Factors that are separate but related to the overall perceived ‘intensity’ of a dog:
Energy - Arousal - Drive
ENERGY: The amount of physical activity a dog needs daily to be calm and restful when there’s nothing to do.
High Energy: ‘Busy’ dogs who are constantly in motion, constantly seeking stimulation, ‘off switch’ requires development over time. Require 3+ hours of physical exercise, mental stimulation, or enrichment to keep them happy.
Medium Energy: Dogs with a with a natural ‘off-switch’ present even at a young age, are not constantly seeking stimulation but still may require 1-2 hours of physical exercise, mental stimulation, or enrichment to keep them happy.
Low Energy: Dogs with a natural ‘off-switch’, are not constantly seeking stimulation and require < 1 hour of physical exercise, mental stimulation, or enrichment to keep them happy.
ANALYSIS: We have seen varying levels in this litter, but most have trended average for what we expect in the breed which is right around ‘medium energy’. 5 out of 6 of these siblings live in a suburban setting with a fenced in yard and only one residing in a rural setting with a fenced in yard. Owners were able to provide the 1-2 hours of needed enrichment or physical activity that allowed their dogs to easily settle. Only one sibling was reported at a high energy level in which 3+ hours was required. Days off were not reported to be a struggle in 5 of the 6 siblings. Natural ‘off-switch’ was reported in 5 of the 6 siblings.
AROUSAL: How a dog reacts to certain stimuli in their environment. Reaction can include feelings of excitement, appeasing, defensive, fear, or aggression.
Low Threshold: Only takes a small stimulus to cause a reaction
Moderate Threshold - Duration or combination of stimulus triggers causes reaction
High Threshold - Takes a lot of stimulus to cause a reaction.
AROUSAL LEVELS - UNFAMILIAR DOGS
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings display a Moderate Threshold. Some display neutrality or mild excitement / appeasing behaviors around other dogs. There is low fear reported around other dogs across all siblings. Two siblings are dog reactive with defensive / aggressive intent.
AROUSAL LEVELS - UNFAMILIAR PEOPLE
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings display a Moderate Threshold. On the property a majority display barking or alerting to strangers when near territorial boundaries. Off property a minority show a low threshold with barking at unfamiliar people while a majority a more neutral.
DRIVE: Desire to expend energy on a behavior.
Food: Desire to work for a food reward
Defense: Desire to handle a perceived threat with aggressive behavior such as baring teeth, barking or growling. In higher Drive states this can include snapping, biting or attacking perceived threats. This can include defense of self, territory, pack (perceived family) and defense of prey/resources.
Social: Pack Drive / Biddability / Desire to stay close and cooperate with handler
Toy drive - Desire to engage with tug toys or thrown toys
Hunt drive - Desire to seek prey items - scanning / searching behavior'
Chase drive - Desire to pursue a moving animal/object
DRIVE LEVELS - Commitment to the behavior sequence, even under adversity.
High Drive: Dog shows obsessive and maladaptive desire for the behavior. Will not quit unless access to stimuli is removed.
Medium-High Drive: Dog enjoys and seeks out the behavior whenever possible. Is able to self-regulate or quit the behavior when necessary.
Medium Drive: Dog enjoys and seeks out the behavior often. Will quit somewhat easily.
Medium-Low Drive: Dog occasionally seeks out behavior. Will quit very easily.
Low Drive: Dog has little interest in ever seeking out behavior.
ANALYSIS:
FOOD: Most of the litter trended Medium-Low drive and this was unsurprisingly paired with picky eaters. A minority presented Medium Drive and that behavior was paired with less picky eaters.
DEFENSE: A majority of this litter presented with Low Drive. A minority presented with Medium-Low with one outlier presenting Medium.
SOCIAL: A majority of this litter presented Medium-Low to Medium Drive. These siblings presented a more independent nature and fell below breed average on trainability.
TOY: A majority of this litter presented Low to Medium-Low Drive. While a few members enjoy toys, a majority could take or leave them.
HUNT: A majority of this litter presented Low to Medium-Low Drive. Those who were able to practice wildlife chasing were more likely to scan / search when given the opportunity.
CHASE: A majority of this litter presented Low to Medium-Low Drive. Those who were able to practice wildlife chasing were more likely to scan / search when given the opportunity.
PUBLIC SOCIABILITY: Does the dog seek interaction with strangers out in public.
Social: Seeks friendly engagement with strangers
Neutral: Indifferent to strangers
Antisocial: Avoids engagement with strangers
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings presented Social with a minority presenting Neutral and one showing Antisocial tendencies.
ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITY / NERVE: Perceiving environments/stimuli as stressful events
Fluid: No hesitation, accepts all situations
Studied: Observes first, but adapts quickly without handler intervention
Cautious: Takes more time and handler support to adapt.
Incomplete: Functional but does not achieve comfort or full working ability
Halted: Can only function with minimum/basic behaviors. Training does not help.
Accelerated Anxiety: Cannot function at all with changes in environment.
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings presented Studied – Fluid with a minority presenting Cautious.
RESILIENCY: How quickly does the dog recover from a stressful event.
High: Quickly overcomes stress. Seconds to a few minutes.
Medium: Overcomes stress at a reasonable pace. Several minutes.
Low: Struggles to overcome and adapt to stress. Hours or days.
None: Moderately stressful events cause lasting trauma/phobias.
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings present High Resiliency with a minority presenting Medium Resiliency.
HANDLER HARDNESS / SOFTNESS: Response to handler correction/pressure. Often context or drive dependent.
Hard: Pressure from handler has little to no effect on the dog’s behavior
Balanced: Pressure from handler has moderate effect on the dog’s behavior
Soft: Pressure from the handler has a large effect on the dog’s behavior
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings presented with Handler Hardness with a minority presenting Balanced.
HANDLER FOCUS WITH NO REWARDS PRESENT: Natural amount of interest a dog has in their handler
High: Seeks engagement with handler in most circumstances and with high frequency
Medium: Seeks engagement with handler in some circumstances with moderate frequency
Low: Seeks engagement with the environment more often than the handler, very infrequent
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings presented with Medium handler focus and a minority presented with both low and high.
SEPARATION ANXIETY / FOMO (FEAR OF MISSING OUT):
High: Induces self-harm, destructive toward containment or home, vomiting, drooling, vocalizations, or inability to settle when left alone
Medium: Drooling, vocalizations, or inability to settle when left alone
Low: Some vocalizations with ability to settle
ANALYSIS: All of these siblings presented with Medium separation anxiety / FOMO. An interesting note is that it is all based around containment. When left alone outside in a fenced yard or inside with freedom to roam, a majority shifted to Low.
TOUCH SENSITIVITY: Fear or anxiety around nail clipping, handling by vets, grooming, or other care that requires body handling.
No Fear / Anxiety / Aggression
Moderate Fear / Anxiety / Aggression
Extreme Fear / Anxiety / Aggression
ANALYSIS: A majority of these siblings presented with Moderate Fear / Anxiety. A majority presented this directed at handlers or vets vs strangers. A minority presented with Extreme Fear / Anxiety specifically around nail trimming or bathing. Two members presented growling around nail trimming specifically.