The influence of living conditions on the character of a dog

Man tamed the dog a long time ago. Researchers believe that the entire canine genus came from wolves, which were domesticated by people living somewhere in China about 15 thousand years ago. It was there that people managed to breed wolves without aggressiveness. Perhaps these she-wolves lived in the same pack.

In a study conducted in the USA, the habits of dogs were studied. The results of the experiments were unexpected. Thus, when comparing the habits of dogs with the habits of their closest relatives - wolves, it turned out that dogs, including puppies, understand humans better.

The dogs participating in the experiment were asked to find under which bucket the food was hidden. Moreover, the experiment was designed in such a way that the dogs could not use their sense of smell, but the scientists “helped” them by looking or pointing at the desired bucket.

In this experiment, not only adult dogs, but also puppies easily “outperformed” the other participants and this is proof that these skills are innate and not acquired.

Dogs of any age follow the human gaze, running to hidden food when they are pointed to this place with a finger, even if they do not have long experience of communicating with people. Without training, neither apes, nor even wolves can do this. And they learn with difficulty.

Other scientists believe that it was not man who tamed the dog, but that it tamed itself or even tamed man to itself. The dog's ancestors were wolves, who for some reason left the pack and moved closer to human habitation. Those who wanted to survive had to learn not only not to attack people, but also to win their trust and sympathy.

Over thousands of years, the ability to understand human body language and facial expressions has become stronger in dogs. Observing my dogs, I became convinced that dogs are indeed capable of acting following a human gesture or gaze. Since our Tima (Shih Tzu) is older, he eats earlier. Having put the food in a bowl, I go into the room and call Tima with a gesture, Grisha (Doberman) at this time sits and looks intently into my eyes, waiting for permission. If you break the order while eating, there will definitely be a small quarrel between the dogs.

The role of a dog in a person’s life

Hungarian scientists conducted an interesting experiment: immediately after birth, they selected 13 small wolf cubs and 12 dog puppies, still blind. Women looked after them for several weeks: fed, watered, and warmed them. They were the first living things the puppies and wolf cubs saw. Then the baby animals were placed one by one on a long table, at the ends of which stood one of the foster mothers and a shepherd dog. They began to crawl: wolf cubs - always to the shepherd, puppies - only to women.

In a human family, a dog knows how to take the place of the youngest member of the family, a kind of child.

Puppy games are much more interesting than wolf games. And, unlike a wolf, a dog loves to play, even an adult remains curious and loves to learn new things. The main thing when teaching a new trick or action is to make learning enjoyable. So we taught Grisha to ride me on a sled. At first they simply harnessed him to a sled, and he drove it. And only when he got used to it, then I sat down.

To this day, dogs are indispensable assistants in protecting warehouses, houses, and territories. They provide great assistance during grazing, especially sheep flocks, in protecting domestic animals from predators. Dogs can detect gas leaks in underground gas pipelines, saving us from big troubles. Dogs have proven themselves well as guides for the blind.

The role of dogs in scientific research is great. All northern expeditions in the last century were equipped with sled dogs. And even today, in the difficult conditions of the polar climate, sled dogs have not lost their importance.

It is impossible to overestimate the help of dogs during the Great Patriotic War. Service dogs were used to search for and remove wounded soldiers from the battlefield, transporting weapons, ammunition and food to the front line. Dogs played a special role in detecting mines, and several dogs sacrificed their lives when clearing mines from roads, cities, and villages. The dog did not care who we were - English, Russian, American, German or French, it simply faithfully and fearlessly served warlike humanity.

The dog also played a role in space exploration. The names of Strelka and Belka, the first dogs to be in space, are already known to preschool children.

Dogs - “St. Bernards” have long been helpful in detecting people buried in an avalanche in the mountains. Shepherds help guard the border. The Diver dog breed is one of the few breeds that can dive and save people in trouble. "Spaniels" are looking for prohibited substances at customs.

A dog is able, by some noticeable signs alone, to determine that its owner, who has epilepsy or a heart condition, will soon have a seizure, and gives a signal to the owner so that he has time to take the medicine: they bark or gently press with their teeth palm. It is not possible to specifically teach a dog this.

