I have this friend...

[SpringerLover]

She writes kind of amazing things using the words I can't ever find, so I just share what she writes sometimes.

This one is particularly amazing.

http://paws4udogs.wordpress.com/2012...theyre-raised/

This applies to so many things! So many things!

Anyways, enjoy!

[JustaLilBitaLuck]

Totally just shared this on Facebook! Awesome-ness.

[meepitsmeagan]

Awesome article!

This is what I love about reputable breeders. You should always be able to meet and/or be able to speak openly about parents and be confident that they are breeding for a stable temperament. Obviously, as the article said, this isn't foolproof, but it sure helps!

Sadly, I'm pretty sure Rider is genetically a neurotic mess.

[Doberluv]

Good article. That is so true. I hear that a lot..."it's all in how you raise them." I've known for a long time that it's nurture and nature. Definitely. My son's dog was terribly abused as a puppy but with good handling, she is a confident, stable, lovely dog. She could have turned out much differently if she had a weak, unstable temperament.

[Doberluv]

Good article. That is so true. I hear that a lot..."it's all in how you raise them." I've known for a long time that it's nurture and nature. Definitely. My son's dog was terribly abused as a puppy but with good handling, she is a confident, stable, lovely dog. She could have turned out much differently if she had a weak, unstable temperament.

[milos_mommy]

Great article!

[Toller_08]

Great article!

I hate hearing "it's all in how you raise them". I'm sure we all get it at times as dog owners, but owning Dobermans I seem to hear it a lot. And I really disagree with that saying. It's true, a lot of it is how they're raised, but definitely not all of it.

I've also had the experience of an adopted rescue dog raised with us from a young age (4ish months), and born in a foster home, and I can say with 1000% certainty that genetics were the cause of her temperament. She was a bag of nerves and one would think that she'd been raised horribly, but she wasn't. She grew up to be very fear aggressive, skittish of any out of the ordinary dog/person/sound/whatever, would run and pace the yard shaking and trembling with fear, etc. It was horrible to watch, and really sad and disheartening, because we do not raise our dogs in such a way that should result in that kind of behaviour. Genetics play such a huge role in a dog's temperament, and sometimes no matter how hard you try to raise them just right, bad genes will win over. Some dogs really do just draw the short straw in the genetics deparment.

I also know a dog who was born into and grew up in terrible conditions. It was basically survival of the fittest. He scavenged and lived outside for the first year and a bit of his life, had no home, no human contact, etc. You'd think he'd be a super fearful, nervous dog, perhaps with resource guarding tendences among a plethora of other things, and yet, this dog is by far and wide the most stable, nicest dog I've ever been around. He loves everyone, is incredibly gentle, really relaxed and calm in any situation, etc. He's truly perfect. His owner says he came that way. Aside from having to housebreak him, and teach him basic manners and tricks, his owner really did nothing to bring that temperament out. This dog is just that nice, all on his own.

[spiffy]

Great article...one that should be read by all dog owners and potential dog owners. Kudos to the writer.

[SaraB]

Love her blog and loved this post!

[porchpotty]

This is amazing! I'm going to tweet this!