Dog Article: Fur Color

Some humans are so strange. Why do they think they have to try to figure us out with Science? We're glad our humans aren't this weird!

This is from Discovery Channel News [Link]

Fur Color Linked to Dog Personality

Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News

Dec. 13, 2006 — The color of a dog's fur may seem to be just a whim of nature and genetics that reveals little about the dog. But a new study claims that coat color for at least one breed, the English cocker spaniel, reflects a pooch's personality.

Prior research has suggested that fur color is also linked to behavior in labrador retrievers, while the type of fur — in this case, wiry or long — may indicate temperament in miniature dachshunds. Wiry-haired mini dachshunds are often more feisty than their mellower, long-haired cousins.

The latest study, recently published in Applied Animal Behavior Science, determined that golden/red English cocker spaniels exhibit the most dominant and aggressive behavior. Black dogs in this breed were found to be the second most aggressive, while particolor (white with patches of color) were discovered to be more mild-mannered.

In labrador retrievers, the color rank from most to least aggressive was determined to be yellow, black and chocolate.

The behavior-fur color connection is likely due to related genetic coding that takes place during the pup's earliest life stages, according to lead author Joaquín Pérez-Guisado.

"Maybe the link (to coat color) is due to the fact that the ectoderm (one of the three primary germ cell layers) is where the skin and central nervous system originate in the embryo," he told Discovery News.

Pérez-Guisado, a researcher in the Department of Medicine and Animal Surgery at the University of Cordoba, Spain, and his colleagues measured levels of dominance and aggression in 51 seven-week-old English cocker spaniel puppies that were either full siblings or half siblings.

The tests looked at how quickly a person could capture a puppy's attention, how well puppies followed the individual, how the dogs behaved while restrained, how they exerted their social dominance and what they did when they were lifted off the floor.

In many cases, the golden-colored dogs resisted human contact and even tried to bite the tester, while the particolor pups often wagged their tails and seemed to enjoy the attention.

While genes control coat color and appear to predispose behavior in certain dogs, Pérez-Guisado said that how dogs are raised plays the biggest role in behavior. He determined that environmental factors account for 80 percent of dominant, aggressive personalities while genes only influence 20 percent of dogs' demeanors.

"It is very important to give the dog an optimum and suitable environment in order to have a dog with a low dominance aggressive behavior level," he said. "For that reason, owners are primarily responsible for this undesirable dog behavior."

Canine behaviorist and trainer Wendy Volhard and professional breeder Carolyn Sisson, who is president of the English Cocker Spaniel Club of San Diego, California, both told Discovery News they're not surprised by the findings. They said that coat color's link with behavior has been "a well-known, old wives' tale" for years.

Although they both think there is "some truth to the recent findings," Sisson believes a dog's genetic lineage, going back many generations, is a better indicator of temperament than color.

Sisson explained that there are 29 recognized different coat colors for English cocker spaniels, and combinations other than golds mating with golds can result in a golden dog.

"It's the line breeding out of puppy mills in England that probably resulted in the dominant traits," Sisson said.

She added, "The very best and worst of my dogs have been spaniels. They seem to cover every behavioral extreme."

Pérez-Guisado and his colleagues next plan to study the English springer spaniel and English cocker spaniel genomes to pinpoint common genes associated with so-called dog "rage" and coloration.

What does the fur-type part say about Hershey and Copper? Is it accurate to them? Kind of silly, don't you think?

~Akira and Shiro

"A Special Canine for Special Owners," and other Shiba Quotes

Some amusing (and true) quotes from the Shiba Inu "Meet the Breed" article by Stephanie Horan in the December 2006 issue of Dog World:

• "Bold as a samurai warrior, fastidious as a cat, the 'little brushwood dog' is a special canine for special owners." (p. 22)
  
• "They are teddy bears with an attitude!"- quote from Lynda Birmantas within the article (p. 22)
• "almost a feral breed. Although they are handsome, they are not for the family with no rules as Shibas will quickly become the boss,"- Shiba owner and breeder Laura Perkinson describing the Shiba in the article (p. 26)
• "Jacey Holden of Lodi, Calif., President of the National Shiba Club of America and an owner of the breed for 17 years, is convinced that if a Shiba could talk, he would immediately say 'Mine.' 'Sharing is a concept,' says Holden, 'that he feels others should practice. Food, water, toys, sofa, car, owner. The whole world revolves around him!' " (p. 27)
• "They are intelligent, learning the first or second time you tell them, but on the tenth time they may have selective hearing if they do not want to do what you are asking,"- Diana Smiley (judge, author, and long-time Shiba breeder), describing the temprament of the Shiba (p. 27)
• "Shibas are well-known runners that will watch for the opportunity to take off at high speed to investigate every nook and cranny in the area, and they may be gone for days," (p. 27).
• (on Shiba sounds): "They are quite vocal with a 'yodel' that they use when demanding attention. They can also offer blood-curdling screams of portest if they are being asked to do something distasteful to them," (p. 27)... this scream is later described as an "Oscar-worthy" performance tactic.
• "They are well known for working off some of their energy doing what Birmantas calls the Shiba 500: 'That consists of them running around the house at top speed for about five minutes.' Holden adds that dogs take great delight in 'banking off the couch and spinning on the bed.' " (p. 29)
• "They think they are big," (p. 29)
• "if a cat runs, chances are a Shiba will chase it," (p. 29)
• "The Shiba has a softer, gentler side. He will climb into your lap and gaze into your eyes as if trying to see into the depths of your sould," (p. 29)
• Also described as being "amazingly intuitive," (p. 29)
• They are "exemplary examples of canine cuteness and also fiery little furballs from hell!" - Holden quote, (p. 30).

Hey! We resemble that last remark! We mean resent! No, that's not a Fruedian slip!!

~Akira and Shiro