Reddit reviews New Knowledge of Dog Behavior (Dogwise Classics)

>Will the puppies that come out LOOKING more like the GSD parent MOST LIKELY have most "GSD traits", and the puppies with the physical appearance of the lab have a higher propensity for the "lab traits"? Or is it 100% random?

In by far the most authoritative long-term study ever done, Scott and Fuller experimented with cross breeds and found, for example, that a puppy from Cocker and Basenji parents that looks like a Cocker is not more likely to behave like a Cocker than like a Basenji, but is most likely to show less extreme behavior traits than either breed.

>The results of this experiment are almost completely negative with regard to the hypothesis that coat color, hair length or "somatype" is strongly correlated with temperament and behavior.

About choosing a puppy, there are many puppy temperament tests, and some are pretty complicated. Research has not found a strong predictive value for any of them except some sensitivity tests, like reaction to wheeled objects like carts and bikes, and the "fetch test", and only if the tests are performed several times. For example:

>Fetch is taught entirely by play methods, except that the leash is used to direct the puppy to the tester the first and second week. The leash is also used if the puppy fails to bring the object directly to her. A rubber ball or tennis ball is used in teaching fetch. If the puppy simply goes to the object the first time it is considered satisfactory, but we have many puppies who pick the ball up the first time and come directly back with it. We also have pheasant and duck wings for the puppy who has no interest in a ball. Many shepherds as well as retrievers will bring a wing but will not pick up a ball.

>We have come to the conclusion that what we are testing here is the puppy's willingness to do something for the tester. The desired result is to get the puppy to go merrily to the object, pick it up and bring it back to the tester's hand. The first week we give the puppy three chances to fetch after it has had a chance to smell the ball, see it bounce and roll, and gotten adjusted to the room. The tests start with the first command given; "Puppy, fetch." The second week the puppy has four chances, still on leash. The third week he is given five chances, starting off lead and reverting to the lead if it is necessary to get the puppy to come to the tester with the object. The fourth week the puppy has three chances. The fifth week the puppy has only three chances again. Any puppy who is not bringing the object to the tester off lead in the fifth week is rejected, for it will not make a Guide Dog. Usually such a rejected puppy can be taught to retrieve without much difficulty, but we have found that one who will not learn in the time allotted will not be a willing worker as a Guide Dog. This applies equally to all breeds that we have tested and trained.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Knowledge-Behavior-Dogwise-Classics/dp/1929242042

this book talks about the study of littermate syndrome.

/u/googoogoojoob had a comment on that in this thread.

To quote for the lazy

> There is strong evidence for littermate syndrome. But I also often see people claiming that littermate syndrome applies to dogs that are not actually littermates, i.e. two puppies from different litters. That is just speculation and is probably not true unless the puppies grew up together from birth. The study that discovered littermate syndrome concluded,

> "Where two littermates are raised together in the same home ... one becomes a successful candidate for Guide Dog work and one fails, even if their aptitude tests were equal. Puppies raised in homes where there are dogs not related to them have never been affected this way by the association with other dogs."

> The same study also found,

> "I cannot remember a single dog who was raised with her mother to adulthood who could be successfully trained for a Guide Dog."

> So besides littermate syndrome, we should also be aware of apron-strings syndrome.

From The New Knowledge of Dog Behavior

Here's the book everyone always mentions with the guide dog study. My limited understanding of the study is that it was so narrow in scope that it doesn't generalize well. I too have searched for empirical evidence of the "syndrome" but have come up empty handed.


I keep contemplating buying a copy of the book to read the study out of genuine curiosity, but haven't been motivated enough yet.


Personally, I:

• Probably wouldn't buy from a breeder who would sell me littermates, because they are probably not a reputable one.
  
• Would never want to raise two puppies at the same time (OMG one at a time is bad enough)
  
• Would never want two adult bitches living in my house (the whole "bitch fighting" thing really scares me, I have multiple friends who own dogs that cannot ever be in the same room together)
  
  
  Beyond littermate syndrome or bitch fighting, the things that should be of primary concern to anyone crazy enough to buy two puppies:
  
  
• Socialize them SEPARATELY
  
• Train them SEPARATELY
  
• Make sure they spend a substantial amount of time APART each day
  
  
  This is because you don't want the dogs more tightly bonded to each other than to a person, and also because you don't want either dog to grow up to be an animal that lacks confidence when its buddy isn't there to back it up.
  
  
  The good news(?) is that if they're buying BMDs from a shady breeder willing to sell them two littermates, any problems that develop are going to be very limited in terms of scope of time because of the multitude of health problems plaguing the breed. Even well bred BMDs are lucky to make it to 6 or 7... I'm pretty sure the old saying about them is "Two years a young dog, two years a good dog, two years an old dog. Anything else is a gift from god."