Thinking of getting a new dog or adding on to your pack?
I came across this post recently on one of our social media channels and felt compelled to share.
This exert can be applied in whatever situation fits your life…
Many times we take the word “Domesticated” to literally when applying it to our canines. As if they are almost human. We sometimes get dooped into believing they no longer have hunting & predatory instincts, that they are no longer carnivores. Canines even domesticated are still pack animals with all those instincts.
In fact that is one of the largest reasons they were “Domesticated”, to harness senses we did not have. Canines in the infancy of their domestication were used as hunters, for their senses, as alarm systems again for their innate senses. As guides , as guardians, as leaders on a hunt…
I am not sure when they started to become “Companion animals” in the sense of pets, or when they became such an exploited commodity. What I do know is that canines rely on a hierarchy, a pack is chosen naturally based on continuity. A group of canines form a well managed, well functioning pack. The pack is based on reproduction, hunting, security, social structures.
The thing that we as humans miss most times is this happens naturally based on the above parameters.
I have spent the last 14 years working with canines watching these behaviors, watching these parameters develop in canines from days old to full maturity. I have seen it in individual canines brought into a new pack of canines & also in pups born from the same litter. Watching social behaviors unfold & mature. I have always chosen packs based on their NATURAL characteristics. Meaning, I would build packs 1 canine at a time based the canines willingness to be a productive group.
I have never forced canines to exist together. Sometimes we have canines that refuse to exist with any canines we have. It’s natural, we only have so many canines & the behaviors and characteristic do NOT always mesh. I have also seen canines that have NO willingness at all to mesh with any canine at all… ever! They seem to be nomadic, searching for that right fit. I also never try to force training onto a canine in hopes that it will be a miracle cure.
I simply introduce new options, BUT the choice is that of the canine to accept. We cannot FORCE our canines to get along; there will always be conflict if we do not choose our canines wisely based on a cohesive plateau. We need to take a step back & allow our canines the right of choice…
We choose our canines based on many reasons, Color, breed, activity level, range of ability, purebred, rescue, size. But do we really take into consideration the meaning of seeing it through? Do we really understand the concept of what owning a canine entails? Have we blindly went out & gotten a canine without any practical knowledge of their needs?
Have we studied at all the concepts of their behavior, life stages & overall needs? Have we been honest with ourselves & most of all fair to the canine we hope to share a lifetime with.
Choosing a puppy? There are many test’s you can perform with a puppy to see the behavior that will manifest as they mature. Educating ourselves on what is innate & what is environmental. We are always quick to say a behavior is because of an environmental or outside cause. That is not always the case, canines are all born with innate traits and behaviors… a litter of puppies are all individuals & biology is always at work. I am certainly not suggesting that we all go out & get a bachelors degree in canine Biology. But, we should at least have a firm understanding of what it means to own a canine.
In closing-
There are many things to consider when getting a canine. Your family dynamic, your schedule, where you live, your activity level, purpose for the canine, cost of a canine, potential health issues with certain breeds... the list is vast. I hope this brief exert has helped to open our eyes to the needs of our current & future canines. It is our position to be well versed guides to help our canines navigate a human world.
Sincere Regards,
William J. Bellottie
Detroit Bully Corps
President & Co Founder