Working Dog Temperamentso:p>
There seems to be a very vague
definition within dog sport as to exactly what constitutes strong working dog
temperament. Is it the dog that demonstrates incredible intensity in the
holding? Is it the dog that, on the courage test, runs at the helper with great
speed and strikes with tremendous power? Perhaps it is the dog that bites the
helper with an extremely hard, crushing bite. These are not necessarily skills.
These are all examples of powerful instincts which are important and necessary
components of working dog temperament.
The following is a list of the important
instincts of the strong working dog:
A. Prey Instinct
(Booty)
B. Active
Aggression
C. Reactive
Aggression
D. Social
Aggression
E. Pack
Instinct
Let us examine each instinct more
carefully.
A. Prey Instinct
(Booty)
Prey instinct (booty) is the genetically
inherited desire in the dog to chase after and seize moving objects. This is the
instinct most often understood and easily read. Prey instinct is one of the two
most critical instincts necessary for excellent Schutzhund protection work. It
motivates a dog to strike the helper with speed and power, and affords us as
trainers a form of stress relief in all areas of training (tracking, obedience,
protection).
B. Active Aggression
(Fighting Drive)
Active aggression is an offensive
aggression commonly referred to as "fighting drive." It is the second critical
instinct for excellent Schutzhund protection work. It is characterized by a dog
that demonstrates explosive, rhythmic barking in the out and holding phase of
the protection work. It enables the dog to be positively stimulated into the
work by compulsion.
C. Reactive Aggression
(Defense/Self-Preservation)
Reactive aggression is totally different
form active aggression. It is not a critical instinct for Schutzhund training.
It is characterized by a dog with a generally protective nature and is often
linked to territoriality. Reactive aggression is commonly referred to as
sharpness. It can act as a catalyst for the other protective drives (active
agrression, booty, social aggression, and lends versatility for practical
application for such jobs as police dog, personal protection dog, and/or guard
duty.
However, reactive aggression must be
delicately balanced in the dog's temperament because it is comprised greatly of
both fight and flight instincts. Reactive aggression is only desirably if it is
based on the fighting aspect with little or no trace of flight instinct being
present.
D. Social Aggression.
Social aggression is the dog's desire to establish pack hierarchy
(alpha/leader).
It is also another instinct that is not
critical for Schutzhund protection training. However, it is an instinct that can
give the dog an added strength because it is not reactive aggression
(defense/self-preservation) and, therefore, it does not have the potential
disadvatage of flight behavior.Since social aggression has no flight
counterpart, the dog does not perform under the same level of stress as in
reactive aggression.
Social aggression is characterized by a
dog that demonstrates a deep grumbling bark. This type of dog also generally
expresses itself in a very dominant manner. Social aggression is almost
exclusively a male characteristic. It can be the determining factor in a
protection dog successfully facing a life of threatening situation (i.e., police
dog, personal protection dog, military dog, etc.).
As breeders/trainers, we stress a mild
level of social aggression because the potential drawback of man excessive level
of social aggression is constant struggle for authority thereby hampering
trainablility.
E. Pack Instinct Park.
Instinct is the genetically inherited trait in the dog to socially interact and
closely bond to its pack members (i.e., handler, family).
Pack instinct, although not critical for
Schutzhund performance, is extremely advantageous, lending itself towards high
trainability. When in combination with social aggression, the advantage of
social aggression is utilized while still lending the dog to a high level of
trainability.
Although highly important components of
excellent performance temperament, the instincts described above are not the
true determining factors for strong temperament. Parallel to the aesthetically
beautiful house with attractive components such as a lovely landscape, excellent
interior design, and modern conveniences, it is the inner core of the dog, much
like the strong foundation on which the house is built, that give both the dog
and the house their true strength and value.
The Inner Core of The
Strong Working Dog
The core of the strong working dog
consists of these elements:
A. The Nervous
System
B.
Hardness
C. Irritability Threshold
(Defense Threshold)
We must consider each of these in turn
in order to understand how they supply and maintain the essential foundation for
strength in the working dog.
A. The Nervous
System
The nervous system is one of the two
most critical components in the core of a truly strong working dog. It is the
dog's ability to generally accept all aspects of its environment without
exhibiting signs of nervousness, fear, or flight. The general characteristics of
a dog with a poor nervous system includes signs of nervousness when exposed to
loud sounds (i.e., gunfire, thunderstorms, etc.), and/or showing nervousness or
fear upon entering a strange enveironment (i.e., after shipping, at a strange
training field, in a crowded room, etc.). By contrast the dog with a sound
nervous system will accept all such and any other changes in its environment
without negative effect.
B.
Hardness
Hardness is the dog's ability to
recuperate from a disagreeable experience. Although the least critical of the
three core traits, hardness is still a very desirable trait. Hardness allows the
trainer to use the advantages of compulsion for precise competitive training
without hindering the natural working spirit of the dog.
C.
Irritablility
Threshold (Defense Threshold). The
irritability threshold is the amount of psychological stress (not physical
stress) the dog can withstand while in the state of reactive aggression
(defense) before exhibiting signs of conflict or flight behavior.
Conflict is the crossover stage between
fight and flight behavior. The ordinary signs of conflict
include:
* Raising of
hackles
* Low tail
carriage
* Obvious high pitch tone
of bark indicating stress
* Any signs of withdrawal
or retreat on the part of the dog
Irritability threshold is the most
critical and least understood aspects of the dog's temperament. It is very
difficult to evaluate a dog's threshold and normally it requires a skilled eye
to make the correct evaluation. For a correct evaluation, the dog's reactive
aggression (defense) must be completely isolated, that is, no other instincts
may be allowed to come into action (i.e., active aggression,
prey).
CONCLUSION
Overall, remember that instincts are a
very important aspect of the dog's character, but only when supported by a
strong inner core.
If in breeding a compromise must be made
(as often it must since there are few perfect dogs), far better that one should
compromise on the instincts as opposed to the core of the dog. Like the house
with an excellent foundation, it can be easily redecorated and make "like new",
so too, the dog with an excellent core can be genetically enhanced by breeding
to more highly instinct animals, provided they also have a good core, thereby
producing versatile, all around strong working dogs.