How sociable is your French bulldog?
May 1, 2008 – 4:49 am
Image via Wikipedia
Every dog is different when it comes to being sociable as are different breeds; some are more sociable than others just the same as with people, some will mix more easily than others. Some breeds will downright ignore other people and pets while some will fuss just about everyone and everything, some are fine with only members of the family and remain aloof with just about everyone else.
Some dogs love women and hate men or vice versa and some are fine with adults but shy away from children while some just don’t seem to like anyone or anything other than their owner. A lot of this is due to certain breeds but some of it is down to the actual dog themselves, dogs are just like people and have personalities of there own just as people do. However breeds that are known to be genetically inclined to dominance, territoriality or generally regard people with suspicion are:
The French bulldog, American pit bull terrier, Belgian Shepherd, Chinese shar-pei, Doberman pincher, chow chow, German Shepherd, mastiff, Rhodesian ridgeback, Rottweiler and Tibetan mastiff.
However on saying this, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your dog will be aggressive towards people, as all dogs have their own personality. Only that they are genetically inclined to do so more than other breeds, this is due to the fact that they were originally bred to hunt, fight or guard. Your dog’s behaviour and attitude will stem from many things including:
Your dog’s parents
Puppies will usually inherit traits from their parents so if their parents were good natured and got on with other dogs and people then there is a good chance your puppy or dog will follow their parents.
This is why knowing the background history and seeing your puppy’s parents before you buy are very important, a reputable breeder should always show you the puppies parents or at the very least the puppies mother. If a breeder shy’s away from showing you first hand the puppy’s parents then this should be regarded as a warning sign that something is amiss.
Your puppy’s early environment
If your puppy had a very bad experience when very young this could have left an imprint on him, your puppy should not have been taken away from its mother before the age of seven weeks old. Puppies learn from their mother and siblings up to this age and puppies which have been separated from their mothers and siblings too early in life can develop a fear of other dogs or become aggressive with other dogs due to this.
How well you socialise with your puppy
From around 8 weeks to 6 months is the most important time of your puppy’s life in regards to socialising, and then your puppy will enter the “teenage” stage around 6 months and ends around the time your dog is 1 to 3 years old. Your dog will then be much like a human teenager and this can bring all the problems associated with a teenager such as their bad attitude.
During this time your dogs mood may change rapidly from one day to the next, one day he might be fine with other dogs and humans the next all surly and bad tempered. This can be a very stressful time not only for your dog but also for the owner and much patience and training will be needed during this stage.
