The importance of temperament is overlooked by new pet owners often when adding a new dog to the family. Yes, certain breeds have certain traits but within one litter there is a range of temperament or what we call in people “personality”.
When it comes to adding a dog, socialization and training are NOT OPTIONAL if you want to raise a balanced dog who you can truly enjoy. However, if you pick a dog with the right temperament the process of raising a balanced dog becomes a lot easier.
The impact that temperament has on a dogs behavior was seen through an 8 month old female Rottweiler who was temperament tested by TEAM-K9 this past week.
Bella spent the first six months of her life chained outside in a backyard, the couple who had purchased her did not know how to raise a rottweiler and so she was sent to live in the backyard. Luckily, Bella was rescued and found a foster home with one of the families who trains with TEAM-K9. After living outside with little to no exposure to new situations, dogs and people it was very possible that Bella would have developed some serious behaviour issues. Resource possession (guarding toys, food etc. from other animals or people in the house), dog and/or people aggression are all behaviors that can occur when a dog experiences no socialization and/or lives on a chain.
Bella however had NONE of these issues. She LOVES people, dogs, cats and whatever else comes her way. Even with limited to no socialization and exposure Bella had a very obvious love of life and sweetness that is rare in any dog, let alone one who had experienced all she had in the first 6 months of life. In this case, Bella’s great temperament made up for her lack of socialization and training.
Bella’s story demonstrates why temperament is so important when looking for a new dog. Please contact TEAM-K9 if you would like help assessing temperament in a dog or puppy you are considering adding to your family.
So what will happen to Bella? Because Bella passed her temperament test with such flying colours, she is in the beginning of the process of being placed with a Canadian Veteran to begin training as a service dog 🙂
