numbers of small dogs dying young due to improper breeding and the desire to have ‘teacup’ dogs, whose tiny bodies are unable to cope with the stresses of everyday life. This means the age shown in the study is not representative of the majority of chihuahuas who live to the age of 12 to 15, and even those documented to have survived to 20. So, knowing that the dogs who have brought the average down died young, you can safely assume that a six year old chihuahua has a good life ahead of them yet.
Although dogs should be chosen for who they are, instead of what they look like and how long they will live, many stereotypes surrounding them prevent those in need from finding the loving homes they deserve. Shelters in the UK and across the world are fighting a losing battle as they hit a crisis point after the pandemic and the more recent cost of living crisis, and with people becoming more and more picky about the dogs they would adopt, spaces are filling and dogs are staying there for longer.