We’ve all heard it: “It’s not the dog, it’s the owner.” This well-meaning phrase is often used to defend dogs from stigma and breed discrimination, and at surface level, it carries an important truth—no dog deserves cruelty or neglect. But as our understanding of canine behavior deepens, it becomes clear that this phrase oversimplifies the complex interplay between nature and nurture.
The idea that love and good treatment alone can override centuries of selective breeding not only misrepresents the science—it can also set dogs and their people up for failure.
To truly support canine welfare and improve human-animal relationships, we must acknowledge the vital role that breed and genetics play in shaping behavior. Understanding a dog’s innate tendencies is not about stereotyping—it’s about meeting individuals where they are and giving them the best possible chance to thrive.
Dogs Were Designed by Us—On Purpose
Dogs didn’t just magically appear as adorable throw pillows with legs. We built them—literally. For over 15,000 years, humans have been shaping dogs to meet our needs, breeding them for everything from hunting and guarding to herding and companionship (Azadian et al., 2024). Every time we selected for a specific job, we reinforced a suite of traits—persistence, boldness, sensitivity, problem-solving, independence, even that classic terrier tenacity. These weren’t random quirks—they were intentional, functional tools.
And here’s the thing: just because we moved dogs indoors and gave them cute collars doesn’t mean those traits disappeared. That Border Collie pacing nonstop around your living room? That’s 10,000 years of herding instinct looking for a job. That bulldog who refuses to budge when asked to “come”? That confidence wasn’t bred out when we shrunk them down and gave them Instagram accounts. And that terrier who “just won’t stop barking”? Congratulations—you have a highly prey-motivated rodent hunter in your home.
Expecting all dogs to behave the same regardless of breed is like expecting all cars to drive the same because they have wheels. When we ignore breed tendencies, we risk setting both dogs and humans up for frustration and failure. It’s not about stereotyping—it’s about understanding what the dog in front of us was built to do and respecting that heritage as part of their welfare.
Love Doesn’t Undo Instinct
So here we are, thousands of years later, inviting dogs into our homes, onto our couches, and even into our beds—but too often, we forget who they really are. We want a Golden Retriever personality in a Bulldog body, a quiet Husky, or a mellow Border Collie, then act surprised when things don’t go as planned. The truth is, if we don’t consider why certain dogs behave the way they do, we’re just playing tug-of-war with their biology—and guess what? Biology usually wins.
Let’s say you bring home a working-line German Shepherd and expect them to be content with a short morning walk and a chew toy. Or you bring home a bully breed thinking they’ll automatically love every dog at the park because “it’s all in how you raise them.” That’s like adopting a Formula One car and being shocked it doesn’t cruise calmly through a school zone. These dogs weren’t bred for chill strolls and group hugs—they were historically selected for traits like strength, drive, high arousal, and intense focus on other animals. Not because they’re “bad,” but because humans built them that way (Hecht et al., 2021).
And when those inherited traits are misunderstood or ignored—when we assume love and positive vibes alone can override a dog’s wiring—we set everyone up for failure. What often shows up as reactivity or dog-dog aggression isn’t a training issue or a sign of a dangerous dog. It’s unmet needs, misaligned expectations, and a total lack of context.
But here’s the thing: those same traits that make bully breeds intense can also make them incredible companions when you understand how they tick. When their energy, tenacity, and people-focus are given the right outlets—through structured training, enrichment, and clear boundaries—they thrive. They’re not “aggressive.” They’re driven, emotional, eager to connect—and too often misunderstood.
And that misunderstanding? It costs dogs their homes. Or worse, their lives.
This disconnect isn’t exclusive to bully breeds. Think about terriers—dogs literally built to locate, chase, and kill small prey. That “annoying” habit of destroying your couch cushions or obsessively chasing squirrels? It’s not misbehavior—it’s instinct (Hecht et al., 2021). Herding breeds like Border Collies and Heelers don’t need a field of sheep to practice their craft. A toddler, a running cat, or even a vacuum will do just fine. And hounds? Good luck getting their attention once their nose locks onto a scent trail. You’re competing with thousands of years of selective breeding for scent detection and tracking ability.
These aren’t “bad dogs.” These are dogs being exactly what humans designed them to be—but no one handed out the instruction manual at adoption. So we yell, we punish, or we rehome, all because we failed to understand what we were signing up for. We have to stop blaming dogs for being dogs. Instead, we need to start giving them the structure, guidance, and lifestyle that supports who they are—not who we wish they were.
Why This Isn’t Just Nice to Know—It’s Need to Know
Let’s be real: ignoring breed tendencies isn’t just a missed learning moment—it’s how good dogs end up in bad situations. Most people don’t need a genius K9, they just want a dog who doesn’t eat the drywall, drag them down the street, or explode at the vet. But without understanding why a dog behaves the way it does, we set them—and ourselves—up for failure.
