{"id":2267,"date":"2013-02-07T06:04:02","date_gmt":"2013-02-06T19:34:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/?p=2267"},"modified":"2021-08-02T17:39:55","modified_gmt":"2021-08-02T07:09:55","slug":"desex-the-bad-ones","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/leemakennels.com\/blog\/dogs-and-politics\/desex-the-bad-ones\/","title":{"rendered":"Desex the bad ones!"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dog and Cat Management Board in South Australia made a proposal that hit the news this weekend. \u00a0You can read all about it here<\/a>, but basically the sub headline sums it up nicely:\u00a0Every dog will be desexed unless they can pass a test proving they are good natured under a proposal aimed at reducing attacks.<\/em><\/p>\n

I find it hard to start where this type of proposal is concerning, but I’ll try!<\/p>\n

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\"A<\/a>

A litter of Brittany puppies, 1 year old, most of them entire (not desexed).<\/p><\/div>\n

What temperament test?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who will determine a fair temperament test? (Hopefully it’s nothing like the widely criticised RSPCA temperament test<\/a>). \u00a0According to this article, Melbourne’s La Trobe University currently is trying to develop a reliable temperament test, though I am pessimistic that any test will be able to determine the intrinsic genetic nature of the dog rather than it’s environmentally-developed behaviour (the nature versus nurture<\/a> debate). What criteria will be used? When will the public be consulted?\u00a0Who will conduct this test? Just one person on a panel? How will consistency be established?<\/p>\n

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Administration, Enforcement and Accessibility<\/strong><\/p>\n

How would such a scheme be paid for?<\/p>\n

Considering that councils fail to enforce leash laws, litter laws, and dog registration, how can we have faith they will be able to enforce desexing laws?<\/p>\n

How will this scheme be accessible to regional communities?<\/p>\n

How do we ensure that people don’t dope their dogs up for the test?<\/p>\n

If a dog fails, how does one plan to make that individual desex their pet?<\/p>\n

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Temperament Changes Over Time<\/strong><\/p>\n

Young dogs and puppies almost always have amicable temperaments. \u00a0It is likely that most dogs aged 6-12 months would pass a temperament test, but this is not\u00a0indicative\u00a0of their life-long temperament. \u00a0This requires a temperament test, to be truly indicative, to take place when the dog is approximately 2-3 years old – which would allow many dogs to be bred before they even undertake the test.<\/p>\n

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Implications on Breed Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dogs should be selected for breeding based on a bunch of factors, not just their temperament (like my thought process in breeding my 2012 litter<\/a>). Healthy dogs need to be bred from, especially if they have health characteristics that are lacking in the breed. \u00a0My concern is that with a temperament test determining the suitability of dogs for breeding, that animal health may become a secondary concern to breeders.\u00a0For a breed with problems with hip and elbow dysplasia, a dog with perfect hip and elbow scores may be eradicated from the breeding program because he temperament didn’t pass the test. Is this loss really\u00a0justifiable?<\/p>\n

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Implications on Genetic Diversity in Breeds<\/strong><\/p>\n

Furthermore, this proposal would effectively lead to less dogs being bred from in given breeds, which is likely to lead in reduction of genetic diversity<\/a> within breeds. Indeed, this lack of genetic integrity may lead to a breed being forced into extinction.<\/p>\n

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Extinction of Breeds with “Less-Than-Amicable” Temperaments<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clearly, not all dogs have a\u00a0Labrador\u00a0temperament, which is generally\u00a0enthusiastic\u00a0and pleased to be in the company of people. \u00a0Some breeds are aloof or reserved, some breeds are bred to be ‘fiesty’. \u00a0This article says that breeders should be producing\u00a0dogs with ‘more amicable and socially acceptable temperaments’, but that ignores the jobs that dogs are bred to do. Terriers are bred and kept, even in this modern day, to hunt vermin. \u00a0Livestock guardian breeds<\/a> are currently used, as they have for many years, to guard livestock. \u00a0Many breeds are bred to have a purpose beyond family pets. \u00a0My biggest concern is that only ‘amicable breeds’ would be allowed to be bred from, and so breeds would become extinct. I\u00a0acknowledge\u00a0that I am biased here, being a terrier person, but there are countless other breeds with standard-specified breed traits that are not in keeping with ‘amicable’.<\/p>\n

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Ignores Socialisation as a Factor in Temperament<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is no doubt that temperament is a produce of an animal’s genetic makeup and it’s life experiences. \u00a0For dogs, puppy socialisation<\/a> and ongoing social interaction is crucial for producing ‘safe’ dogs. \u00a0Indeed, our whole Dunbar series<\/a> focussed predominately on the importance of early life experiences. \u00a0The implications are that ‘bad pets’ are often made by socialisation and training, and aren’t necessarily ‘born bad’. \u00a0A temperament test only assesses the temperament, and not the root cause of the temperament. \u00a0Genetically ‘good’ (sociable, amicable) dogs will be removed from the gene pool if they were raised in ‘bad’ ways. \u00a0The opposite is also true: Genetically ‘bad’ dogs (anxious, aggressive, reactive) dogs will be included in the gene pool if they were raised in ‘good’ ways. \u00a0Both of these outcomes are very possible, but neither is desirable.<\/p>\n

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Implications on Health of\u00a0Individual\u00a0dogs<\/strong><\/p>\n

When individual dogs are forced to be desexed, this has implications on the health of that particular dog. \u00a0Though there are health benefits associated with desexing, there is also a great number of problems that have been linked with desexing, too. In\u00a0Laura Sanborn’s 2007 report<\/a>, she found that desexing in both sexes was associated with:<\/p>\n