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From the source: "The team found that some traits were more common in certain breeds. For example, compared with a random dog, German shepherds were more easily
by ShockTohp 4y ago
From the source:
"The team found that some traits were more common in certain breeds. For example, compared with a random dog, German shepherds were more easily directed; beagles, not so much. And the authors’ genetic studies revealed that mixed-breed dogs with a particular ancestry were more likely to act in specific ways. Mutts with St Bernard ancestry, for instance, were more affectionate, whereas mutts descended from Chesapeake Bay retrievers had a penchant for wrecking doors."
They then go on to say that the variation is only around 9%, but it does seem to suggest the opposite than what the title claims. If you can estimate behavior of a stray based on assumed breed and be right more than wrong, it would seem that while breed does not predict entirely, it does correlate. It would be nice to see what the actual study was instead of a blurb.
- tkahnoski 4y agoLots more details from the authors on twitter. https://twitter.com/eenork/status/1520450288095797251 https://twitter.com/eenork/status/1520450288095797251
- defen 4y agoThe author says "We found no support for policies targeting particular breeds" [1] which is completely absurd even if you postulate that their study's results were even stronger than they are. Imagine that their study found zero correlation between breeds and behavior. Even if that were the case, the outcomes of that behavior are wildly different. Some breeds will bite you and not even break skin. Some breeds will bite you, and you'll need stitches and antibiotics. Some breeds will literally rip your arms off. How could any reasonable person conclude that "no difference in behavior" leads to "no support for policies targeting particular breeds"? Is there anyone here who would let their 6 year old child play, unsupervised, with a random pit bull? How about a random chihuahua? [1] https://twitter.com/eenork/status/1520459786575396869 https://twitter.com/eenork/status/1520459786575396869
- randomblast 4y agoNo. I wouldn't let a 6 year old play unsupervised with any dog. That would be incredibly irresponsible, and has lead to innumerable unnecessary child & dog deaths. Would you leave a 6 year old unsupervised with a hungry rat? No - what a stupid question. A chihuahua can cause the same degree of injury (life-altering). Is there a significant difference in behaviour between a pitbull and a chihuahua? No - this study confirms what has been known for years. Breed-specific legislation is utter bullshit. It clearly doesn't work, isn't workable anyway (breed is judged based on looks rather than genetics), never had any scientific basis, and has been proven to be detrimental to its own aims time & time again.
- defen 4y agoOk, since you don't think a 6 year old can play with any dog unsupervised, how about a 12 year old? Would you let a 12 year old play unsupervised with a pit bull? How about with a chihuahua?
- randomblast 4y agoDepends on the dog, depends on the child. As per the paper, breed is a poor predictor of behaviour. I wouldn't let most adults in this thread play with my dogs unsupervised, based on the state of the comments.
- defen 4y agoFair enough, but I think it's safe to say you're an extreme outlier.
- thephyber 4y agoAs someone who fostered lots of dogs and had to interview people hoping to adopt a dog from me, I don’t care about what the vast majority of people. All people are ignorant until they aren’t. Talking about non-outliers as if they have better knowledge of what the safety hazards are is a fallacy.
- echelon 4y agoThis study/paper is ridiculous. Anecdotal, but I've had lots of dogs growing up. We have five right now. This does not reflect the reality I know. Shiba inu act like cats and prefer to spend time away from their person. They frequently get kicked out of dog parks for not being friendly to other dogs. It's documented and well-studied. They're not at all like other dogs. Corgis are protective, commandeering, and can be aggressive. They'll bully other dogs away from food. But they're incredibly loving, needy, and prone to feeling lonely. Again, it's a breed characteristic. Australian shepherds are outgoing, cheerful, and tend to be neurotic. A corgi might be needy, but they won't ever express it like an Australian shepherd. A corgi will nudge you. An Aussie will dance on top of you and sometimes freak out. Look at which dog breeds are most likely to attack humans. There are histograms for all this data. It correlates strongly with breed!
- shard972 4y ago
- cato_the_elder 4y agoIt seems that every day we are getting one step closer to Lysenkoism [1]. [1]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysenkoism
- Maximus9000 4y agoAlso corgi owner here. Your description is perfect. I've owned two now. My first was pleasant like a nice family golden retriver. My second was exactly how you describe - I like the word "commandeering". Even the queens corgis, who I'm sure got the best training money can buy, were still exactly as you describe. FTA below "For while the Queen adores them, others fear being a victim of their dark side." https://www.macleans.ca/royalty/as-queen-elizabeth-iis-last-corgi-dies-a-baffling-era-comes-to-an-end/ https://www.macleans.ca/royalty/as-queen-elizabeth-iis-last-...
- spike021 4y agoI have a shiba inu and you are exactly right. A lot like cats. Hugely stubborn. Incredibly independent. Exactly as described when I was doing my research originally and deciding to get one. I haven't done a single thing to make him that way, either.
- daniel-cussen 4y agoYeah well the headline says the variation is exactly 0, then you read and it says 9%, which means if you look at their data it says like 38%.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]