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

  • crime [she/her, any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Smh a lot of liberalism about pit bulls here. And let me preface this by saying I really really do not care for dogs at all. I've had bad experiences with peoples aggressive, untrained loose dogs, and even the best behaved sweetest dogs are gross and smelly.

    But that doesn't change the fact that pit bull bans are rooted in racism.

    • aaaaaaadjsf [he/him, comrade/them]
      ·
      2 years ago

      How has America become so fucked that dog breed bans become racist, Christ that country is cursed. Seriously, I'm reading that article all all I can think is "death to America"

      Big cities in China and Africa manage to do dog breed bans without being a bunch of racists, my word someone pls help the USA, the brainworms are too strong.