Post No.: 0548
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Oh my God we’re back again!
Furrywisepuppy says:
Brothers, sisters, everybody sing.
…Erm wait, what are we doing?
Fluffystealthkitten says:
We’ve got another dog and cat post, that’s what.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Splendid! We wanted to have a natter about breeds this time. Can I start?
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Get set go pupperino! This post will chiefly be about dogs anyway because of the larger number of distinct dog breeds compared to cat breeds.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Okay. It is said that some dog breeds are more intelligent than others – but it’s actually more about the individual hound than whatever breed he/she happens to be.
We therefore shouldn’t be ‘breedist’, as in equivalent to being racist. All breeds of dogs are still dogs, like all ethnicities of humans are still humans (although all humans are way more homogenous than all dogs). And it’s a dog’s upbringing and continued training that has the greatest impact on his/her intelligence.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Like humans, cats and dogs have individual personalities and temperaments, shaped by a combination of their genetics and their upbringing, previous learning and life experiences. Cats and dogs undergo hormonal changes during puberty too, hence their behaviours can be affected by such changes, like with humans when they undergo puberty.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Even with our wide variety of very different and distinct breeds – within breeds, different individual dawgs can have different personalities i.e. nurture still plays a massive role and it’s not just about raw biology.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Behaviour is also shaped by motivation (rewards and punishments), like with humans again. Thus many factors affect behaviour – from individual personality, a good or bad socialisation phase, the current environment, the levels of training, exercise, diet, sleep, and breeding choices.
Furrywisepuppy says:
So it’s not to say that an animal’s breed doesn’t matter at all. Ultimately, you must still deeply study an animal’s breed and its general traits.
For example, Huskies need a lot of exercise and Retrievers are more likely to love a game of fetch (although they’re not guaranteed to). Crossbreeds may be harder to predict than pedigrees but you can guess their likely traits based on the breeds that were crossed. Yet you do have to be careful about making assumptions – for example, assuming that a Labradoodle has inherited the poodle’s non-shedding coat rather than the Labrador’s shedding coat, or assuming that all crossbreeds are healthier when this might not be the case when two pedigrees are crossed and the dog inherits the unfortunate characteristics of both breeds rather than the most healthy characteristics of both.
On top of understanding the breed of a dog or cat – socialisation and training still play pivotal roles for every individual beast regardless of his/her breed, and will improve all aspects of a pet’s behaviour.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
With dogs that have been historically specifically bred to fulfil certain roles and exhibit certain behaviours, these job-specific traits will still influence their behaviours even though many now live in more urban areas and in smaller houses, with their owners less likely to be at home when working too.
People can access almost any breed they want as a pet regardless of what it was originally bred to do, but some breeds may not be well adapted to cope with these modern environments and modern human lifestyles and so are more likely to exhibit problem behaviours.
A lack of proper socialisation also leads to problems down the line, and the process of re-homing a dog or cat can sometimes be stressful, even though this might be better than the animal remaining in a shelter. In other words, it’s overall best for an animal to find the right family from the outset; but this is not in the control of the animal.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Yes. A common reason for handing a dog into a shelter is ‘boisterousness’ – or really energetic-ness – so careful research needs to be done before a pet is purchased to understand how much exercise and play an animal naturally needs every single day and whether you can and are willing to provide it. If you can’t provide this then it will likely result in frustration and behavioural problems. Post No.: 0504 concentrated more specifically on behavioural problems in dogs.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
But many people choose cat and dog breeds based solely on the way they look. Some people see pets as more like a convenience or accessory – merely to serve the human’s desires (such as to enhance their social media posts for likes), and as cruelly disposable if they don’t want them anymore (like clothes after they’ve photographed themselves once in them). People’s modern ‘busyness’ means that if there are any problems then they expect there to be quick fixes too. For instance, they may spoil their pet with food, which may relieve the human’s guilt in the short-term for constantly neglecting their pet due to work demands, but this might lead to an overweight animal in the long-term. This is a case of two wrongs don’t make a right.
