This message is from: Gail Russell <g...@zeliga.com>
I am on a DogRead book that is discussing (with the author) a book called something like 101 Myths about Dogs. The author accessed all kinds of scientific studies (worldwide) about animals in order to write this book. One of her bigger topics is debunking the myths about dogs being dominance-fueled, and that we should follow all the behavioral stuff calling for Alpha Rolls, seeing the dog as a pack, Cesar Milan type behaviors....all are based on a profoundly incorrect and unscientific view of dog behavior. Currently we are discussing Dog-Aggessive dogs. In the course of the discussion, the author is pointing out that dog-dog aggression is HIGHLY heritable, and has its roots in a genetic inability for exercise impulse control. She says that, ONCE IT GETS IN A BREED, it is VERY hard to get out. She talks about "red cocker rage syndrome," which I presume was in the genetics of red cockers. She says that one in a hundred ***Golden Retrievers**** shows impulsive aggression by the time they are five. She says it is rooted in the fact that show winning sires end up siring large numbers of pups. Anything sound familiar here? Ruthie? Ruthie points out that the evaluation system, while helpful in some respects, tests the EXTERIOR of the animal, not the temperament. And, from what the person who wrote this book found in her extensive review of scientific behavior articles in dogs (of which there are probably many fewer about horses) that temperament, and particularly aggressiveness, is highly heritable. The author also points out that the lack of impulse control is related to the dog's inability to stop the signal that arises in the primitive part of the brain. She pointed out that aggression has its basic root cause in decreased impulse control.."which is the inability to run an upcoming impulse in the amygdala along the (pre-) frontal cortices to produce a controlled, socially and contextually appropriate response." In the horse world, the lack of impulse control would appear as spookiness, bolting, jumping sideways. So....if the heritability of temperament is similarly high in horses....we run a huge danger of wrecking the breed if we do not select for the calm Fjord temperament. By the way....regarding the other thing I harp on....clicker training has been shown (preliminarily) to be especially effective at short circuiting the automatic responses to signals coming out of the amygdale, according to Karen Pryor's new book. I cannot find the name of the dog book right now, but will try to find it again and post to the list. It appears to be a very interesting book, though not cheap. Gail Important FjordHorse List Links: Subscription Management: http://tinyurl.com/5msa7e FH-L Archives: http://tinyurl.com/rcepw Classified Ads: http://tinyurl.com/5b5g2f
