Dutch Shepherd Forum

I pondered breeding for traits as my son and Bramble shared a box of french fries today. My suspicion is that Bramble was a "reject" and not so much an accident. She can be nervous and skittish in some situations.

But, at the same time, she voluntarily seeks interaction that scares other dogs, and that can trigger very negative responses in some. She is still to some extent dog reactive, though exposure and training have granted control.

So, my thought is, if drive and intensity are related to genetics, the same patience and stability that allows her to share a box of french fries is too. Do breeders taken into consideration the calmer traits? Turn taking is a pretty complex behavior.

Balanced drives are the most desired. A dog has to have the ability to turn off and turn on. They have to be able to be controlled, not out of control. These dogs don’t just have one trait... that being one of a continuous state of high drive. They learn real quick how to get what they want. Bramble knows what it takes to get a French fry. A dog that doesn’t have stability is pretty much worthless.

Well I think the likely scenario is that your son is inadvertently rewarding bramble for waiting. Not so much that he understands your son gets a fry then him then so on. He just knows that if he displays a calm behavior, he gets rewarded. Much like kennel training. You don’t reward the dog for bursting out of the kennel. You reward them when you open the door and they stay right? Soon enough they learn to wait to be dismissed from the kennel or through a doorway. Same concept here.

Maybe. If so my son is s great trainer. I hand her a box of fries, and she gobbles as many fries as possible. He passes over the box, she takes a few....and then he gets more, and so forth. Same when they share food on a plate. (Which isn't something I'd normally also, but it is so HUGE for a person with autism I let it happen.)