[Mikey T]

Accordingly if the dog is as sensitive as I feel it may be; the dog would most likely be come fearfull and the consequence of mistreatment would manifest its self in the form of fear aggression and then you get in to a downard spiral.

Most aggression in all dogs not just bassets is born out of fear. Harsh treatment can aserbate the situation but it need not be present to cause a fearfull dog. It is the nature of all dogs after an inprintint perion that occurs
early in life 16 weeks of age is the generally accept top end of this period dogs will react fearfully to thinks they were never exposed to ie. men, children other dogs etc. Lack of early socialization and habituation is general the more common cause of fear and poor temperament than rough treatment. And one can not down play the role of genetics.

It is easy to assume that most dogs in resuce etc experence abuse and neglect and is the cause of the behavior wen in actually it is their behavior that landed then in rescue and shelters. Behavioral issue is the nimber one reason why dog are released by owner to shelters in survey after survey.


I think what people mean by a dogs sensitivity is how it reacts to stress, which in basset and other so called sensitive breeds is to shut down. Do nothing. ie flat basset and other such behavior.

seeMedia Hound, Front and Finish: July 1994

The most striking difference between the two dogs is a personality issue, not a matter of anything that can be labeled "intelligence." Although Coren devotes a full chapter to what he terms the "personality factor," he does not seem to realize how critical a role it plays in the obedience ring. Connie is like many bassets: she's bright and happy to learn if you can convince her that the learning was her idea in the first place (i.e., if you train with food). But she doesn't have a strong sense of duty; if she's under stress or a bit distracted, she'd as soon not obey a command as obey it. Let's indulge in speculation and generalization for a moment, dangerous though it might be. Bassets are perfectly capable of shutting down entirely under stress; more than anything else, their tendency toward negative stress management is the reason why judges see so many slow-moving, tail-drooping, lagging bassets in the ring. Border collies are an entirely different story. Once a behavior is learned, most border collies seem to perform regardless of stress; indeed, many respond to stress by getting sharper and sharper. Dream is not such a successful obedience dog because of her learning ability. She has excelled because, quite simply, she loves to perform in the ring in front of a crowd of spectators. It is this showy sparkle--a je ne sais quoi which would never appear on a personality or intelligence test--that makes Dream unusually good; her learning pattern is all but irrelevant. My basset loves to learn new things and loves to practice but gets a bit overwhelmed in stressful situations, freezing and refusing to work at all. Again, her learning pattern would be impossible to predict in an assessment of her ring performance. In both cases, an obedience judge, based on what she sees at a trial, would be unable to make any meaningful statement about these dogs' trainability. In general, the difference between bassets and border collies is far more a difference of intensity, energy level, and desire to obey commands in the face of adversity than it is a difference of trainability or problem-solving aptitude.

The most striking difference between the two dogs is a personality issue, not a matter of anything that can be labeled "intelligence." Although Coren devotes a full chapter to what he terms the "personality factor," he does not seem to realize how critical a role it plays in the obedience ring. Connie is like many bassets: she's bright and happy to learn if you can convince her that the learning was her idea in the first place (i.e., if you train with food). But she doesn't have a strong sense of duty; if she's under stress or a bit distracted, she'd as soon not obey a command as obey it. Let's indulge in speculation and generalization for a moment, dangerous though it might be. Bassets are perfectly capable of shutting down entirely under stress; more than anything else, their tendency toward negative stress management is the reason why judges see so many slow-moving, tail-drooping, lagging bassets in the ring. Border collies are an entirely different story. Once a behavior is learned, most border collies seem to perform regardless of stress; indeed, many respond to stress by getting sharper and sharper. Dream is not such a successful obedience dog because of her learning ability. She has excelled because, quite simply, she loves to perform in the ring in front of a crowd of spectators. It is this showy sparkle--a je ne sais quoi which would never appear on a personality or intelligence test--that makes Dream unusually good; her learning pattern is all but irrelevant. My basset loves to learn new things and loves to practice but gets a bit overwhelmed in stressful situations, freezing and refusing to work at all. Again, her learning pattern would be impossible to predict in an assessment of her ring performance. In both cases, an obedience judge, based on what she sees at a trial, would be unable to make any meaningful statement about these dogs' trainability. In general, the difference between bassets and border collies is far more a difference of intensity, energy level, and desire to obey commands in the face of adversity than it is a difference of trainability or problem-solving aptitude.

 

[Mikey T]

Behavioral] Reasons for Relinquishment of Dogs and Cats to 12 Shelters
Mo D. Salman, Jennifer Hutchison, and Rebecca Ruch-Gallie
College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Colorado State University

The Regional Shelter Relinquishment Study sponsored by the National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy (NCPPSP) is a national research project designed to
explore the characteristics of relinquished dogs and cats, their owners, and the reasons for relinquishment. The NCPPSP Regional Shelter Study found that behavioral problems,
including aggression toward people or nonhuman animals, were the most frequently given reasons for canine relinquishment and the second most frequently given reasons for feline relinquishment.

I have never heard this before and would be interested to see a source. I wouldn't find it terribly surprising but I find in my first hand experience there are more dogs that end up in shelters because their owners were moving, couldn't afford them anymore (including for illness), or even died. Some reasons that I see just plain don't make sense, like one dog that was brought in with the reason "doesnt love enough".

the result are different if what onwner say with out an interview are taken at face value. Most owner do not want to say the dog has behavior problems for fear it will more likely be euthanized rather than a suitable home found. It is why there is a large number of stereotypical answers in survey that just use the owners stated reason without the interview process.