“Shih Tzu” - the favorite of Chinese emperors

When Tima, a dog of the rare breed “Shih Tzu,” appeared in our house, I knew nothing about this breed, and my mother and I bought a book about dogs of this breed. From this book I learned that there are paintings depicting dogs - chrysanthemums, painted in the 6th century AD. During the reign of the TANG dynasty, KIUTAI, the ruler gave a pair of dogs to the Chinese court. They are the ones depicted in the paintings. This was the first mention of the breed. Another mention of this breed is found in documents of the 9th century, when the people of XO - CHU gave them as tribute.

Another version of the appearance of “Shih Tzu” in China is documented in the mid-17th century, when dogs were brought from Tibet to China. The dogs were bred in Beijing, which is prohibited for foreigners to enter. A large number of drawings of “Shih Tzu” are preserved in the “Imperial Book of Dogs”. The smallest of the dogs depicted looked like a lion, “Shih Tzu” and means “lion”. Dogs for the imperial court were chosen very carefully. It is from them that the modern “Shih Tzu” originated. They are often called “chrysanthemum dogs” because the hair on the Shih Tzu’s face grows in all directions.

“Shih Tzus” are smart and extremely obedient small dogs. It is known that their breeding was carried out by special imperial servants, who competed with each other to produce dogs that the emperor would like. Dogs that won the love of the ruler were given the honor of being depicted in paintings or tapestries, and dog breeders received support from the emperor.

It is also known that “Shih Tzu” remained pets of the imperial family for a very long time, but during the revolution, most of the dogs were destroyed, and only a few escaped the knives of the rebels. In 1934, the Beijing Shih Tzu Club was organized, and in 1938 a breed standard was developed

The first dogs from China arrived in England in 1930. At first the breed was called “Mhasa Axo” and later it was divided into “Axo” and “Shih Tzu”.

From England, this breed came to Scandinavia and other European countries. During World War II, Americans became acquainted with this breed and after the war they brought several of these dogs to the United States.

This cheerful and charming dog has won the hearts of dog breeders in Russia.

When I saw Tim, I immediately fell in love with him for his cheerful character and his toy-like appearance. The people from whom we adopted the dog told us about the characteristics of this breed, that “Shih Tzu” are kept at home, have ponytails on their heads every day, and a walk is a very rare event for them.

From the first day in the new house, Timochka was quiet, afraid of new people, hid in a dark house, never whined or barked, he was a very pampered dog, although he was already 7 months old.

During his first walk, he was frightened by sharp sounds, birds, people, that is, everything that we no longer notice. At such moments, Tim would tuck his tail between his legs and try to hide, hugging his legs. It took a long time before our dog stopped being afraid of everything, became a bully, learned to bite and bark. And it happened like this: a small Doberman puppy appeared in our family.

Doberman - a faithful guard and watchman

Dobermans are not at all similar to “Shih Tzu” either in appearance or behavior. Therefore, we had to study a new breed - Doberman. I took a book about them. From it, my mother and I learned a lot of interesting things about this breed.

The man who bred this breed was called Mr. Doberman (the new breed was named after him). Mr. Dauberman lived in 19th century Germany and served as a tax collector and transported large sums of money. A faithful guard was needed to accompany him - a brave and courageous dog.

Doberman took his first dogs from a shelter for homeless dogs. The ideal that this man strove for was a dog - a faithful friend, a devoted watchman, a brave defender, not afraid of shots and blows. What dogs were used to create the breed? Experts believe that these are the ancestors of the Old German Pinscher, a herding dog such as shepherds, the ancestors of the Rottweiler and, finally, hunting dogs such as pointers.

If we talk about the abilities of the Doberman, then this is an amazingly quick-witted and intelligent dog, and their sense of smell is such that thanks to it, the Doberman was included in the Guinness Book of Records.

In Russia, the Doberman Tref brought fame to the breed; he served in the police and discovered three murderers 115 kilometers from the crime scene.

This breed gained fame and love from people all over the world, and even the war could not stop it.

