Dog Traits That Are Detrimental

Dogs are truly great companions; over time, they become less like pets and more like true members of the family. It's easy to fall in love with a dog, even when they're very hard to deal with, so it's very difficult to give up on them. That's why it's extremely saddening when a dog has to be given up because of a few bad traits. These may include showing aggressive behavior toward people or even attacking anyone that comes near its food or toys. These traits are truly detrimental to a dog's life: It may mean they have to be given up to an animal shelter or, worse, be put down.

  1. Aggression

    • For a variety of reasons, some dogs are more aggressive than others. This is especially true of abused dogs -- it's possible that an owner may never be able to gain the trust of an abused dog and thus may suffer the terrible effects of dog aggression. Aggression can lead to serious wounds or even death in small children. Aggressive dogs may attack other pets in your home.

    Territorial Behavior

    • Dogs are pack animals by nature, but when the hierarchy of the pack is not made clear to them, dogs may become territorial over their "belongings" -- especially food. To avoid territorial behavior from taking over your home, designate the leader of the family to demonstrate pack leader behavior and enforce submissive behavior in your dog. This means making the dog sit for everything he gets: prior to being fed or even getting pet. A dog must understand that all of his resources can be taken away because they belong to you, the pack leader, and not him. It may seem excessive, but dogs crave order and leadership. If a dog is territorial over food, never feed them around children, other dogs or other pets.

    Genetic Problems

    • Some dog breeds have unfortunately been overbred. This causes genetic abnormalities to develop, sometimes making it difficult for a dog to function normally or lead a healthy, long life. Two breeds with genetically linked breathing problems from overbreeding are the pug and the American bulldog. Both have flattened snouts and noses, making them prone to suffocation and early death from breathing complications if the condition isn't corrected with surgery before it gets too bad. The great Dane, one of the most lovable big dogs, has a detrimental genetic trait: heart problems. These dogs are very emotionally painful to own because they don't typically live more than seven to 10 years, and there's not much that can be done to prevent their early death.

    Untrainable

    • There are those dogs that are so stubborn that they're practically impossible to train. They also tend to have limitless energy and stamina that will leave you frustrated and exhausted after each training session. This trait is detrimental to the dog's future because they cannot be left without supervision. The dog may eat through electrical wires or swallow dangerous objects that can kill them. This leads to frustration and sadness from both owner and dog: The owner must keep a close eye on his dog at all times and, when that's not possible, the dog spends his time locked up in a kennel. The only thing you can do to prevent this is to take a very high-energy dog to a professional dog trainer as early in life as possible, and keep up with regular training throughout their life. This way, some of their unruly behaviors can be, at least, curbed for their adult life.