04/23/2021
Why does my dog ___?
We get this question a lot, especially when it comes to complex behaviors like fear, reactivity, or aggression. And as humans, we want (desperately!) to find a clear label as the reason for this behavior. We often hear “he must have been abused by a large man who wore hats because he’s so scared of them” or “he’s bad with other dogs, so he must have been socialized improperly.” Or “he dislikes strangers because he’s a German Shepherd.” Or “it’s all in how you raise them.”
The thing is, there are TONS of things that contribute to behavior. Not even the best scientists in the world can tell us where a particular dog’s behavior comes from. When we see a fearful dog, it could be due to genes- or epigenetics! They could have received limited maternal care or experienced lots of stress in their first weeks (or inside mom’s uterus). They could have had a traumatic experience, or have a hormone imbalance. They could hurt, or have learned associations over time, or even have certain brain structures that grew or shrank to make them more fearful.
So what’s really important to know here?
1️⃣behavior causes can be very complicated
2️⃣anyone who says that behavior is all because of learning, or breed, or socialization, or whatever- is misinformed.
3️⃣in many cases, you’re just not going to be able to identify the “cause” of complex behaviors like fear, reactivity, or aggression. Get comfy with not knowing.
4️⃣not knowing the exact cause doesn’t prevent us from working on behavior!! We can make educated guesses and use treatment plans and involve vets to help us treat what we can’t easily train.
5️⃣if you have no idea what epigenetics means or what hormones do to behavior (or anything else from this graphic), ask! I am NOT an expert on these topics, but I can help connect you to resources from my professors or existing research.
