Here's an example of a "problem" owner, who agrees?

Question

"Dogs were created to be our companions. What do you think they were created for?You are so wrong. Its people like you that abuse their animals.Thats just my opinion."

This was an answer to a ? about dogs living outdoors. I shudder when I realize there really are people out there that have NO CLUE about animals. Dogs as we know them weren't created at all, the wolf or "ancestral dog" was, and man selected genetic defects he liked and developed the different breeds we know today. Scientific proof is availiable all over the internet and in every public library.

So why is this a problem?

Well, it is generalization and lack of understanding that leads to behavior problems, which leads to owner surrenders and "dumping" as well as animal attacks that inspire BSL.

Answer 1

You are right, except, you forgot to add the word "humanization" in there too. 100 years a go you would be very hard pressed to find any animal, dogs included, living in a house. They were bought and raised as work dogs performing their original function, whatever may that be..
Today, however, we have become a much softer, more "humane" society that has advanced scientifically as people here claim toward "our companions" and as a result we dump dogs by the thousands at the land fill and the pound. People have no idea what a dog is anymore or that it was put here for a certain reason, not to sleep on your bed or for you to dress up and play house with!!
Judging from the content of questions here on YA and the quality of answers, things are getting worse by the day. Sad, but true!!!!! Great question by the way!!!

Answer 2

I have to agree with u. that in general most people have not a clue about having a dog. Though not long ago dogs where still used for their jobs and lived outside.
My grandmothers dogs all did and so did her cats, only on cold winter nights where they let in the house, 'dogs were dirty flea carrying animals' They had their place, it was to watch, guard, and hunt the vermin ect. (to big for the cat) They were good for a pat on the head and to eat left overs. most where not over weight, or had the behavioral problems we see today. and they still lived pretty long lifes.

these dogs where more balanced they then dogs we see today. they went for their own walks. even dogs on chains where let off more then the ones people chain these days. if a dog was chained it was more likely a hunting dog these dogs will follow their nose 3 counties over... NOW it's a pet that couldn't be handled or got an landlord will not let in the house. While i could not chain a dog out and not walk it many do..and this is why many attacks happen.

While dogs come from wolves, humans breed out what they wanted..the herder, the hunter, the sled pulling, and yes even the companions, but most companion breeds come from a working one.

people want cute...and i have to say one of the cutest pups is a blue eyed husky....and using it as an example, while cute at 20 lbs is not cute at 60 plus...(with all dogs). they are not easy to train yet first time owners like the breed and do nothing to look in to it other then knowing its a sled dog(which i think most people know) they don't think of the energy they pup will have as an adult .

They think training is easy, and old dogs can't learn new tricks( which they can) so chained or dumped.

Yet how many questions on here are on training and behavioral problems alone? people just can't let dogs be dogs...they have to give them emotions that dogs do not have. there are no rules no punishment(i see this with kids to)it doesn't have to be a smack. people feel bad when they correct dogs or kids why i'll never understand. if everyone was left to run willy nilly, we would be worse off then the cavemen.
my favorite is when the owner says the dog is dumb. they could not train it and had it from a puppy....I just smile...yeppers dumb....human=).

Answer 3

I agree with Loki and dragon_wolf. Siberians are a perfect breed example of people misunderstanding their purpose. While they are beautiful, loving companions, they are also working dogs and not giving them a job and/or plenty of excercise makes them misbehave which results in that cute fuzzy pup being sent to the shelters. We rescue 12-16 a year from local kill shelters and we are just one small rescue. Thank goodness there are others in the area to take some of them too but we don't get to save them all. They are pack animals who require companionship as well and all are kept inside and sleep in the sunroom-they are rotated with different playmates and family members throughout the house for socialization.

Answer 4

As far as your question, dogs of some breeds can stay outside all the time just fine. Some smaller breeds can't because we have bred them to be needy.

I love this statement you made--
"and man selected genetic defects he liked and developed the different breeds we know today"
Thank you for saying that. People think some things are cute, but they are defects. Dwarfism is a defect, but people think pekes and shihs are cute. Hairlessness is a defect. The list goes on. Not very many people realize that.

Answer 5

Firstly "dogs" are a domesticated species, so yes we created them - FROM wild canine species.

Wild animals reproduce without interference from man, according to the theory of natural selection and survival of the fittest.

Domestic animals are "created" by man, by selectively breeding them over many generations. We select the characteristics we value to create an animal that best fits our needs or desires.