Furrywisepuppy says:
So ensure your lifestyle and circumstances are right for providing a high quality of life for an animal first. That animal will in return then be able to provide you with all of the benefits of pet ownership with less of the stress. It’s like deciding if and when to have a child – a cat or dog shouldn’t be seen as a lazier and lower-maintenance choice compared to having, fostering or adopting a human child. That’s in my ruff opinion at least anyway.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
I definitely concur with that. If you don’t have an appropriate place or space, can’t be bothered to exercise or train and play with a pet, won’t have the time to properly care for and don’t have the money to spend for the full lifetime cost of looking after one, then please don’t buy or demand one.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Don’t have unrealistic expectations either. If you don’t accept dogs barking then don’t own a dog rather than punish one for barking(!)
Fluffystealthkitten says:
If you don’t accept cats scratching then don’t own a cat rather than de-claw them(!)
Furrywisepuppy says:
If you are going to have to leave a dog alone for several hours every day then think twice because they’re social animals. Domestic dogs were and are bred around human company. The current advice is that dogs shouldn’t be routinely left alone without human company for more than 4 hours at a time. If you’re going to be away for longer periods then arrange company for them, such as a neighbour to check up on them or a dog walker. Whether or not it’s better if two dogs are left alone without human company for long periods of time depends on those individual dogs – they may manage to keep each other company, make no difference to their separation anxieties or they’ll possibly reinforce each other’s anxieties and make each other even more destructive when you’re gone.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
If you want to bring multiple unrelated cats into the home then think twice because they’re primarily solitary animals. Subjecting your pets to such anxieties are common reasons for them exhibiting problem behaviours. Dogs and cats can live together but if anyone would rather not then it’ll likely be the puss.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Whether a dog will actually prefer to live with other dogs depends highly on the individual dog, as well as on the owner being able to accommodate, cope with and afford more animals in time, energy and money in order to provide each and every single one a high quality of life.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
The size of the house is not too problematic for dogs but might be for households with multiple cats who belong to different social groupings. Dogs living in houses with gardens actually tend to get walked outside less because some owners think that the garden is enough for them – but it isn’t because further outside there are a greater variety of interesting scents to be explored (think from the dog’s perspective) and simply more space to run around.
Furrywisepuppy says:
That’s correct. Going outside of the house is like going on an adventure with my nose! Regardless of whether they’d like to live under the same roof with them or not – most dogs love to go out and to run about and socialise with other dogs too.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
We do recognise that the vast majority of people love their fur balls and will do the very best for them. <3 But just like not having children if one knows that one cannot give one’s best for them – it’s the opposite of being selfish to not have pets if one knows that one cannot give one’s best for them. If you’re buying a pet on an emotional whim or as a fashion accessory then the animal never asked for you to be their owner or master, so if you voluntarily make this decision then you must bear full responsibility for the animal’s welfare and behaviours.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Too many people buy cute pets on impulse, with their emotions, without applying enough critical foresight to work out if they can and will afford to dedicate the time and money into look after them every day for a lifetime, and whether they’d fit into their desired lifestyles – such as if they like to go on holidays frequently or if they plan to have a baby soon.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Perhaps it’s prospective owners who should be thoroughly vetted first before they’re allowed to own one?! More severe penalties for animal abuse or neglect will only work if enforced. Pet tagging should probably be compulsory so that owners who abandon their pets without good reason can be tracked down?
Furrywisepuppy says:
Pets should only be given as gifts to others if the recipient asks for one and demonstrates that he/she can and will look after one with dedication.
It should be about the prevention of abuse or neglect first – reducing demand for pets rather than having so many abandoned later, as if old toys.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
I suggest getting a cuddly and/or robotic toy if you’re going to treat a living animal like a disposable toy or as something that one will not, or cannot, give enough time or other resources to! Well those who believe in animism believe that such objects possess souls too.
Furrywisepuppy says:
…We’ve probably only got one more post on cats and dogs left for you after this, which is a little sad. In the meantime, please use the Twitter comment button below this post to tell us what you think about how we can prevent people from purchasing pets on impulse?
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Everybody.
Furrywisepuppy says:
Rock your doggy right.
Fluffystealthkitten says:
Cat street’s back alright!
Meow!
Furrywisepuppy says:
Woof!
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