Behavior Questionnaires

Spiritdogs,

Thanks for sharing the lists of questions. Would this kind of questioning be used for any dog that an owner's having problems with, or just dogs who have already bitten, or caused property damage (etc)? For example, would these kinds of questions be asked if someone simply needs help learning to walking their dog?

Would these kinds of questions be asked after thorough vet check has already been completed?

Is the second list directed towards aggressive dogs? Would very many different questions be asked for dogs that have SA or other behavioral issues?

Does the answering of the questions reveal info about the humans, or would there be separate questions that are more pointed?
 

Snownose, re seeing the sire... It only takes a few moments to see whether a dog is interested in human beings at all - and if he were totally disinterested, that would not be a good sign, since that level of independence can be genetic.  You might also notice a physical abnormality in the adult dog that the younger one has - and thus see how it has affected the older animal in maturity.  If you are holistic in your approach and not just concerned with the one issue at hand, that could be of interest to the dog's owner.

Thanks for sharing the lists of questions. Would this kind of questioning be used for any dog that an owner's having problems with, or just dogs who have already bitten, or caused property damage (etc)? For example, would these kinds of questions be asked if someone simply needs help learning to walking their dog?

Needing help walking the dog is usually a training issue, so no, the questionnaire isn't necessary.  But, let's say that the dog is redirecting a well placed nip on the owner every time they go for a walk.  Different scenario perhaps.

Would these kinds of questions be asked after thorough vet check has already been completed?  Yes, absolutely.  That is always my first recommendation, especially if we are dealing with aggression.  Also, I often question a dog owner as to whether they had their dog vaccinated for rabies on the same day as other vaccines.  Some holistic vets think it matters (Google "rabies miasm";)

Is the second list directed towards aggressive dogs? Would very many different questions be asked for dogs that have SA or other behavioral issues?

Yes, but it all is.  And, you are correct that there would be some different questions for SA.  For example, a lot of people think their dog is SA, but in reality they just have an anxious dog that whines when they leave the house.  What I want to know is...are there any venetian blinds left on the windows (and are the window frames in one piece), or holes in the walls or door. 

Does the answering of the questions reveal info about the humans, or would there be separate questions that are more pointed?

Sure, but "pointed" questions usually earn you a trip out the door and the owners seeking help from another trainer if they are too pointed.  We learn a lot by the peeps body language with the dog, with each other, and believe it or not, by their relative cooperation or bickering when answering the questions LOL. 

For what its worth, the questionnaire that we had to fill out on the dogs just to book our stay at the Paw House Inn where we're going on vacation was three pages long.  That just covered really basic stuff that the owners need to know to see if your dogs are a good fit for that environment. I'd expect a behavior consultant to need to got at least twice as in depth as that.

snownose

Ah, hello......the male dog is not included in getting the pup to the time when it can be weaned from the mother, the only thing one could get from meeting the sire is how the animal looks and behaves at the time of the meeting, which in essence means nothing, one can't really judge a dog by looking at it for a few minutes.

The number of pups in essence is really not that important, just how the pups were able to interact with the mother, such as feeding, every day interaction......I think that question is not as important as others.

I'm with snownose in this one, i think only if the dog was living his first years with the parents and littermates thats when the dog could pick up some of their behavior, if not then i dont think he even remember how his life was in the first 3 months next to them

I think that question should be after something like "How long the dog was living with the littermates?", if it was a considerable amount of time then you could ask "How many pups were in the litter your dog came from (if you know) and did you meet the parents?" because there are pretty good chances that the dog behavior was affected by the littemantes and parents behavior

espencer

not then i dont think he even remember how his life was in the first 3 months next to them

I beg to differ on this notion based on my experience with my one dog, though I've been around dogs in my life and owned a purebred Lab for a while back in the 80's. She was afraid of stairs, though I never figured out why. I reference you my earlier post about Shadow's fears of pest control spray and kennels. It is my amateur opinion that these phobias are a direct result of the experiences of his first six weeks of life. I don't have a degree or creds but the link seemed obvious to me.

 Well, with that line of thinking, you completely disregard genetics.  We aren't necessarily only checking to see if the dog learned the behavior from the sire, but whether the sire has passed along an undesirable trait or genetic problem - if the dog you are dealing with seems normal, but the sire has seizures, for example, then you might be more inclined, especially with some breeds, to investigate whether seizure activity is responsible for the dog's behavioral changes. 

I agree that it is perfectly acceptable, and desirable, to want to know how long a pup stayed with the litter, and I usually handle that conversationally when asking the client how old the dog was when he/she got it.  If it's a rescue and they don't know the dog's history, no point asking.   

