The Breed Handouts
The breed handouts offer insights into what you can anticipate from your canine companion.
The Dog Key™ is the official Canine Genetic Heritage Identification Test for the Dog L.E.G.S.® System.
PROS:
Affectionate – He is naturally engaging, tolerant, and endearing with people.
Entertaining – Whether high octane or low, he is a naturally amusing character.
Outgoing – His brave and gregarious approach to life can be a total blast.
CONS:
All or Nothing – A zero-to-sixty design can catch you off guard at times.
Powerful – His strength and force can overwhelm people and other animals.
Touchy-Feely – If you value your personal space, he may get on your nerves (as well as your lap).
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Destructive behaviour, especially when left alone or unsupervised.
– Incredible power and unmanageability/excitability on leash, especially around other animals
– Over enthusiastic behaviour toward people – jumping, mouthing, rough housing.
– Protectiveness of one or more family members toward other people and animals.
– Inflicting severe injuries on other animals in altercations due to strength (though not necessarily starting such altercations)
– General over-arousal in any number of high stimulations circumstances.
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PROS:
Cool – Level-headed and mellow, reserved and chivalrous, he has a low maintenance demeanour.
Tolerant – He’s gracious and gentle, and is patient with other human and animal social members.
Protective – He will surely make you feel safer home alone or walking down the street.
CONS:
Opinionated – Discerning and independent of mind, a guardian may be resistant to your instructions
Suspicious – He can be unwelcoming to those he perceives as threats to the home and loved ones.
Big – His size and strength may feel a bit impractical to manage at times.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Aggression toward unfamiliar people or animals, especially near the home or your property.
– Wandering off.
– Not coming when called
– Protectiveness of owners or other pets.
– Territorial barking.
PROS:
Enthusiastic – He is generally eager and willing to get on board with whatever the day brings.
Cooperative – A team player at heart, he was made to be an attentive, trainable and responsive partner in life.
Outgoing – He has an extroverted spirit both with other people and animals.
CONS:
Active – While his ambition for athleticism is admirable, his physical needs can be a little intense at the end of a long day.
Immature – The very same silly puppy nature that Makes him so playful can manifest in annoying traits such as a short attention span, neediness, impulsivity, foolishness or insecurity.
Doting – Though many of us adore the endless affections if our dogs, you may find him a little heavy on the PDA if you really value your personal space.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Distractibility or impulsivity.
– Overwhelming greeting behaviour with people, such as jumping and licking.
– Destructiveness to home or personal belongings.
– Hyperactivity or restlessness.
– Sensitivity to loud noises and storms.
– Problematic oral fixations.
including incessant. ball pushing for yet another round of fetch; sock hunting and consumption; and self-injurious lick granulomas.
– “I’ll never grow up” Peter Pan Complex.
PROS:
A Robin to your Batman – Ready to heed the call for any mission on the horizon, he will not rest as long as there is an adventure to be had.
Attentive – She is keenly aware of her environment, as well as her partner’s emotions and instructions.
Responsible – This type – A personality keeps her i’s dotted and her t’s crossed with rules, routines, work and games.
CONS:
Bossy – She is a regulator, here to establish law and order by managing the living room, neighbourhood, park and natural universe.
A Workaholic – Her mental and physical ambition can make her overwhelming and exhausting at times, especially if you have a quiet indoor lifestyle.
Clingy – Her otherwise adorable person-focus can be a little on the unhealthy side.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Chasing fast-moving objects like cars, bikes, skateboards, joggers, cats and children.
– Controlling behaviour toward other pets or family members, possibly manifesting as threats or aggression.
– Sensory hypersensitivity: to lights, shadows, sounds, and motion.
– Excessive barking – at vents, at her environment, and at people and animals.
– Nipping the feet or legs of people and animals.
– Protectiveness of territory and social members.
– Threatening or aggressive behaviour toward visitors.
– Hyperactivity, agitation or restless behaviour
– Overexcitement, threatening or aggressive-appearing displays toward other animals, people, bikes, cars etc.
– Neurotic, repetitive and obsessive behaviours/OCD such as spinning, tail chasing, retrieving, circling and barking.
PROS:
Free spirit- You will revere her intuitive, instinctual, unchained wild nature.
Independent – She is not clingy, demanding, obsessive or needy.
Logical – She has more common sense than many people you know.
CONS:
Suspicious – She has a strong sense of self-preservation, is discerning and cautious.
Instinctual – Her wilder impulses can range from inconvenient for you to quite serious.
Self-Preserving – She can be difficult to train, confine and handle as a “pet.”
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Predatory behavior toward other animals, especially smaller ones.
