The American Shelter Dog

Ever wonder why your big bozo Lab is lazy or doesn't like to swim or chase balls? Does it puzzle you that your scent hound really doesn't like to walk around with its nose to the ground, particularly when you want it to hunt something?

Some of the answers may lie in breed variation and stereotyping. Renowned veterinarian and animal behaviorist Amy Marder is floating a concept out to shelters that could have some meat to it. It is also potentially relevant for any dog owner.

Marder is director of the Center for Shelter Dogs at the Animal Rescue League of Boston. She believes that inaccurately guessing breed mixes causes unrealistic behavioral expectations and does a big disservice to dogs and their new owners. Her concept is clear and simple: Shelters should start identifying dogs by their personalities and not by their breed labels.

Most of the dogs housed in the shelters in the U.S. are mixed breeds. Shelter employees use mostly physical appearance to guess a dog's breed. If the dog is surrendered by the owner, the breed shown on the intake form is generally used. Who's to say the owner has it right?

New advances in canine genetic testing of DNA through blood sampling are taking the guesswork out of determining the mix. These tests are now available to the public for a fee. This testing is what led Marder to question the practice of listing shelter dogs by their suspected breeds.

Working with researchers at Western University Veterinary School, Marder collected DNA samples from over 30 adopted shelter dogs. She found that the best guesses about breed mix were often terribly wrong. Many "Lab mixes" tested were what Marder describes as just black dogs with floppy ears. The "pit bull mixes" in the sample had some American Staffordshire DNA, but also DNA from a large variety of other breeds.

Marder also cites other research soon to be published that shows a wide discrepancy between the DNA testing and the breed assigned by an adoption agency.

What does Marder see as the solution for shelters? She would call the dogs "American Shelter Dogs" and identify them not by assumed breed but by personalities. Personality tests would be used to describe the dog instead of labeling it by breed. A "Lab mix" might be listed as "introverted with new people but very playful when it knows them," or "very extroverted with an agreeable and willing personality."

Some people may cringe at the idea of not knowing the breed mix when adopting a dog. That's precisely Marder's point: By describing its personality you will know much more about the dog than assuming a personality from a presumed breed characteristic. What you see is not always what you get.

The Center for Shelter Dogs at the ARL in Boston has developed a validated personality assessment. Two staff members at the Lewis and Clark Humane Society will attend a five-day seminar in June under Marder and her staff to learn more about behavior and personality assessments.

Is Marder's concept a wave of the future? Who knows? If it helps owners understand what kind of dog they're adopting I'll support it. So will your "border collie mix" who maybe just wants to lie in the sunny grass all day and not have to chase sheep.

Tom Kandt is a Certified Pet Dog Trainer and graduate of the San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers. He is shelter trainer and behavioral consultant at the LC HS. Reach him at tkandt@yahoo.com.