Current Events > Dog behavior is a product of their genes: Dog Genome Project revealed

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https://www.shutterbulky.com/dog-behavior/

From the excitable sheep dog to the aloof Shiba Inu, and all breeds in between, dogs have unique and diverse behavioral traits. By analyzing DNA samples from over 200 dog breeds along with nearly 50,000 pet-owner surveys, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have pinpointed many of the genes associated with the behaviors of specific dog breeds. Their work appears December 8th in the journal Cell.

The largest, most successful genetic experiment that humans have ever done is the creation of 350 dog breeds, says senior author Elaine Ostrander, founder of the Dog Genome Project at the National Human Genome Research Institute. We needed dogs to herd, we needed them to guard, we needed them to help us hunt, and our survival was intimately dependent on that.

Identification of the genes behind dog behavior has historically been challenging, says first author Emily Dutrow, postdoctoral fellow at the National Human Genome Research Institute. The inherent complexity of canine population dynamics features varying degrees of selective pressure for aesthetic and morphological traits, some of which may be linked to behavioral traits, so pinpointing the genetics of canine behavior can be complicated.

Kennel clubs generally categorize dog breeds on the basis of the jobs they are best suited for. To find the genetic drivers of the behavioral tendencies that make dogs good at specific tasks, the researchers gathered whole-genome data from over 4,000 purebred, mixed-breed, and semi-feral dogs, as well as wild canids.

By applying computational tools originally developed for studying single cells rather than whole organisms, Dutrow and team identified 10 major genetic lineages among hundreds of dog breeds, solely on the basis of DNA data. The researchers found that each lineage corresponded to a specific category of breeds historically used for tasks such as hunting by scent versus sight or herding versus protecting livestock, indicating that common sets of genes were responsible for behaviors among dog breeds well suited for similar tasks.

To understand the nature of these behaviors, the researchers turned to individual dog experts: pet owners. Using 46,000 behavioral assessment surveys sent to owners of purebred dogs, the researchers identified unique sets of behavioral tendencies among the 10 lineages of dogs. For example, behaviors associated with increased prey drive were associated with the terrier lineage, which contains breeds historically used for catching and killing prey.

pibbles are unique, they have no genetic sort of pre-disposition. they are pure and clean. perfect clay to be molded by their patrician masters

Can we all agree now it's not just all about how you raise them?

Nobody said that,

Okay but how will this board cope when the behavioral assessment surveys don't show increased aggression in pitbulls?

An important finding was Pit Bull-type dogs in our community sample, as a group, were not more aggressive or likely to have a behavioral diagnosis than other dogs.

Anyway, genetic testing of dog breeds to explain and predict behavior isn't a new thing. There was even a different study published earlier this year

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8819838/

Anyone who doesn't believe in dog genetics is in denial. Dogs all are about genetics towards different tasks

All dogs started as wolves. For all human history, we messed with their breeding to get different kinds of dogs to help us. Every breed is from a specific breeding project to create a dog that is good at a certain thing

An important finding was Pit Bull-type dogs in our community sample, as a group, were not more aggressive or likely to have a behavioral diagnosis than other dogs.

I dont know. I think pit bulls probably are genetically inclined for aggression . It's the reason they were bred

I dont know. I think pit bulls probably are genetically inclined for aggression . It's the reason they were bred

There's a study right there that states they're not genetically inclined for aggression.

Well maybe I don't agree with the study then. I have understood all my life that dogs are controlled by their genes

Can we all agree now it's not just all about how you raise them?

Well maybe I don't agree with the study then. I have understood all my life that dogs are controlled by their genes

Nobody said that

An important finding was Pit Bull-type dogs in our community sample, as a group, were not more aggressive or likely to have a behavioral diagnosis than other dogs.

We've been over this many times. Yes there are dogs like Chihuahuas that are more aggressive. The difference is what happens during an attack.

pibbles are unique, they have no genetic sort of pre-disposition. they are pure and clean. perfect clay to be molded by their patrician masters

"It doesn't prove anything because it doesn't support my ignorant beliefs"

that is not true. Pibbles have a genetic predisposition to be nanny dogs, the sweetest dogs you will ever meet, that will lick you to death and wear flower tiaras and stuff. Pibble moms in Facebook told me

but it does prove something when it supports yours, lol. go figure

i really don't need to hear shit from you after you decided you'd rather personally insult me over this instead of, you know, talking like an adult. if you want to be heard and taken seriously, maybe you should think about that before flapping off at the mouth like a little kid in every one of these threads because the kind of dog you own has a bad reputation and you feel attacked by it

i mean attacked by the reputation, not the dog, lol. let's hope for your sake it stays that way, huh

There's literally no study that supports your stance.

it's not proof of anything except their community's sample they studied didn't display aggressive traits. what kind of pits were they? purebred from a clean pedigree? i have a feeling they aren't having the pitbulls you see on the news being volunteered for this study. get some of the backyard inbred ones, or the fighting stock, and see what their genetics have to say.

i've never said all pitbulls are bad, (apab, lol) but there's a very large chunk of the breed's living population that's treated like trash, bred in worse and worse conditions, end up fucked up and shoveled off into a dumpster, or used as fighting/bait dogs, or sold off in triplicate to trashy owners that leave them chained up all the time. those are the pits that are being bred the most, so let's get a study on the ones the worst affected instead of cherry picking "good" ones and saying "see, they aren't bad lalala i can't hear you"

Dog owners residing anywhere in the US were recruited to participate through public announcements. One was targeted to behaviorally diagnosed dog patients at the Behavioral Clinic in the Veterinary Medical Center at The Ohio State University (OSU). Due to regulatory restrictions, their medical records were not used here. Internal announcements to general staff and students were made at Nationwide Childrens Hospital, the Animal Sciences Department at OSU and the Blue Buffalo Clinical Trial Office, Veterinary Medical Center at OSU. Participants were encouraged to invite other dog owners and to submit samples from multiple dogs in their household.

you might say to that: "well of course a line of inbred, mistreated dogs will have problems, that's not a pitbull-exclusive thing"

and you're right, but as even the defenders have admitted, pitbulls are cheap, very numerous, and easy to get. pitbulls are the breed this occurs with the most, and until people want to hold breeders accountable for what they've done to this kind of dog for generations and generations, no large scale positive change is ever going to be made.

Yes they synergize well with babies