I think it is pretty common for us unwittingly to think all dogs are the same.
The logical consequence in dog behaviour terms is that if we feel that all dogs are the same we should be able to modify any undesired behaviours using the same techniques for every single dog.
I was working in a local park recently that felt like a Cockapoo-only area :), and it occurred to me that if many dogs physically look the same to us subliminally it becomes logical for us to believe that they will be the same in terms of personality and behaviour.
Many posts seen on social media are full of advice on dog behaviour based on assumptions of things like breed, age and sex and is generic, but the advice is given with no context at all to the actual dog in question and all the factors that impact it’s life and behaviour.
It is far easier to have one glove fit all in terms of behaviour modification…But…it is just not that simple.
Reality is that all dogs are no more the same than all humans are the same.
All dogs are given certain DNA by their parents and for dogs that are a specific breed it will very likely mean that they will genetically inherit certain breeds traits.
It might be coat colour, size, actual appearance and include breed specific behaviour traits. At first glance and on paper they are the same…but that simply allows for the nature-only side of their being.
Reality is that from even inside their mother’s wombs every dog can start to be different, especially psychologically from their parents and future siblings.
Take a cockapoo bred ethically & well and one bred in a puppy farm.
Their prenatal and newborn experiences will be so different, this nurturing will ensure already they are not the same as grow and learn.
Take pup siblings that stay together till around 8 weeks old, they will move onto hopefully forever homes with their guardians and each and every one will have and respond to their own specific experiences in their new lives.
Add into the mix a sibling pup from that family that has been abused or abandoned and passed from shelter to new homes…their nurture experience will be even more different as will their short and long term responses.
They will all experience their own responses to stimulus and consequential behaviour may well be different.
My point is every single dog is an individual, no two can be seen as exactly the same.
When it comes to behaviour modification what works with one may not work with another.
Looking at any type of behaviour modification it is key that we really understand & observe as much as possible about the dog, and it must be as holistic a view as possible to understand behaviour triggers and find force-free & ethical remediations that will work for that dog.
They may look the same, sound the same and share family…but just like us, they really are not!