– Not coming when called.
– Wandering, running away
– Difficulty when she’s confined to crates, rooms, yards, etc.
– Intolerance of being handled and restrained – at home, at the vet, at the groomer’s etc.
– Wariness and defensiveness toward strangers.
– Destructive behaviour in indoor environments.
– Difficulty following directions or responding to training.
PROS:
Social – She’s generally very outgoing and friendly with people and other dogs.
Emotional – She wears her passionate heart on her sleeve about everything, from you to squirrels.
Fun – She can be hilarious, playful, social, creative, and adventurous.
CONS:
Impulsive – A naturally ambitious dog, she can tune out the entire world and everyone in it when she’s on her game.
A Hunter – Her blind (and deaf) determination for sniffing out, tracking, and pursuing targets can be annoying and even quite dangerous to other animals.
Dramatic – She’s born to bay her little heart out when life gets exciting. You may feel like you’re watching a pop talent reality show at times.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Excessive barking.
– Predatory behaviour toward other animals.
– Failure to come when called.
– Unmanageability on leash when stimulated by other animals.
– Emotional “act first, think later” reactions to threats to space, safety, or other resources.
– Difficulty with confinement to smaller spaces/indoor living.
PROS:
Elegant- He’s naturally inclined to appreciate the finer things in life, like warmth and comfort.
Reserved – He is generally quiet and calm, unobtrusive and stoic.
CONS:
Sensitive – He is not cut out for harsh conditions, great endurance, invasiveness, or rough play.
A Flight Risk – He has a keen eye for prey and the instincts to hunt it down with sudden swiftness.
Self-Directed – Doting on you or following your directions (particularly, “Come”) is often not his top priority.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Predatory behavior toward other animals.
– Not coming when called.
– His independent nature regarding your directions and requested “obedience”.
– Discomfort with small children and sudden invasions or personal space.
– Occasional wariness of strangers or protectiveness of territory and family.
PROS:
Dynamic – She has a big, fun, bold, and witty personality.
Independent – She isn’t particularly clingy and knows how to self-entertain.
Always Ready – At the drop of a hat, she’s poised for action.
CONS:
Got a One-Track-Mind – When she sets her sights on something, you may be invisible to her.
Got a Thing for Little Critters – She can be dangerous to animals she confuses with Vermin.
Hyperactive – You may wonder if she’s ADHD due o the amount of energy she has.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Difficulty following directions.
– Dramatic or unmanageable behaviour when walking on the leash.
– Excessive barking in the house or yard.
– Mischief and trouble making, such as digging up your garden or rummaging through the laundry basket; stirring things up with any family member or pet who she can get a rise out of; stealing things and ripping them into unrecognizable pieces.
– Predatory behaviour toward animals.
– Obsessive spinning, tail chasing, or preoccupation with toys or other targets like the TV.
– Competitiveness or bossiness with other dogs in the home.
PROS:
Sensitive – Intuitive and emotional, he is designed for attending to and comforting his person.
Engaging – Your toy dog is fun-loving, playful, and curious with family and friends.
Practical – Highly portable, he is easier to care for, manage, and satisfy than many other dogs.
CONS:
Codependent – Your lapdog’s clinginess and demands for attention may be challenging.
Wary – Toy dogs may be prone to alarm barking and defensiveness in new conditions.
Fragile – Bad weather, exercise, work, injury, or stress can easily put him over the edge.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Separation anxiety.
– House-soiling/difficulty in house training.
– His perception of “stranger danger” at home and in public.
– Protectiveness of his person (also known as lap guarding).
– Difficulty with small children.
– Excessive barking.
– Handling and grooming intolerance.
– Reactivity and dramatic behaviours toward other dogs.
PROS:
Flexible – Adaptive to change, she goes with the flow, and is at home in many environments.
Practical – She is observant, self-sufficient, undemanding, low-maintenance, and efficient.
Good -Natured – This dog is tolerant, solicitous, cooperative, docile, and level-headed.
CONS:
An Opportunist – She’s a trash scavenging and poop-eating machine, her essence being that of the original opportunistic dog looking for leftovers of any kind.
Got Your Number – Your world dog is a human behaviour expert who is reading and watching your every move.
Self-Serving – Her agenda and interest is her “job;” working for you is not.
POTENTIAL ISSUES:
– Peeing in the house.
– Chewing on things that don’t belong to her.
– Getting on your furniture.
– Barking at the neighbour’s cats.
– Stealing sandwiches off the coffee table.
– Jumping on people.
– Pulling on the leash.
– Having her own agenda that may or may not involve following your directions.
