HEKMAN, DVM, PhD, postdoctoral associate at the Karlsson Lab, MIT, and writer at The Dog Zombie blog
ANIMAL WELFARE AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
NO ONE WANTS to see Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, and Pugs disappear; they are lovely breeds with great personalities. But they should not have to suffer for their looks, and something needs to be done to improve the health of these breeds. Getting a dog is often a spur-of-the-moment decision and so people do not consider health. Research published in PLOS ONE looked at how the health of a breed plays into people’s decisions to get a dog.9 Four breeds took part in the study. Cairn Terriers were chosen because they are generally healthy, French Bulldogs and Chihuahuas because they tend to have health problems related to how they look, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels because they tend to have health problems not related to how they look.
A survey of owners of these breeds found some of the problems were quite severe. For example, 29 percent of the French Bulldogs had had a sudden illness or injury in the previous year, and 33 percent of the Chihuahuas had had dental problems.
So why do people choose to get these kinds of dogs? Twelve percent of Cavalier King Charles Spaniel owners and 28 percent of Chihuahua owners said, “There wasn’t really any planning” in the decision to get a dog. The personality of the dog, its appearance, breed attributes, and convenience were all factors given as part of people’s decision. Owners of French Bulldogs, Chihuahuas, and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels often chose those breeds because of the dog’s perceived cuteness, baby-like features, and fashion. In addition, people who were motivated by the distinctive appearance of the breed and by breed attributes were very attached to their dog. These results show people are not really taking the health of the breed into account. The scientists think this is because the emotional connection people have with a dog as a result of the looks can make a breed feel irresistible.
“CURRENTLY, dogs are bred to meet human ideas of cuteness, with flattened noses, bulgy eyes, short legs . . . Often these physical features cause ill health and suffering, such as the difficulties brachycephalic dogs have with breathing (who doesn’t know a snorting, snuffling Bulldog?), with many other examples too. Meanwhile pedigree dogs are also, by definition, inbred from a small pool of animals of the same breed, and this directly causes an increased incidence in some illnesses (such as cancer in Flat Coated Retrievers). If humans stopped worrying so much about the cute appearance and ‘breed pureness’ of puppies, the resulting canine population would be healthier, and the dogs would be happier too.”
— PETE WEDDERBURN, BVM&S, CertVR, MRCVS, veterinarian, newspaper columnist, and author of Pet Subjects: Animal Tales from the Telegraph’s Resident Vet
Dr. Rowena Packer of the Royal Veterinary College in the UK has studied people’s perceptions of brachycephalic breeds and the reasons why people choose these or other breeds of dog. In one study, she found that although many owners of brachycephalic breeds report their dogs wheezing, snorting, and snoring, more than half said their dog did not have breathing difficulties, which suggests people think these behaviors are “normal for the breed” (and also that some dogs are not getting needed veterinary treatment for these issues).10 In subsequent research, she found that the kind of person who gets a brachycephalic breed is more likely to be a first-time dog owner than those who choose other breeds.11 As well, those who chose a brachycephalic dog were more likely than those who picked other breeds to have used a puppy-selling website, and less likely to have seen the puppy’s mom or asked about health checks.
“What came out of this analysis,” said Packer, “is that owners of brachycephalic dogs were putting appearance as their number 1 influence as to why they were drawn to those animals. And I guess the concerning thing from a welfare point of view is that they were putting their dogs—that breed’s health or that breed’s longevity—as a lower priority.”
“It was still a relatively low amount of people that said that they regretted their decision.” What is interesting, said Packer, is that “A lot of people can’t separate out the love of their individual animals from the behaviors that went into buying them. And I think we see that a lot with animals with chronic disease, that owners will say they would do it again and don’t regret it despite the fact the animal is very poorly, because they love their pet.” If they did have problems, they were likely to blame the breeder.
I asked Packer what people should do if they have a brachycephalic breed. She said, “If they already own one of those breeds, I think it would be a case of them being incredibly vigilant and making sure that they’re not blinkering themselves with what issues those dogs might have. There’s much better information out there online now in terms of what different health issues afflict different breeds.” She also suggested taking any issues to a vet if you’re not sure and getting independent veterinary advice. “The earlier a lot of them are diagnosed, the better the prognosis for any intervention,” she said.
The bottom line is that anyone thinking of getting a particular breed of dog needs to specifically research whether there are health problems associated with that breed and if there are genetic tests the breeder should have done. The Institute of Canine Biology maintains a list of genetic databases on its website. As well, organizations such as the ASPCA describe the costs associated with owning different sizes of dogs (small, medium, or large).
Another thing to consider is whether it’s the right time for you to be getting a dog. Do you have the time and energy to devote to a new dog? How do you think any existing pets will respond to a new arrival? Do you have any big lifestyle changes coming up that might affect your ability to care for a pet? For example, if you know you will be moving house, it’s better to wait until you are settled so that a new dog won’t have any extra disruption.
You should also think about the energy requirements of the dog, to find one who will match your lifestyle. And think about the dog’s coat, because some will cover your clothes and furniture with dog hair and need lots of brushing and clipping, and others will require very little grooming. You may also need to think about allergies, which is tricky because you won’t really know until the dog comes home. Better to get a pet you know with certainty no one is allergic to.
To make a good decision about a puppy, you also need to think about socialization.
ALL ABOUT PUPPIES: SOCIALIZATION IS KEY
THE PERIOD BETWEEN 3 and about 12 to 14 weeks is arguably the most important of a dog’s life. This is the sensitive period for socialization, although there is some uncertainty as to the exact time when it ends (see table for the life stages of young dogs).12 This is when puppies’ brains are especially receptive to learning about the kind of social world they will live in as they get older. During this time they will also habituate to, or get used to, anything they might meet in later life (different sounds, surfaces, etc.). This is an important time in brain development, when the brain is very plastic and making lots and lots of new connections, some of which will be pruned out later.
The idea of a sensitive period sometimes surprises people, so it’s useful to know other animals have sensitive periods too. In kittens, the sensitive period for socialization is between 2 and 7 weeks. This is typically before a kitten comes to live in your home, showing how important it is to get kittens from someone who will have socialized them. Children also have sensitive periods for development, during which important brain development occurs in response to the child’s environment. These early life experiences provide the scaffolding for future development. If babies have lots of positive experiences with adults, very little stress, and good nutrition to help build a strong brain architecture, then by the time they start school they are in a better position to learn than if they had not had those experiences.
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