Behavior vs Temperament.....?

Curtis M WINS! FLAWLESS VICTORY!

2010-12-03 12:43:16 UTC

Behavior = What a dog is doing/has done. Sitting is a behavior. Barking is a behavior. Chewing is a behavior.

Temperament = A dog's genetic drive, hardness levels, and reasoning skills (going out a limb to say "reasoning" skills). By reasoning skills I mean this...if a man slapped my dog, he'd get bit, period. If a child slapped my dog, my dog would probably try to play with them or come to me like "Get this brat before I pee on it". I argue that a clear headed dog has the thought process to say "This is a dangerous grown man, and that is an annoying child"...granted not all dogs have that clarity of thought.

Behavior can be temperament specific. A fear biter has a weak temperament. A dog who's handler aggressive, usually has a strong temperament etc.

Is behavior ever genetic? Yes! Suckling from mom = behavior and it's 100% instinct. Playing is behavior that's natural and genetic. Standing and walking is genetic behavior. Nobody had to explain and train the mechanics of it and without mom to copy from, a pup would still learn to stand and walk with no intervention. Great question...you should ask the difference in drive and behavior...only I'll refuse to answer it because it's too complicated x_x.

?

2016-06-01 05:57:51 UTC

Temperament is something that can't be changed, only reshaped. Its a natural response to something, defined before birth. A dislike and aggression towards small animals is a natural temperament, as seen in many terriers. Behavior is something that can be taught, corrected, and changed. A behavior is jumping, mouthing, barking, etc. All of those can be corrected and changed. A behavior that's taught are things like sitting, laying, etc. They do go hand in hand. Temperament can be "toned". With many terrier breeds (as is an easy example) you can train them to IGNORE small mammals that they would otherwise naturally chase, You're modifying the behavioral response stimulated from a natural temperament. Now-- I could be completely wrong, or entirely right, but that's the way that I've always looked at it, and its never failed me yet. As for those other terms, Nature, Nurture, Genetics, Environment... Nature is, well, natural. Its the in-born reaction to things. Nurture is what the dog picks up simply from being associated with its pack, people or dog. Genetics contributes to temperament, not 100%, but parents temperaments are transferred to offspring. An aggressive mother will most likely produce an aggressive pup. Environment can trigger any reaction from a dog. A natural reaction to a dog being cold is huddling and shivering. A scared dog will elicit an aggressive reaction, a pleased dog may wag the tail, etc.

dogjudge

2010-12-03 08:56:17 UTC

From my perspective.

Temperament is a predisposition to various behaviors. ie. If you have a dog that is sound sensitive, they are going to cringe, run away, etc. if they are caught in a thunder storm. Dogs that aren't sound sensitive won't act the same way, necessarily.

Make sense?

Behavior a result of temperament and training? Up to a point and only up to a point.

There are some dogs that might be fearful about something. You can SOMETIMES desensitize these dogs to whatever stimulus is causing them to be fearful. That being said, there are some dogs that will never be able to be desensitize to a fear.

Behavior genetic?

That's something that responsible dog breeders discuss all the time.

From being involved with dogs for 40 years, 30 years as an instructor of obedience and search and rescue work, my feeling is that puppies can be tested to some degree to see if they are predisposed to behavior (caused by their temperament). You have to keep in mind that all puppies are individuals, just as all humans are individuals. Twins don't have the same temperament.

All of the above ignores the fact that some dogs are truly hard wired crazy. Just as some humans have severe mental problems.

----------------YOUR fear of spiders and tornadoes is LEARNED behavior. It has nothing to do with genetics. Genetics might make you more sensitive to sound or light. The sound sensitivity might make you fear tornadoes. Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything (except touch sensitivity) that might be genetic that would cause a spider fear.

What nature gives you, you can't remove? That depends on what you're talking about. I can take a dog with a VERY high prey drive and teach them to control it, but yes, you can never remove it.

Train, manage or euthanasia? For me, it's the first two versus the last. Easiest decision relates to human aggression. If you can't get it under control, you've got a ticking time bomb. Do you want to be responsible for someone getting REALLY hurt, or KILLED?

Inga - Thunder. Might want to look into "Thundershirts". The theory behind it relates to the work that Dr. Temple Grandin (her autism & cattle behavior books) did in calming down cattle.

?

2010-12-03 08:49:29 UTC

Is this question about dogs or crickets? lol

(I know... thumbs down me.)

I want to read the answers to this question because I wonder at what point you realize the dog's temperament is just bad and then when do you give up on trying to train the dog with the bad temperament because you figure it's a futile endeavor. (I'm not making much sense either.)

I'm adding... hang on

I'm not experienced in the way of the dog like some on here are. I've had a dog with a god awful temperament. Just terrible. I'm talking fear and shyness. It took a lot of work to gain his trust and then the behavior was learned but the temperament issues never really went away. I figured out little tricks to manage them but I guess you don't train temperament, do you.

What is behavior as genetic vs behavior as instinct?

Nothing like answering a question with a question is there.

