Are “Quirky Behaviors” Breed-Specific?

A long-time friend of mine, who, in her retirement, has taken on dog-sitting and thoroughly loves it. She has been active in the dog community, professionally and personally, for decades. Although we have had different experiences and our areas of expertise in the industry are quite different, we get along well because we are both open-minded and find each other’s opinions refreshing (we have never met in real life.)

Recently, she sent me a short video of a dog she is sitting - a Doberman who was intensely sucking on a blanket. She said she had reached out to her “Doberman-expert-colleagues” and was told this was common with the breed. While she was not overly concerned about the health and happiness of the dog, Charlie, who is well-cared for, my friend was curious about the behavior, and reached out to me for my thoughts. (note: the photo is not of Charlie)

Here is my response:

“Cute dog! Have you shared the video with chihuahua experts? golden retriever experts? greyhound experts? min-pin experts?….” (the list goes on).

For those who follow my podcast or read my book, you may recall I recommend, when choosing a dog, to read up on breeds considered to be polar opposites! Why? Because breed experts tend to know about, and exclusively study their breed of interest, but do not consider that many of the behaviors are “universal”.

In other words, is breed necessarily the determining factor?

While traits and characteristics can be influenced by breed (thus, producing common behavioral traits among breeds, such as herding), behaviors stemming from emotions are driven by many factors. As with humans, dogs express their emotions in different ways - think “nail biting”, “hair twirling”, “yawning”, or “night-time snacking”.

Behaviors associated with anxiety are prevalent among all breeds and mixed breed dogs.

I suggested to my friend that Charlie is likely to show signs of anxiety in her daily life - not necessarily life-debilitating, harmful or challenging for the family, but simply “in-general” - more of a personality trait, such a child being described as “shy”. Being shy is perfectly fine, but can impact the ability to cope with change or busy situations until one gains the skills to adapt on an emotional level.

Yup! Exactly. In fact, the blanket was included in Charlie’s travel pack. Why? Because her people knew she would be anxious and the blanket is her go-to comfort. Blanket-sucking is often a coping mechanism, which unto themselves are not wrong, but can be unrealistic – for example, if the coping mechanism is a safe-place, such as a crate, then relying on coping mechanisms can be challenging when on a walk. Additionally, the brain does not practice self-regulating, and thus the emotions continue to the point they become a habit.

Habits are different from behaviors; they are sub-conscience. To help dogs with anxiety driven by habit, we need to apply a method designed to inspire self-regulation, allowing dogs like Charlie to recognize when their emotions are becoming heightened and, instead of relying on a coping mechanism, have the skills to process and make decisions.

Can dogs do this? Yes, and the method is proven effective, non-aversive, and easy to apply.

Anxiety, and behaviors relating to stress, are not breed-specific, and can occur at any age with dogs of all upbringings, so applying a method that is flexible and adaptable is key.

The method? Canine Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, of course!