While I've posted several times on our eccentric behaviour towards pets, I'd like to continue on this subject. I think the single most important issue in canine medicine right now is the mental health of our dogs. Why are some dogs so darn miserable? Why can't they be walked on leashes? Why are they lunging at the other dogs in the park? Why are they destroying the furniture when we leave them alone? Why?!
Now here's the bottom line, folks. Ready? Listening (or reading rather)?: We've forgotten that our dogs are dogs. Let me say it again: we are not treating our dogs like dogs. In the last hundred years or so, and particularly during the last twenty or so-odd years, we have taken an evolved species and thrown it a major curve ball. Though a Siberian Husky and a Yorkshire Terrier are physically quite distinct, you'd hardly know it by looking at their genes. Remember, they are different breeds, but of the same species: Canis familiaris.
So while it would likely take six hundred Yorkies to pull a sled (on the lolls of the English countryside of course), the desire for a Yorkie to have a "job" is almost certainly there. Its job is not to be carried around in a purse (even if it's a fabulous Louis Vuitton). Its job is not to be put in a stroller, but rather to be walked, exercised, to heel, to sit when asked, and to wait quietly and confidently while his/her owner runs into Starbucks for a grandé, extra-hot, lactose-free, light foam, latté.
I guess you're starting to see my point. What has prompted me to write about this once again was my recent witnessing of an eccentric prominent Toronto couple (no names here though its soooo tempting) whom I see quite frequently, who were sitting enjoying a coffee with their Miniature Schnauzer resting on their lap. I don't really mind seeing a dog sitting on their owner's lap... usually. The problem here is that I've never seen this dog's paws actually touch the ground. These people were there for a considerable period of time and the dog never walked on, or touched, the ground. When they departed, they picked him up and whisked him away in their arms. It was gross. Of course, I felt terrible for the dog... While the owners' intentions may be noble, it is indeed abnormal, eccentric, behaviour which causes irreparable damage to the dog. Granted, I have not met this dog personally and do not know the status of his mental health.... However, I'll bet lots of money that these people rarely (if ever) leave this dog alone. More importantly, I don't think this dog can be left alone without manifesting severe separation anxiety. He needs help!
Think of all the dogs out there that are treated this way (and I'm not purporting that I would be the perfect dog owner). Their genes are speaking to them in one way, while we are showing them hieroglyphics. They just don't get it. What results are messed-up dogs.
Canine behaviours, such as aggression, are strongly affected by genetics. It is true that many traits, including behavioural ones, have been selected for in certain breeds, which have resulted in breeds that are typically more docile than others.
Consider the Labrador Retriever vs the Chinese Shar-pei (though I've met a few nasty Labs and the most spectacular Shar-peis!).
Genetics and environment play a complex role in shaping dog behaviour. There's not much we can dog about genetics (at least not with a particular individual) but we can certainly dictate or manipulate the dog's environment. So let's get on it already!
This is why I am a fan of Cesar Milan, the dog whisperer. Though he is not ubiquitously loved by all canine behaviourists, his fundamentals are tenable and sensical.
This may shock you but it was Cesar Milan who said that the healthiest dogs (mentally) are those owned by homeless people. I recently took particular notice of this. These dogs know exactly what they are and it couldn't be more..... refreshing (yet heart-wrenching) to see.
This dog is saner than a lapdog or one in a stroller. Of course, the entire image elicits a feeling of heaviness on my heart.
