Let the Dog Come to Me

Tags

dog, dogs, hair whorl, left paw, miniature schnauzer, right paw

I miss having a dog in my apartment. Just last December, I had two dachshunds – Frankie and Cooper. It was great having them around. So next month, I’m getting another dog. This time, I’m getting a miniature schnauzer.

The miniature schnauzer ranks 12th in Stanley Coren’s Dog Intelligence Chart. This means dogs that belong to this breed are able to learn new commands after five to 15 repetitions and will obey on first command 85% of the time. A quick learner and an obedient pet, this is the best breed for me.

But how do I pick the best miniature schnauzer puppy from a litter of miniature schnauzers? How do I choose the one that will most likely have the temperament that I am looking for?

I very recently learned that it is easy to tell whether a dog has a natural disposition towards following commands and accomplishing tasks. Experts that train guide dogs for the disabled have data that show right-pawed dogs tend to do better in tests than left-pawed dogs. Another indicator of success is the direction of a dog’s hair whorl – a hair whorl that goes counter-clockwise usually predicts good performance in the guide dog training tests.

Video 1: Left Paw Right Paw (length: 6.59 minutes)

Video 2: Secret Life of Dogs (length: 46.40 minutes)

Apparently, right-pawed dogs are more task-oriented than left-pawed dogs. Left-pawed dogs, on the other hand, have a stronger ‘fight or flight’ mentality.

Studies have also established that left-pawed dogs have a higher tendency of showing aggression. Stanley Coren has also written on this topic. To me, aggression – specially aggression towards humans – is a no-no.

A simple way to check a dog’s temperament is by observing how it reacts to loud, unfamiliar noise. When it hears loud, unfamiliar noise, it should react but remain calm. If it runs away from or charges aggressively towards the noise, then it’s not the dog I’m looking for. Nervous dogs (dogs that run away from noise) and aggressive dogs (dogs that charge) may need a lot of training to correct these behaviors. If it doesn’t react at all, it may have hearing problems.

Next week, I will start visiting breeders. I’m really excited. I can’t wait to pick the best, right-pawed, counter-clockwise hair whorled, calm miniature schnauzer. It would be nice to have a fast-learning, obedient dog disobeying and outsmarting me again.

How many dogs do you see?

I see three:

Frankie, Copper and me!