Written by Niki Tudge Copyright 2011
The concept of breed differences is that each breed of dog and all members within that breed have similar physical and behavioral traits. Even though individual dog breeds have been selected for function through human directed selection and this function affects both physical and behavioral traits there is still much variance within each breed. Within each breed group dogs should be evaluated as individuals without bias (O’ Heare p 37). Recent research has suggested that recent selective pressures may have more influence on dogs’ behavioral patterns than distance ones. Making breed group generalizations can lead to ‘hasty generalization fallacy,’ an unwarranted generalization. Breed generalization may be appropriate as a tool to narrowing down a breed choice when selecting dog breed suitability for a family but is in no way a guarantee on the individual dog’s behavioral tendencies or physical appearance.
O’Heare J. Domestic Dog Behavior 103 (2010)