Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Inside Every Litter is a Pack of Wolves



These are Jadg terriers, so the code is not too deeply buried, but there is a code inside every dog and it is the code of the wolf, pruned downed and smoothed over.

Dogs are not blank slates, no matter how often such sentiments are voiced by nattering know-nothings. A beagle is not a border collie, a greyhound is not a working terrier, and a pit bull is not a basset, any more than ash wood is pine or balsa is oak. 

If you are working with dogs, it is easier to work with the grain, rather than against it.  It is important to recognize that every type of animal, every breed, every blend, and every individual has its own properties, its own twists, knots, and straight runs.  A failure to recognize and respect this is why humans fail dogs so often.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Reminds me of one of my Chow Chow litters...
There were seven pups and friends who visted had their Jack Russel Terrier, well known by my adult Chow Chows, with them.
We thought it would be allright to let the JRT interact with the litter, but to our surprise the litter formed a pack that circled around the JRT who was visible NOT happy.
Luckely no harm done, we took him out before it could get worse.

So yes, in every litter is a pack of wolves.

Peter Apps said...

Brilliant video. It brings to mind the old expression "this is what they were born for". Traditional dog breeding (pre-show ring) was aimed at producing pups like these whose abilities and aptitudes as working adults could be accurately predicted.

It could have had serious implications for the guys breeding program if the trouser gripper had been able to jump a bit higher !

SilenceIsGolden said...

What totaly kick butt puppies

sparrowhawk said...

This! I never get sick of your insights P Burns. Simple, sensible, and to the point.