Link to the paper in Science: Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes.
Environment and socialization remain the largest determining factor.
Unsurprisingly, most stereotypes about dog breeds are pseudoscience that come from the eugenics movement. In particular, “popular knowledge” around pitbulls and bulldogs is just thinly veiled racism.
interview on the study from the verge: https://www.theverge.com/2022/4/28/23043508/dog-breed-behavior-genetics-study-stereotypes
The research did find some genes associated with traits like human sociability and howling frequency. But overall, only around 9 percent of dog behavior was explained by breed.
“Dogs are individuals,” said Marjie Alonso, a study author and executive director of the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. “What a dog looks like is not really going to tell you what the dog acts like.”
Edit: modern “purebred” breeding literally came from eugenicists, that’s why this old political cartoon even exists. Documentary on pedigree dogs and their many issues: https://vimeo.com/166015460
:morshupls:
The bazinga is off the charts in this one.
look up the history of where the dog breeds you care so much about came from :)
the study speaks to this. it is present, but extremely limited. clearest example was hounds barking more and border collies being a bit more proficient at learning commands.
You posted a science article to c/science. It's not "bazinga" to criticize shitty (or in this case, poorly messaged) scientific research in a science comm.
You and I both know that the main use of this study in discourse will be over pitbulls, whether they exhibit breed specific aggression and attack behavior (latching, etc.), and whether they overall pose a danger to own as a pet.
Interesting you shift to pitbulls. That topic has been covered in other threads. Pitbulls are fine and the fear around them is largely based in racism.
example on how connected "dog breeds" and eugenics are:
https://terriermandotcom.blogspot.com/2008/12/eugenics-man-at-kennel-club.html
I didn't shift. I just fully understand that there's exactly one breed over which breed characteristics is a hot button issue, and so I'm just anticipating the discursive application of these results.
Whether or not eugenicists were involved in early dog breeding (which, if you look at breeds like German shepherds or pugs, is obviously evil) has no relevance whatsoever on the existence of dog breed behavioral characteristics.
The only people I've known with poorly socialized pitbulls have been white rednecks bragging about how their huntin pit needed a train chain to be kept away from other dogs at home. The only ones with well socialized pits who I still saw maul a kid were white suburban people. The danger from pitbulls is empirical, and trying to paint your opponents as bigoted is a despicable exploitation of racial tension for rhetorical purpose. And one that's totally unnecessary given that the data is right there.
This seems like an American or western specific issue, 52 countries worldwide have dog breed specific bans/laws, and even more counties have further restrictions. Countries outside of the west can implement bans on dog breeds without being racist. It seems that the west has become so mind fucked that they try to ban dog breeds mostly owned by minority groups and/or POC in an attempt to do segregation. Which is just something else. Sounds similar to how voter ID laws are actually racist in the US because of the way the system is.
I know that Shanghai and Beijing ban most large dog breeds, including pitbulls. I know certain cities in sub Saharan Africa, like Gaborone, ban what they think are dangerous dogs. Then there's countries like Tunisia that straight up have country wide bans on dogs like pit bulls and boerboels. I don't think these areas have pit bull bans for racist reasons.
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"bUt tHeY aRe sO pReCiOuS" -- people on this fucking website even
Stop comparing people to animals FFS.
I'm at the point of begging. This whole thing depresses the fuck out of me. This is what - the second time we've had this same struggle session? Third? There's no traction to be found here, its just grinding metal long after the gear has been sheared off the drive shaft.
Like in different cultures people won't be taken kindly to being compared to a dog. I had a friend that nicknamed all the local dogs, both street dogs and those owned by someone, after dictators lol. He'd be like "oh there's Idi Amin" or "there's Hendrik Verwoerd". It was pretty funny, but it clearly showed that he didn't view dogs as pets.
Though I also have many friends that love dogs as well so...
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I am literally not doing that. The concept of dog breeds and kennel clubs comes out of the eugenics movement.
https://time.com/4672972/the-dark-origins-of-dog-breeding/
So you say there is a correlation between genes and behavior?
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abk0639