During the war years, the Doberman Pinscher was “the servant of all military gentlemen” and fought selflessly and fearlessly on all fronts. He was assigned many different roles: he was a scout, a liaison officer, a sapper, a demolition worker, and even a paratrooper. Several weeks of training transformed Dobermans from pets into sentries, scouts, messengers and attack dogs. The dogs were highly intelligent and would attack only on command given by voice, whistle or even touch. But these same dogs could live peacefully with the soldiers they served. It was believed that each Doberman who sacrificed his life saved 10 human lives.

In 1949, the Doborman Pinscher was renamed the Dobermann. In 1971, the Soviet Doberman ceased to be officially considered a service breed. The Doberman became a companion dog (friend). His appearance also changed, he became elegant, gentle, lean.

Grisha appeared in our family unexpectedly. We didn't plan to buy another dog. Family friends asked us to help them choose a Doberman puppy. We all went together to pick up a puppy.

We were amazed by the conditions in which the puppies were kept. They were locked in a dark barn, without light, whining loudly and asking for their mother. One puppy especially attracted our attention because he was sitting alone in the corner and looking at us with sad eyes. When we called him, he came up and licked my hand. I realized that this puppy is my puppy. It didn't take long to convince the parents. This is how Grisha appeared in our family.

At first we had to replace Grisha’s mother, he was only a month and a half old. We got up to see the puppy at night when he was whining, fed him six times a day, and wiped up the puddles. Many months passed before the puppy grew into a beautiful adult dog. But Grisha still doesn’t like the dark and closed doors.

The influence of changed conditions on the character of the dog

A dog raised among people and a dog raised among dogs are completely different animals. The dog, in the first case, understands everything around him from a humanized point of view, the dog in the second case, also understands everything like a dog, a member of a pack of the same animals.

When a puppy appeared in a family that already had an adult lap dog, the character of the “Shih Tzu” changed greatly in unexpected ways. “Shi-Tzu” began to raise a Doberman. Tim was larger than a Doberman puppy and felt grown up and strong. Grisha, who missed his mother, brothers and sister, began to obey his teacher unquestioningly. So the small lap dog began to develop a completely different character. During walks, grown-up Grisha and Tim always walked together. Seeing a dog, no matter large or small, our “Shih Tzu” bravely rushes at it. If the dog runs away, Tima chases it very far, but if the dog rushes at our bully, he turns sharply and runs under the protection of Grisha. As soon as our little impudent dog runs to another dog, everything in the world ceases to exist for Grisha. He sits up straight, freezes and looks at what is happening. And if Tim runs towards us, Grisha begins to growl and bark menacingly, raising the fur on the back of his neck. With all his appearance he tries to show that it is better for a strange dog not to offend little Timochka. But this is just one of many examples of the relationships between our dogs. You can also note an unusual example in the interaction of my dogs. When the dogs want to eat, Grisha, who freely reaches the table with his muzzle, steals a tasty morsel first for Tim, and then for himself.

At the dacha, our “Shih Tzu” learned from Grisha how to “snack” people passing by. This action is completely unusual for dogs of this breed.

I had a guess about Tima’s behavior. I noticed that dogs who see themselves in the mirror for the first time do not realize that it is their reflection. I conducted the following experiment: I took a large mirror and brought the dogs to it one by one. Their behavior showed that they perceived their reflection as the sight of other people's dogs. Our dogs growled, barked, attacked the reflection, i.e. tried to drive out the “strangers” from their territory.

This means that Tim, (“Shih Tzu”), constantly seeing Grisha (Doberman), may well consider himself the same “Doberman”, only a little smaller.

So, having become an older dog, our Tim changed his character. From a small, quiet, timid lap dog, we got a small, but very brave, freedom-loving dog, with its own obstinate character, with its own concept of order in their small dog pack, as well as its place in the human family. Busy raising a Doberman, Tim tried to “educate” me too. When I was running around the room, Tim would run up and slightly bite my leg. With this he tried to calm me down.

Grisha, raised by Tima, fully recognizes the authority of the older, albeit smaller, dog. If Tim gets angry, he can quite strongly bite Grisha, who is several times larger than the “Shih Tzu”. Grisha, who could easily tear Tima into small pieces, never allows himself anything like that. The Doberman just lies down on the floor and shows his obedience with all his appearance, and if the “Shih Tzu” tosses Grisha very much, then Grisha presses the loose dog to the floor with his paws and holds it for some time. This is the most he can afford.