Without interference from man, "dogs" would not exist, because many of the things we select for would not be selected for in nature, and vice versa.

Are dogs created to be companion animals?

This depends on what you mean by "companions".

ALL dogs are domesticated, not wild animals. ALL dogs were created for a purpose - i.e. to live and work alongside man - in one way or another.
In this sense, yes, all dogs were created to be companions.

On the other hand, within that general description, different breeds of dog have been created for more specific purposes. Some were bred to hunt, to guard livestock, to herd, to fight etc. Some were bred specifically to be companions only, without any other obvious function. (e.g. most toy breeds).

When is this a problem?

I see a number of problems come up....

One is people assume that because a breed of dog has been bred for a specific purpose, it must be a certain way.
Yes, some breeds do have different characteristics, but they are all dogs. Pit bulls are an obvious example. They were initially bred to fight so were bred for suitable characteristics, eg high drive, tenaciousness and heavy muscular build. But, this was many years ago, and recently they have been bred for companionship. It is their high pain tolerance that makes them good with kids, and their tenacity that makes them good in sports like weight pull. Also, "aggression" is not a characteristic, it is a behaviour. So misunderstanding often leads to BSL etc based on inaccurate understanding of dog breeding and genetics. On the other hand, pit bulls may have a higher chance of being aggressive towards other dogs. If you fail to properly socialise a labrador it might not matter so much, but failure to socialise a pit can become a problem later.

On the other hand, people often fail to take breed into account when choosing a dog. Many people take on high energy breeds like border collies, then dump the dog later because it becomes destructive and boisterous, or get toy breeds, leave them alone all day then wonder why they get separation anxiety... I think there would be a lot fewer dogs needing homes if people made more appropriate choices to start with.

Some owners treat their dogs like people. "Anthropomorphism" often causes welfare problems because dogs are not human and have different needs etc. There is no need to use a stroller, put clothes on a dog etc. These things are meaningless to dogs, and may be uncomfortable. Dogs also do not understand human language etc. There aer two classic examples of this. One is obediance training. Lots of people simply shout "sit" at the dog and expect it to obey, but actually the dog has no idea what "sit" means and needs to be shown. The other common example is people who claim their dog "knew it had been naughty because it looked guilty". Actually the dog recognises that the owner is angry and is showing submissive, pacifying behaviours to avoid aggression. It has no idea why you are angry.

The final problem I often see is people who believe their dogs are still wolves. They are not - many years of domestication had led to the dog becoming very different, both in terms of physiology and behaviour. Dogs behave like dogs, wolves behave like wolves - they are not the same thing. This is especially true when it comes to "dominance theory". There are two problems with this. One is that dogs are not wolves, and two is that most people do not understand wolf behaviour either - so even if dogs were like wolves they would still get it wrong.

Answer 6

I agree that most behaviour issues people experience with dogs, arrise because dogs aren't treated like DOGS. I think that dogs in our society are over pampered and over preened. I love my dogs like my children, but I understand that their needs are very different form a human childs. They are trained and worked and walked FIRST and then they are pampered and loved. I agree that people need to wake up and understand that the four-legged "person" walking around their house is probably miserbale and not having basic needs satisfied.

Answer 7

I'm not actually sure what your question is. However, wolves and wild dogs are fine with living outdoors because they are pack-oriented animals, and they have packs outdoors with them. If everyone who kept their dogs outdoors slept outdoors with their dog as well, I wouldn't have a problem with it at all.

Dogs have natural pack instincts - they are very social animals and being around other people or animals is very comforting and rewarding for them. This is the greatest reason why dogs shouldn't be kept outdoors all of the time.

Answer 8

Well, you're both right.

The fact is, dogs *were* created by human beings. From the moment we chose to mold them into our herders, hunters, and working dogs, we were responsible for their existence.

OTOH, they were not "created to be our companions" -- dogs exist because we needed them for specific functions...again, to herd our livestock, help us catch our food, haul our belongings by sled, cart, etc.

LONG before they ever accompanied us to the park, or wore the little coats we bought for them, they had a JOB.

I certainly agree that if more people understood their breed's original function, there would be many less dogs in shelters due to "behavior problems".

Answer 9

But some dogs were bred specifically to be companion dogs. And I wouldn't call them genetic defects, I would call them desireable traits.

Answer 10

dogs are mans best friend. my dog is living proof. he would die for me. if you want to deny it, go ahead but its true.