Is it really 'all how you raise them'?
Today we are going to explore what goes into the mix before you even bring your puppy home, and why you need to know the Nature v Nurture debate is no longer applicable. It is categorically BOTH!
How many of you have heard the phrase ‘It’s all how you raise them”? What if I told you that’s not actually true. In fact, it can be a very damaging ideology. The environment in which our puppies are raised is very influential, but I wonder how many of you reading this have experienced life with a dog you raised from a puppy and later went on to develop behaviours that didn’t make sense to you? The danger with this statement is it can cause perfectly good owners to become consumed with guilt and confusion and beat themselves up for doing something wrong. Worst case scenario, they become afraid of reaching out for help for fear of judgement and/or shaming. This helps nobody.
We need to be understanding of the L.E.G.S.* of our companions, and how influences are already shaping your puppy before birth!
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Nature
DNA, Genetics and Epigenetics all contribute to the individual, canine or otherwise.
DNA is like the recipe book (1) containing all the ingredients required to make the physical us - i.e. human DNA is the recipe for 2 arms and 2 legs, dogs DNA is the recipe for 4 legs and a tail.
Genes carry the information needed to make us individuals and the traits and behaviours we inherit (2) - the physical differences between a Jack Russell and a German Shepherd despite all having 4 legs and a tail, or why you might have inherited freckles from your mum.
Epigenetics is an emerging study of how behaviour and environment (by environment we mean everything, not just the immediate locality) can influence how the Genes work - you might have the genes to be tall, but if you’re malnourished as a child, they may not ‘switch on’(3). Specific events also allow for the genetic code to be altered and passed on generations later. To find out more about this, there was an incredibly interesting (but ethically questionable) study done on rats that can be found here. (Opens external link)
If mum is subjected to stress during pregnancy, by the hand of humans, events or even other dogs, this can have a lifelong effect on her puppies. If dad has resource guarding tendencies, guess what! The puppies are also more likely to carry this trait (but epigenetics shows this gene may never be ‘switched on’ and vice versa. The environment your puppy lives in may never present the ingredients to trigger this behaviour, and similarly, your puppy may never have any logical need to exhibit resource guarding but display that behaviour nonetheless).
So, in very simple terms, your puppy’s personality was already being shaped before they were born, possibly even conceived!
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Nurture
Events and experiences in the puppy’s early life are also significant. Puppies’ brains develop at a remarkable rate.
The neonatal period (the first 12 days) sees them solely dependent upon mum for everything from providing nutrition, to stimulating elimination. They are blind and deaf at this stage too. Studies have shown a puppy’s ability to problem solve and cope with stress later on may be enhanced with specific types of handling and interaction during this stage. Click here for further information on Early Neurological Stimulation. (Opens external link)
Day 13-21 is the transitional period and the stage which sees the fastest rate of development. This is when our puppies eyes and ears begin to open, and they begin to familiarise themselves with their surroundings.
The sensitive/critical period is a window that opens at around 3 weeks of age and closes at approximately 3 months. This is the stage at which our puppies are more curious to approach new stimuli and appropriate socialisation is crucial. Note that this extends into the first few weeks after we typically pick our puppy up (circa 8wks) but there has already been a great deal of external influence in your puppy’s life before you take them home!
Now! Let’s assume you found the perfect breeder, and every element of the process from conception to 8weeks has been handled impeccably. Does that guarantee you a rock solid puppy who breezes through life without so much as an unwanted bark? Absolutely not. In the same way puppies born of street dogs, or in puppy mills, don’t necessarily go onto to encounter any difficulties as they mature despite their rough start. If that were the case, they wouldn’t stand a chance.
What IS important is that we begin to widely acknowledge that puppies are NOT a blank slate when you bring them home, and it’s NOT ‘all how you raise them’. They are as individual as you and I, shaped by their own L.E.G.S.
LEARNING – their own learning history
ENVIRONMENT – both social and physical
GENETICS – the science that makes us
SELF – their unique internal experiences of life
Next time we will explore what Socialisation really means and dispel common myths.
1. https://www.teachengineering.org/lessons/view/cub_biomed_lesson09
2. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/120574