Breed doesn’t seal fate, but it sure shapes behavior. Dogs were bred for jobs—herding, guarding, tracking, pulling sleds—and those instincts didn’t vanish with the invention of the couch. Science backs this up: dogs bred for specific functions consistently think, react, and relate in specific ways (Mehrkam & Wynne, 2014).
You can’t train a beagle like a border collie and expect identical results. One follows scent, the other stalks movement—it’s not “stubborn,” it’s genetics (Hecht et al., 2021; Azadian et al., 2024). And when those hardwired needs don’t get met? Cue the reactivity, the barking, the digging, the chaos. That’s not disobedience—it’s a smart, driven brain going stir-crazy.
This kind of mismatch creates confusion and frustration, and sadly, that’s how dogs end up returned or surrendered. Most of the time, it’s not because the dog is “too much”—it’s because we didn’t know what we were getting into.
And that’s exactly why breed awareness matters. It helps families choose dogs that actually fit their lifestyle. A 70-year-old retiree doesn’t need a Malinois puppy no matter how cute the reel was. That’s not love—it’s chaos waiting to happen. Love is compatibility.
It also helps us hold breeders accountable. Dogs should be bred for stable temperaments and health, not whatever’s trending on TikTok. When breeders prioritize profit over behavior, the dogs always lose (Rooney & Sargan, 2010; Croney, 2019).
This isn’t about guilt—it’s about getting it right. Choosing dogs intentionally. Training them with compassion. Supporting them with outlets that honor who they are. That’s how we prevent shelter returns and save lives. Because most dogs aren’t broken—they’re just misunderstood.
Once you learn this, you can’t unlearn it.
It’s Not Breed or Upbringing—It’s Both
Dogs don’t arrive as blank slates. They show up carrying thousands of years of instincts, purpose, and selective breeding in their DNA—and it’s our job to respect that.
Understanding breed doesn’t mean boxing dogs in. It means finally reading the label. It’s looking at the herder pacing your kitchen, the bully getting worked up at the park, or the hound who’s nose-deep in the dirt, and going, “Ah. I get it now.”
When we get who our dogs are, we stop blaming them for behaviors that are completely predictable. We stop trying to train a fish to climb a tree. We train smarter. We choose better. And we stop throwing our hands up when things go wrong.
This isn’t just about reducing behavioral issues. It’s about preventing heartbreak, confusion, and crisis. Most dogs don’t get rehomed because they’re awful—they get rehomed because someone never asked, “What was this dog bred to do?”
Breed doesn’t tell the whole story. But it gives us a hell of a head chapter. The rest is on us.
So let’s stop crossing our fingers and start writing better ones.
References
Azadian, A., & Protopopova, A. (2024). Exploring breed differences in discrimination, reversal learning, and resistance to extinction in the domestic dog (canis familiaris). Scientific Reports, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76283-3
Col, R., Day, C., & Phillips, C. J. C. (2016). An epidemiological analysis of dog behavior problems presented to an australian behavior clinic, with associated risk factors. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 15, 1–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2016.07.001
Croney, C. C. (2019). Turning up the volume on man’s best friend: Ethical issues associated with commercial dog breeding. Journal of Applied Animal Ethics Research, 1(2), 230–252. https://doi.org/10.1163/25889567-12340011
Hecht, E. E., Zapata, I., Alvarez, C. E., Gutman, D. A., Preuss, T. M., Kent, M., & Serpell, J. A. (2021). Neurodevelopmental scaling is a major driver of brain–behavior differences in temperament across dog breeds. Brain Structure and Function, 226(8), 2725–2739. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-021-02368-8
Mehrkam, L. R., & Wynne, C. D. L. (2014). Behavioral differences among breeds of domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris): Current status of the science. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 155, 12–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2014.03.005
Rooney, N.J. (2014). Domestic Dog Cognition and Behavior, 31–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53994-7
Rooney, N.J, & Sargan, D. (2010). Welfare concerns associated with pedigree dog breeding in the UK. Animal Welfare, 19(S1), 133–140. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0962728600002335
Serpell, J. A., & Duffy, D. L. (2014). Dog breeds and their behavior. Domestic Dog Cognition and Behavior, 31–57. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-53994-7_2
Zapata, I., Eyre, A. W., Alvarez, C. E., & Serpell, J. A. (2022). Latent class analysis of behavior across dog breeds reveal underlying temperament profiles. Scientific Reports, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20053-6
Zapata, I., Lilly, M. L., Herron, M. E., Serpell, J. A., & Alvarez, C. E. (2022). Genetic testing of dogs predicts problem behaviors in clinical and nonclinical samples. BMC Genomics, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-022-08351-9
Mia Vargas, M.S.
Writer & Anthrozoologist
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