30/09/2023
In the world of dog parenting, Brene Brown's wisdom, 'Biology loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger,' resonates deeply. this article by PAWSitively Calm delves into the importance of understanding our dogs' unique personalities and how their environment shapes their behaviour. It's a reminder that structure, boundaries, and guidance play a pivotal role in fostering a well-balanced pup, regardless of their inherent traits.
Biology loads the gun. Environment pulls the trigger—(Brene Brown).
In other words... we ALL come into this world with our very own, unique personality—yes, even our dogs. No different from you to your siblings, and a singular pup to its littermates, all of us are born with traits that our environment either enhances or suppresses.
Whether your dog has come to you with “sass” already installed (or not), an environment void of structure, boundaries, and rules for what’s acceptable (or not), will guarantee behavioral tendencies and predispositions bloom to their worst.
Here’s the thing… Naturally, when there is a void in anything, something will come along to fill it. In doggy land, this tends to look like an owner that allows her dog free-reign to figure things out on its own (undoubtedly due to feeling mean for making her dog do anything it doesn’t want to). The dog is then left navigating his own way through life without any direction from the species that actually knows better. Depending on the personality lottery we’re gifted, a dog allowed to make his own choices based on his unique personality and impulse alone can get real messy—leaving you with an overly suspicious, skittish, chronically stressed, anxious, and even aggressive tyrant.
As simple as this may sound—LEADING, guiding, instructing—in a common sense fashion (teaching your dog what we DO and DON’T want), can help shape the most stable dog possible, regardless of his personality. What we need NOT do is allow dogs the freedom to make choices based on assumption alone—unless of course the desire is an intensification of the current behavioral issues we may be experiencing.
Filling the void with a bit of instruction may not guarantee we will not see any issues, but it can certainly lessen the possibility of its intensification.