Responding to The Atlantic - ‘Dogs Are Entering a New Wave of Domestication’
Original Article: Dogs Are Entering a New Wave of Domestication
I read an article recently in The Atlantic that left such an impression that I felt it was worth sharing my thoughts on from the perspective of dog ownership in the UK, because it seemed to highlight something that I’ve been feeling in my own work with dogs and their owners for years now. It raises a fundamental question about what we want and expect from our dogs - and I would also argue - how good we are at selecting for it in the dogs we choose to bring into our homes.
So much of the time when we work with dogs on ‘behavioural issues’, these behaviours are really just an expression of how particular breeds have been selected for over the past many hundreds of years. I started writing Case Profiles on some of the most common breeds that we work with, because the predictability with which so many dogs develop issues relating to their breed was worth highlighting. In fact, when I receive new enquiries from clients who need help, the issue that they have is at the very top of the email, and the breed is at the bottom - which gives me a daily opportunity to practice guessing what type of dog it will be, and what kind of issue it will have.
Border Collie? Almost always herding behaviours that are directed somewhere the owner doesn’t want. German Shepherd? Guarding behaviours that the owner doesn’t want. Terrier? Independence and high prey drive that the owner doesn’t want. Spaniel? Retrieving behaviours that the owner doesn’t want. The simple fact of that matter is that previous generations of human society have been exceptionally good at choosing and breeding from dogs that do the things that we want them to do - but in a remarkably short space of time, our desires are changing, and dogs are struggling to keep up.
If you think that 4 hours of exercise sounds impossible to fit in around your work and home life - thats the point. Dogs used to be almost exclusively part of our work lives, but they’re becoming almost exclusively part of our home lives.
Changing Lifestyles and Expectations
One of the key differences that I see in almost all of my clients, is that rapid change to what a normal lifestyle looks like for a dog. Many younger families and first time dog owners that I work with cannot imagine a world in which their dog would sleep somewhere other than on their bed, let alone outside. Many have expressed (usually when describing a rehoming situation) that they find the idea of a dog sleeping outside in our unquestionably mild British climate something that is unimaginably cruel. But these kinds of sleeping arrangements are not just common place in many other parts of the world (with far more volatile weather conditions), but would have been necessitous in the near history of modern western cultures to prevent disease infestations from entering the home. Dogs being outdoors also served an essential security function to act as a deterrent and early warning system - and a great many breeds of dog that exist today have coats far better adapted to the outdoors than our toasty heated homes.
Exercise requirements have also changed drastically, and more than anything else when it comes to working with dogs - an owners inability to fulfil their dogs exercise requirements exists as one of the biggest challenges to overcome. In the working terriers as a group, many of these dogs have substantial fitness and exercise requirements that will never be met - because they are seen as small, companionable breeds that are suitable for older couples and busy young families. I know of almost no one who can exercise their dog for 4 hours a day, including myself - but a significant proportion of my clients own breeds of dog that would benefit from it. If you think that 4 hours of exercise sounds impossible to fit in around your work and home life - thats the point. Dogs used to be almost exclusively part of our work lives, but they’re becoming almost exclusively part of our home lives.
I don’t believe that there is any benefit in shoving out dogs back out on the doorstep, or trying to get people to honour exercise commitments that are largely incompatible with their modern lifestyles. But we cannot ignore that one of the big reason why there are so many behavioural issues today is because of the lifestyles that our dogs lead.
The failure of ‘Adopt, Don’t Shop” and Corporate Rescue Charities
It is very clearly that when it comes to how we pick our dogs, very few prospective dog owners take the time to properly consider breed compatibility with their lifestyle, and almost none have the ability to select a suitable temperament of dog from a litter. What is increasingly common however, is that a combination of increased social pressure to ‘adopt’ a dog, in an environment where it has never been more difficult (or expensive) to adopt a dog from many major rescue organisations, is leaving people with far greater levels of incompatibility than they anticipated, and a significant decrease in the quality of professional breeding.
It is no secret that I have absolutely no love for most of the big UK ‘Animal Welfare’ organisations. The bloat and corruption that is all too common in the charity sector certainly shines through when it comes to dog rescue. Staggering euthanasia rates, eye watering C Suite salaries and fortunes spent on state of the art facilities, with little to no money dedicated to employing enough ‘boots on the ground’ staff and qualified behaviourists for the number of dogs in their care. Deceitful practice when matching prospective dogs with owners, excessive restrictions on adoption - and charging people to take the dogs back when the adoptions fail due to poor compatibility and a lack of adequate support.
A huge number of people are walking away from big rescue organisations because they are demonstrably not fit for purpose, and many dog owners simply adopt from europe, which often results in a far more potent mix of problematic behaviours related to working, guarding breeds. Others are instead choosing to buy from a breeder, because it is significantly easier to take on a puppy. But with almost no energy or attention on ensuring that breeders select for the healthiest dogs with the best temperaments, and raise their puppies in the best way to set them up to succeed - it is very difficult for any new dog owner to find themselves a quality puppy without falling into the plethora of pitfalls involved.
It has become normal for dog breeders to fly under the radar of quality and care, when the public message is to discourage people from buying puppies altogether. It is far too easy to buy an unhealthy puppy from an unscrupulous breeder, and far too difficult to find a quality dog of the right temperament, whether from a reputable breeder or an established rehoming centre. Unhealthy dogs make poor pets - no matter which breed, and this has become a chronic issue with dog ownership in many parts of the UK,
A disconnect with our instincts - and our dogs.
Ultimately though, I think there is one prevailing factor which is bigger than any of the above - our increasing disconnect from natural, instinctual behaviours and how to relate to the animal world. It is more than simply a case of ‘humanising’ our dogs and not respecting them as a separate species. It is a generation of dog owners that have an almost alien relationship to the natural world around us.
Our management of space and our ability to negotiate spacial pressure is an instinctual behaviour practiced by every animal on the planet - but something which many of my clients are completely disconnected from. Perhaps because so many of us are taught to switch off our instincts whenever we squeeze onto a bus or a tube, or perhaps because many corporate environments seem to nurture emotional and relational disconnect - this simple act of being in an environment where your space is your own, and your dogs space is their own, seems to have been forgotten. It is the skill which allows us to do things like bring our dogs into a café or an office - by being mindful of how they experience and negotiate space, and learning to be respectful of them. It is also this skill that allows us to maintain a high population and density of dogs in a human world - by being respectful of competition for social, intimate and personal space in the natural world.
We also seem to have lost a connection to what it means to simply be - without constantly being overstimulated or kept occupied. And we nurture this chronic state in our dogs. Just like so many children seem to be chronically unable to function without the presence of technology, many pet dogs are taught to expect constant input and stimulation - making their behaviour fundamentally incompatible with many of the social activities we want our dogs to practice. Ultimately, I don’t believe that is it down to our ability to breed dogs that are ever more tolerant and flexible to the ways in which we practice unhealthy behaviour. I believe it is down to dogs to remind us of all of the things we are losing, so that we don’t leave nature behind.
