| Once again, Judi you hit the nail on the head.
Controlling the enviornment is part of nurturing that keeps dogs out of the headlines.
Trish,
Nurture takes on many forms. From proper socialization and rearing through training to creating a healthy human pack-order.
Nature however; says whether that's enough.
I've spent a lot of years around abused, neglected dogs. One thing that shines through everytime though.......the genetic makeup (nature) of the dog will be the determining factor in whether rehabilitation (nurture) can be effective and to what degree.
In the same breath....there are many dogs who only ACT like they have been abused....due to a weak nerve and less than stellar character that has nothing whatever to do with the nurturning they received.
Genetics says what kind of pet they'll make....and ownership says whether we'll read about the not-so-good ones.
Remember Trish....the FAMILY PET is responsible for a very large portion of bites reported.
__________________
A pedigree indicates what your dog should be. Conformation indicates what your dog appears to be. Performance, personality and character indicates what your dog actually *IS*. |