Ron, I don't know about all that....while I agree with some of the things you have to say, it is my opinion, and that comes from watching puppies all my life, that puppies basically stumble through life in the first few weeks, and there can be many uncomfortable things happening to pups. It's kind of like you trying to remember your first couple of years in life.....do you remember any of that?

While asking these types of questions, in regards to the litter, sire, what have you is some what important,it is not nearly as important as what happens during the months of getting acclimated to the new home and owner.

snownose

It's kind of like you trying to remember your first couple of years in life.....do you remember any of that?

Yes. I remember being to young to sit up so my mom would prop me up with the carrier on the couch while she did housework. Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" was on the radio and it turned into a big hit for him. And "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah. With a love like that, you know you should be glad ..." .

And I think all the early life experiences are important. IMO, there is no doubt that a pup pulled too soon from his mother can have problems from the lack of that socialization. So, other experiences in that time frame can also have an effect.

spiritdogs

Well, with that line of thinking, you completely disregard genetics.  We aren't necessarily only checking to see if the dog learned the behavior from the sire, but whether the sire has passed along an undesirable trait or genetic problem - if the dog you are dealing with seems normal, but the sire has seizures, for example, then you might be more inclined, especially with some breeds, to investigate whether seizure activity is responsible for the dog's behavioral changes. 

You would have to get really lucky to witness seizure activity while spending time or eyeballing the sire.

I don't know too many breeders that would let you hang around the sire for a long period of time to make sure you catch every little detail about the dog.

ron2

Yes. I remember being to young to sit up so my mom would prop me up with the carrier on the couch while she did housework. Glen Campbell's "Wichita Lineman" was on the radio and it turned into a big hit for him. And "She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah. She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah. With a love like that, you know you should be glad ..." .

And I think all the early life experiences are important. IMO, there is no doubt that a pup pulled too soon from his mother can have problems from the lack of that socialization. So, other experiences in that time frame can also have an effect.

 

Wow, too young to sit up, and you can remember all that......what can I say, you are one of a kind.

I am not going to argue the point of early removal from the mother, we know that is bad, but really, isn't that a given?

ron2

Yes. I remember being to young to sit up so my mom would prop me up with the carrier on the couch while she did housework.

Wow, what a memory!  My earliest childhood memory is a hospital stay at age 5 to get my webbed fingers separated.  Ooooops, way too personal, my bad.

snownose

Ah, hello......the male dog is not included in getting the pup to the time when it can be weaned from the mother, the only thing one could get from meeting the sire is how the animal looks and behaves at the time of the meeting, which in essence means nothing, one can't really judge a dog by looking at it for a few minutes.

The number of pups in essence is really not that important, just how the pups were able to interact with the mother, such as feeding, every day interaction......I think that question is not as important as others.

That may be true in most breeds, but not all of them.  In Pharaoh Hounds and alot of other sighthounds, the males play a very important role in rearing.  Some will even try to nurse the pups. Also in PHs, the entire pack, just like in African Wild Dogs, raises the pups, it's not just the dam.

Even now, the females that helped to raise Xerxes for a mere 8 weeks, get ridiculously excited to see him and will clean his ears and face, and try to get him to play.  Other PHs that we meet are given the raised lip, barky greeting. 

Just something to think about.
 

snownose

spiritdogs

Well, with that line of thinking, you completely disregard genetics.  We aren't necessarily only checking to see if the dog learned the behavior from the sire, but whether the sire has passed along an undesirable trait or genetic problem - if the dog you are dealing with seems normal, but the sire has seizures, for example, then you might be more inclined, especially with some breeds, to investigate whether seizure activity is responsible for the dog's behavioral changes. 

 

You would have to get really lucky to witness seizure activity while spending time or eyeballing the sire.

I don't know too many breeders that would let you hang around the sire for a long period of time to make sure you catch every little detail about the dog.

Do you really think I'm that naive? (where's the eyeroll smiley when you need it?)

If a breeder is worried that I might see something, and doesn't want me hanging around, I'd be suspicious.  A reputable breeder will cooperate and answer questions about the dogs, and probably WANT to know if her animals are throwing pups with unsound temperament or health.  If you want to find reasons to discredit a particular questionnaire, you'll find them.  But, I can tell you that all the questions on mine are seen frequently on others at major behavior centers.  I want to know as much as I can about a dog if it is having serious problems - some of which may be relevant to the problem and much of which will be totally unrelated.  But, IMO, better to have too much info than too little. 

What I was trying to get across without someone taking it the wrong way is, other than the obvious, or anything admitted by the breeder, one should be focusing on the upbringing of the pup, that is where most mistakes are made that can last a lifetime.......eh?