ADD - ah so cowering from every little thing is the behavior influenced by the temperament in my fearful dog's case. gotcha.

ADD - about the spiders... I didn't just tell you this but I am the same way with fish. shhh. No I don't care if I never overcome it. Put a prong on me all you want...I will curl up in a tight little ball and scream like a big wuss. lol But that's learned behavior or result from traumatic experience...that's not my temperament. I could possibly overcome it if I wanted to... but, again, I don't... ok can we stop talking about this now? lol

ADD - ... say I got a Lab...perfectly hypothetical question... from someone and he was scared of thunder. Now...in this case, would you do any tests to see if maybe the former owner coddled the lab during thunder and he's just learned that the fear behavior gets him rewards and try to train it out of him first? Let's say he exhibits no fear in any other situation?

Critters New GRCH

2010-12-03 09:01:47 UTC

Temperament is genetically predisposed. Temperament is behavioural predispostion, and is related to response class. This is what the dog is likely to do when introduced to a stimulus.

Training is repalcing these predisposed behaviours with something else(or a desired beahaviourthat already occours), and (with dogs) over time changing the criteria for reinforcement to eventually have the behaviour consistently executed in association with a conditioned behavioural trigger.

Training is made easier with a dog that is genetically predisposed to offer, or exhibit the desired behaviour--as you have less to teach. Ie. a Toller will be easier to teach a solid retrieve to than your average Labradoodle.

EDIT: Chi, that is one of the tough things that any professional in dogs has likely had to deal with. When do you decide that your expectations for a dog are too high, or with the amount of time it will take to get there, you could have gotten further with a more fitting dog? Sometimes a dog just does not fit in your breeding/training program, and these realizations are tough, as you bond with EVERY dog you have...and they are a member of your family.

Maybe with time and expereince knowing these things and dealing withthem will come easier for me.

Marna O

2010-12-03 10:30:36 UTC

Great answers!!

I will add my thoughts on the temperament/personality part. I have rather interchanged these two terms, and still do. But a few years I purchased a puppy that clarified to me there was a great, and grave difference! Without going into detail:

When she was "emotionally" comfortable, which was outside, she had a very cute and funny "personality". Friendly, playful, inquisitive.

Inside, she was nervous and anxious. Petrified of my husband to the point she would literally try to climb walls to escape if he walked in the door.. She was neurotic. Her temperament plain sucked.

Ater 3 months of working with her with no improvement I dumped her a$$.

Thumbs down me all you want. I am not a saviour. I want a dog as my trusted "companion", a family member, to do "with me"...agility and herding, go on camping trips, long walks, leash free on our farm. This dog was plain and simply temperamentally unsound. I would not jeopardize the human family harmony and peace for a a twisted dog I disliked.

2010-12-03 08:55:32 UTC

Behavior IS a result of temperament. So, if a dog is genetically a fear biter, its behavior will reflect that in the way it sees the world and acts towards it.

Personality is also affected by the dog's temperament and its outlook on the world. I believe that personality is developed when the dog is created and then blossoms as the animal gains experiences in the world. So, yes, behavior is genetic, but, can be shaped by the right type of experiences, not eliminated, managed. Hope I helped.

ADD: I can tell because I know that shtting in the house IS a bad behavior, but, its NOT genetic.

Fear biting, afraid of loud noises, rain and such IS genetic and cannot be fixed in most cases, depending upon the severity of the dog's weakness in its nervous system.

Behaviors that "I" will put a dog down for...easy....ANY fear issues, I dont care what they are about, its not just hard on me to live with, its also hell on the dog to have to live that kind of life, despite what the martyrs here have to say.

Kathleen

2010-12-03 08:54:33 UTC

Behaviour is what you teach them.

Temperament is what is their nature.

I fostered a beautiful little Golden puppy for a breeder. She was having an issue with the other dogs at the breeder, so I was asked to foster her and evaluate her.

Her behaviour was impeccable. She learned to sit, stay, etc. as I trained. She didn't bark after I corrected her. She was excellent in her crate once I blanketed the outside and played a radio for her. She was great in the car. She learned not to jump on people after being corrected. She was a healthy eater and didn't have food guarding issues. She was easy to leash train.

Unfortunately her temperament was substandard. I found her putting her back fur up with other dogs at the doggy play dates I took her to. I saw her pulling back her lips. She was like this on walks. She was like this when I would take her out and about to supermarkets to socialize, to pet stores, etc. Excellent with people and children, terrible with other animals including my cats.

I called the breeder and notified her. She was returned to the breeder and sent to an animal behaviourist for a week's evaluation. The behaviourist agreed, her temperament was not what it should be. She was spayed immediately and sold to a family who was made aware of her temperament with other dogs and a trainer recommended as part of the sale contract.

2010-12-03 08:50:48 UTC

UNTRAINED behaviors are genetic.....vary among species.

Temperament IS the individual animal's;can be MODIFIED by training/conditioning but not significantly altered.

Rotten Rotts

2010-12-03 08:57:56 UTC

Greek and Above Average said it all. I can't add anything