Even the appearance of our Tima has changed. Tim began to take his ponytails off his head, he didn’t want to wear them, he got angry when we did them for him again and again. And mom had to cut his bangs. Now the dog has the appearance of a small shaggy “watchdog.”

Despite the external differences, our dogs have one common quality - they love people who have become family for them, their protectors, and breadwinners. The main thing for dogs is peace and quiet in the family. If Mom or Dad and I start playing noisy games, our dogs begin to get nervous, not understanding what is happening and who is “offending” whom. Grisha begins to whine so pitifully, as if he were asking “not to offend” me, and Tima brings his favorite toy (ball) and slips it right into his hands. The dogs will spin and get under our feet until we calm down, until there is silence. But this is how they behave if I only play with my parents. At the same time, when I frolic and play noisily by myself, they do not react at all. From this I can conclude that during crowded games they protect the weaker family member.

Is a dog a servant to man or a friend?

Of course, people bred these dog breeds for different purposes: one for the protection and protection of human property, the other for beauty. But under the influence of changing living conditions, their character changed, they became, first of all, family members. And dogs are happy when they are loved, and sad if they themselves are lost or lose their owner. If you look at a dog when the whole family is at home, around it, you can see that the dog is happy.

Not only the dog must understand the owner, but the owner must also love and understand it correctly, i.e. "think like a dog." Dogs are very good at reading people. They know exactly who they can and should obey, and who they can try to subjugate.

So our dogs obey mom and dad unquestioningly, Grisha obeys me, but Tim is not very obedient, and the dogs have long been forcing their grandmother to do what they want. Our Grisha, calmly going down the stairs, with his mother for a walk, with his grandmother, is carried away like a whirlwind.

To understand a dog correctly is to learn to perceive all the phenomena of life the way a dog perceives them. You also need to learn to understand all her actions from a dog’s point of view, and not from your own human point of view. I realized that a dog does not have a sense of guilt or rightness (like a person), it does not understand the meaning of the words: “command”, “obey”...

A dog's senses and abilities are much better and stronger than those of humans (sense, hearing). If we want to get some action from the dog, then we need to make sure that the dog’s behavior, which is “wrong” from our point of view, evokes unpleasant memories in it. So, for example, if a person sees that a dog wants to steal a piece from the table, then he must throw, unnoticed by the dog, a rattling iron chain nearby. The dog will get scared and rush to the protection of the person, and dragging it off the table will be associated with unpleasant memories for it.

The dog descended from the wolf and inherited from it the property of willingly obeying the strongest. Most dogs obey humans. And the sooner a person begins to raise a dog, the more results in training can be achieved without turning the animal into a frightened creature. The dog must remain cheerful, active, love its owner and not be afraid of him, and find pleasure and joy in communicating with a person. Unfortunately, in most cases, puppies, these small helpless creatures, at a very tender age see little affection, care and attention. A puppy that has just been taken away from its mother is terribly unhappy; most of all it needs warmth, affection, proper nutrition, and rest. If such a baby is tied in the corner of a barn or in a booth, then at four months it will be difficult to teach him to love his owner. Therefore, you cannot lock a puppy alone somewhere and let him squeal. You need to pet him more, work with him, sometimes lie down on the floor with him, which is what puppies love most, then they immediately come up, lie down and cuddle with their whole bodies.

Obedience and trust in the owner are easier to achieve when the owner becomes everything for the puppy: his educator, his breadwinner, his playmate.

These rules are suitable for puppies of all breeds, regardless of the purpose for which the dogs were bred. If you don’t torture, offend, or poison puppies, they will grow into loyal and loving dogs. A dog will not show all its capabilities without close communication with a person from a very early age. And the child needs to communicate with animals, and especially with a dog, which gives him his loyalty and teaches him to think and care about another living creature.

Researchers confirm that the good influence of a dog is quite measurable: out of 39 randomly selected patients who suffered a heart attack and did not have pets at home, 11 died within a year, and out of 53 similar patients who had a dog or cat at home, only 3 .

A person walking his dog spends at least 15 days a year outside and, thanks to this conditioning, will get sick less. My mother noticed that by walking with the dogs, I began to get colds less often.