Early Neurological Stimulation: Better Breeding Practices

Read Time: 6-7 minutes.

Environmental Influences on Adult Health, Immunity and Temperament.

Virtually no person disputes the heritable aspect in producing great dogs- whatever the breed. If you want to produce great dogs, you need to start with great dogs. This would be true of virtually any breeding endeavor. It would not matter if you were raising Greyhounds or livestock protection dogs. Want to win at the dog track, start with a Greyhound. But if your goal is to protect your sheep, choose the dog bred for centuries as a livestock protection dog. From the macro perspective, good genetics is assumed. But when discussing a dog’s performance where the dogs are: the same breed, and offspring of high caliber dogs, in this situation, what role do genetics play in a dog’s success? As a breeder of working-line German Shepherds (and a trained PhD researcher), I have long been fascinated by the question of how genetics contribute to a  working dog’s ability to excel in obedience, tracking and protection training?

Genetics Play a Minority Role in Which Horse Wins Race

Little research on the above question has been completed. Broadening our scope of study, we find research on racehorses offer interesting data. According to these studies, as little as one third of a racehorses success can be chalked up to genetics (Gaffney and Cunningham, 1988; Mortisu, Funakoshi, and Ichakawa). Their compelling research provide implications for working line German shepherd breeders. As these research scientists determin, only about one third of “why” horse won could be attributed to a genetic predisposition. The remaining factors were determined the result of nutrition, socialization, training and early environmental factors. To see if these percentages held true for the success of working dogs would require further study.

Environmental Factors Likely a Major Factor in Dog’s Adult Temperament

In applying this research to working dogs, several observations are in order. First, this research was done on racehorses. They were not saying genetics didn’t matter. Every horse considered was a racehorse. They were not comparing Shetland ponies, Clydesdales, and thoroughbred horses. With respect to working line German Shepherds, we would need to consider well-bred working line German Shepherds.  A second observation, all the horses considered were training and racing. A similar comparison applied to working-line, German Shepherds would then compare dogs from working line pedigrees who were actively being trained in obedience, tracking and protection. If this research applies with a strong degree of correlation, environment, socialization, nutrition and training would likely play as large or even larger a part in a dog’s success than genetics alone.

Best Dog Breeding Practices Begin With Proven Genetics

Puzzling over pedigrees can be like a game of “adult Tetris.” Poring over how certain dogs produce (or don’t), looking at structure, recorded temperaments, Schutzhund scores- this can all be fascinating. And yet if a strong correlation does exist between the above mentioned research, then moving towards better breeding practices will necessarily place significant responsibility on the part of the breeder and working dog owner. For myself as a breeder of Czech, German and Slovakian working line German Shepherds, the above research ought to result in a reexamining of how we as breeders raise our litters.

Early Neurological Stimulation Can Affect Dog’s Adult Immunity and Temperament

As recent research shows, early neurological stimulation can affect a puppy for its entire life. These stressors can influence how well a dog in adulthood responds to cold temperatures, social stressors, new people, and even affects its ability to respond to training. Upcoming blog posts will address this topic of early neurological stimulation in greater detail. If a working dog’s success, like the above mentioned racehorses- is only 1/3 genetics, then how a puppy is raised really matters! Getting a well-bred dog who has been raised with the end in mind, that the dog will perform as a working dog- this will matter!  The kind of environment, these early environmental stressors and the intentionality of preparing a working line puppy to thrive and flourish in a working environment might make the difference between a German Shepherd puppy that is sheer joy and one that is a disappointment.

We look forward to discussing this topic of early neurological stimulation in upcoming blog posts. Till then, thanks for reading.

Chad McCarthy

1. Gaffney B. and Cunningham E. P. 1988. Estimation of genetic trend in racing performance of thoroughbred horses. Nature 332: 722-723.
2. Mortisu, Y., Funakoshi, H. and Ichakawa, S. 1994. Genetic evaluation of sires and environmental factors influencing best racing times of Thoroughbred horses in Japan. J. Equine Sci. 5: 53-58.