Q: What do you call a Cocker Spaniel that barks 900 times in 10 minutes?

A: Normal.

The question of whether a behavior is genetically endowed or learned is a common one. This “nature vs. nurture” issue has been argued by biologists, psychologists, ethologists, and behaviorists for years. Has the Cocker Spaniel adapted to the environment, or is he simply responding like a pre-programmed robot? For dog care professionals, understanding this topic may help your clients select the right dog or give insight to correcting an existing problem.

While valid information is scant about dog behavior and genes, there is one resource that is well worth investigating. The book is currently called Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog by John P. Scott and John L. Fuller. You can find it on Amazon.com for about $25.

Scott and Fuller’s work was conducted from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s. Their goal was to investigate the way behaviors are transmitted genetically in dogs. They selected five pure breeds of dogs (Cockers, Fox Terriers, Basenjis, Beagles, and Shelties) and tested them in 50 categories of behavioral reactions. Though over 50 years old, the study stands as a foundational work that has stood the test of time. After testing thousands of dogs, they found some very interesting things.

First, dogs generally have very plastic genes. That means that they are capable of a wide range of genetic variations while still producing fertile offspring. This allows for the obvious physical differences between Great Danes and Dachshunds. The genes that govern behavior are also capable of great diversity. This diversity causes differences not only between breeds but even within a particular litter. Brother and sister may be close to identical or appear completely dissimilar.

Bark and Barkless: A Tale of Two Doggies
One of the easiest behaviors for Scott and Fuller to study was barking. While all dogs can bark, the Basenji is almost barkless. Though capable of barking, they rarely do. The scientists bred Basenjis with Cocker Spaniels to see how “barklessness” would be transmitted genetically. They found that barking is a dominant trait. That means that if either of the parents possesses the trait, there is a 75% chance that all of the offspring will also possess it. The importance of this knowledge for your clients is obvious. If they are going to buy a Cocker Spaniel puppy and don’t see both parents before they buy, they may get one of those 90 BPM (barks per minute) puppies.

Another factor in barklessness is that the behavior appears to be developmental. At different ages, the puppies bark at different rates, so the 90 BPM dog did not bark that much when he was eight weeks of age. He probably started getting yappy at about four months—two months after he would most likely go into a new home. So when you pick a nice, quiet eight-week-old puppy, you may yet find that you have the original Barkmeister when it hits early adolescence. That’s another good reason for seeing the pup’s parents before you buy.

Developmental Behaviors:
What You See Is Not Automatically What You Get
This developmental aspect is a thorn in the side for puppy buyers and is ignored or glossed over by breeders. Scott and Fuller discovered that many behaviors do not develop until long after the animal is in its new home. The quiet, submissive dog at the kennel may turn into a dominant, pushy bully. Popular temperament tests for puppies attempt to convince owners that the pup’s behavior is static and will not change for its lifetime. The evidence is to the contrary. A study done in Australia indicates that long-term characteristics form after about five months. Some shy puppies grow out of it, and some confident dogs become fearful as they grow up.

The lack of dependable indicators of future behavior can be very frustrating. I just spent a year raising my Australian Cattle Dog pup, Petey, who is now about 16 months old. I have owned these dogs for 30 years, and this one is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. He is two generations away from Australian herding stock and capable of humbling me on a regular basis. He is either the easiest dog to train or the hardest, depending on which moment you look at him. For instance, I have achieved perfect housetraining with him. He is an intact male but does not lift his leg. He rings bells to let me know he needs to go outside. He eliminates on fake grass panels—one upstairs on our deck and one downstairs on our patio. He also has a reflexive and explosive bark when he is startled. He is suspicious of strangers, just as it says in the breed standard. In some areas, he adapts readily, and sometimes his behavior seems genetically locked. Scott and Fuller would say, “Breed type is what you expect; your dog is what you get.”

What You Don’t See May Come Back to Bite You
Another aspect of development is the absence of some traits in infants that do appear later in life. Most people realize that male puppies do not lift their leg to urinate. The behavior “develops” at about nine months of age. Scott and Fuller discovered that other behaviors are developed as well. Territorial aggression and defensive aggression may not develop until after a year of age. Some dogs offer territorial aggression as early as six months, while others finally start growling protectively as late as two years of age. Some dogs do not possess the genes necessary for this behavior and will never be good guard dogs, though their litter mates may be.

Living Without You: Socialization Isn’t a Panacea
One of the tests run by the scientists was intended to research what dogs would be like without human interaction. They decided to confine one family grouping of each breed in a fenced acre of ground. They observed the animals daily for a full year. Beagles, a dog that is often kept in large groups, lived together peacefully with hardly a squabble. Fox Terriers, on the other hand, actually killed each other in violent disputes. Each breed had different reactions to things that happened in their area and developed their own ways of handling it. If you want to stack multiple dogs in a kennel or play area living in harmony, Fox Terriers may ruin your plan. The point is that social behavior is not just a matter of getting used to something. Sometimes it is limited by the breed or individual within a breed.

There is probably no other creature so identified behaviorally with its breed type than dogs. As dog care providers, we have an obligation to understand as much as we can about what to expect from the dogs in our care. Scientific studies like this one can reveal how much of the traditional view of a dog’s breed type is dependable and how much is questionable. Scott and Fuller’s book is a must for any serious student or breeder. Along with a good appreciation for the marvelous behavior of dogs, Scott and Fuller offer the reader the most powerful tool available for interpreting a dog’s genetic tendencies: a grain of salt.

Gary Wilkes is a former shelter manager with more than 25 years experience solving behavior problems by veterinary referral. For more information, visit www.clickandtreat.com or write to [email protected].

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