KC DOG BLOG

The science of ill-behaved small dogs (& how it may relate to behavior in large dogs)

There is a great article over at the blog "The Science Dog" that investigates the science behind the notion that small dogs are yippy, overly excitable, nippy and untrained brats.

As it turns out, owners of small and toy breeds have indeed found this to be true when compared to larger dogs.

The article is based on a large study of more than 1300 owners and measured the dog trait factors of "Obedience", "Aggressions/excitability" and "anxiety/Fearfulness". The dogs were broken into two categories -- they were "small" if they weighted less than 44 lbs and large if they weighed more than 44 lbs.

The results were significant, although not at all surprising.

Small dogs were reported by their owners to be significantly more excitable, anxious/fearful and aggressive than were larger dogs.

However, as also would be expected, it appears that the owners were an important contributing factor as to the creation of these undesireable behaviors.

Based on the research, there was a significant correlation (not proving causation, but strong correlation) that owners of small dogs were less likely to train their dogs, less likely to engage in play interaction and had less consistency in training interactions than the owners of larger dogs. 

It tends to lead one to believe that small dogs are often ill-behaved because owners are less likely to provide consistent training, interaction and play with their dogs than owners of larger dogs. This could be because owners are less likely to see aggressive behavior in small dogs as a threat or that the bad behavior is "cute", or because large dog owners are more likely to engage in activities such as hiking, running, frisbee, regular walks, etc.

Also of note (and I know I'm opening a can of worms here), but there is also differences between training methods used.

Probably not surprisingly, owners of small dogs were found to use punishment less frequently than large dog owners. However, it's important to note that frequent use of punishment during training was strongly correlated with aggressive behavior in both small and large dogs.

However, greater reliance on punishment during training was also associated with greater anxiety/fear in small dogs, but NOT in large dogs.

Again, there is probably nothing here that would likely surprise most of my readers. Trainers, behaviorists and experts for years have been preaching the importance of owner behavior and the importance of training on dog behavior. While often these conversations happen in the context of dog bite incidents and aggressive behavior, it should be noted that this is also an issue for small dogs and that as a whole, we need to put greater emphasis on teaching responsible dog ownership -- regardless of what type of dog people choose to have. 

Because whether the dogs are large, or small, the impact on the owner's training (or lack of training) is a major influencer on the behavior of the individual dog. Which is why when we talk about canine behavior, we must look at dogs as individuals who have been formed not only by their genetics (among and within breeds) but also by their life experiences and the owners that trained them.

H/T: The Science Dog

Utah becomes the 19th state to prohibit laws targeting specific breeds of dogs

It's official, today, the Utah Governor signed their law which now prohibits any city or municipality from instituting any type of law or policy targeting specific breeds of dogs.

The signing of the bill joins them with South Dakota as two states that have passed such laws in this legislative session.  Utah is now the 19th state to prohibit laws targeting specific breeds, joining South Daktoa, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Nevada, Connecticut, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Minnesota, Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Illinois, Colorado, California and South Carolina with similar laws. 

Meanwhile, Missouri HB 1116/SB 865 is a nearly identical bill that has been passed out of committee in both houses and now await a hearing on the main floor of the council. Missouri has a chance to join these other progressive states in forcing communities to deal with dangerous dogs based on the behavior of the dogs, not breeds. Expert opinion overwhelmingly supports breed-neutral solutions to dangerous dog laws -- now nearly 1/2 of all US states do to.

Congrats to the state of Utah.

New KCPP Playgroup Video

Here is a (relatively) new video once again featuring our playgroup program at KCPP. I really think the 5 minute video is great at showing the staff at KCPP and how playgroups help the dogs at the shelter, as well as help our staff to better match dogs with adopters.

I can't over state the importance that playgroups have had at our shelter. Our shelter is a very tough environment for dogs (as are a lot of shelters) and the playgroups give the dogs the ability to socialize with other dogs, burn off excess energy, and challenge them mentally in their interactions with other dogs. This is no easy task at a shelter that gets 15 new dogs every single day that must eventually be worked into the groups -- and with each dog spending only an average of 9 days as a part of the groups due to adoption or transfer -- it forces our team to adapt new dogs into the program quickly, efficiently and safely.

Playgroups are a program that are now being implemented my many of the leading shelters across the country, and I'm proud of the KCPP team for being a part of this group of shelters. I hope you enjoy the video.

KCPP Opens Second satellite adoption location

When you read information from different people about how to increase adoptions, one of the first things that people will say is to do off-site adoptions.

While, generally I agree with doing off-site adoptions (because, more adoptions are almost always better), we have struggled to move a high volume of adoptable animals at off-site events.

However, the basic notion of off site adoptions is to take the animals TO the people, not just make people come to you.

One route that we've found extremely beneficial is by making a permanent off-site location by opening a permanent satellite adoption center at the Zona Rosa shopping center. In 2013, this 2,000 square foot adoption center handled more than 1600 adoptions for KC Pet Project. 

Well, the news has gotten even better. Over the weekend, KC Pet Project opened its SECOND retail adoption center -- this time as a full-sized adoption center inside a Petco Store. I couldn't be happier about this new location. First of all, the space is amazing, and at 2,000 square fee and offers plenty of housing for cats & dogs, a meet and greet area, and an indoor play area.  I really want to thank Petco for this amazing space. This is a fairly new concept for Petco, I think there are still less than 10 of these locations inside stores, but they are great.  I also think they will be mutually beneficial as I think not only will the adoption center increase exposure for our adoptables, but I think we will help drive traffic to their store as well.

We had a great opening weekend -- with nearly 20 pets being adopted in the first 2 days we were open.  And I'm hopeful that the early success will translate into even more forever homes being found for the animals of KCPP. 

And here's a short video that was also shot at our new location.

Also, the news stations made it out -- and here is a great report from Fox 4 KC that covered our grand opening (thanks Fox 4!).

This is a great opportunity for us, and one that I highly recommend for anyone looking to adopt out more animals from their shelter. A special thanks to Petco for making it possible.