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tend to enjoy that function and it comes naturally to them. Third, they have a desire, verging on need, to perform that function. Lastly a higher percentage of animals bred for a purpose are going to be likely to perform that purpose than the general population because they are genetically inclined to do so. This can be a problem when the animal is taken out of an environment where it can perform said function safely. A harmless retriever might chase tennis balls all day. But without sheep, a herding dog, might take to herding children and nipping at their heals or a sighthound might chase the neighbors cat or small dog and kill it. These unfortunate situations are brought about by human misunderstanding of the dog’s natural urges. If a dog has certain drives and no proper outlet for them, serious problems can arise. If humans understood the dog’s needs, they could perhaps provide them a positive outlet for these urges, or better yet, not get a breed of dog that is unsuited for such situations.
I can recall an example of misunderstanding a breed from my youth. I grew up riding show horses and it was the general consensus amongst the show set that Thoroughbreds were crazy out of control horses. As I have gotten older I have become a fan of horseracing and now realize that Thoroughbreds are just horses bred for a specific purpose. That purpose is to run flat out - not to be a child’s saddle pony. Given the opportunity to perform their chosen task, by people who understand what they are about and know how to handle them, a majority of them are quite sane animals, but as saddle ponies they are often extremely dangerous. This does not make them crazy, or vicious, it just means they are out of place.
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