What are the definitions of ?

Question

These words when used to speak of dogs weak nerved, sharp/shy, unstable, fear aggressive dogs.

Could you please give examples as I really want to understand fully what you mean when you talk about these terms.

Is there varying degrees of these temperments (if that is what they are called) that would be acceptable in your eyes?

Answer 1

I'll take a shot at this.

First off - let me repeat - all "emotions" are based on genetics.  We can "nurture" what is there, but we cannot change what is there.  So to me, what sort of temperament would be acceptable to me is what I would be comfortable with my ability to "modify" into what I expect from any dog of mine.

To me - the first 3 terms are synonymous.  And there are varying degrees of it, whatever you want to call it.  Basically, it means the dog has a trigger (lightening, firecrackers, car doors, etc.) that sets off an unreasonable (to us) "flight" response.  The dog is unable to control this - at best, we can modify it's behaviour when in the presence of that trigger, and limit exposure to the trigger(s)

Fear aggression is a different thing - or possibly, just the deep end of the continuum.  We all have chemicals in our brains that are released under stress.  These chemicals, and the brain's response to them, are what causes our heart beat to increase, our faces to flush, etc.  In dogs that have fear-based aggression - they are afraid of their world.  Those stress chemicals never shut off.  The dog is constantly under stress.  It has two options - fight or flight, and will choose fight when it has to.  That is why these dogs cannot be fixed - unless you are willing to keep your dog doped up for the rest of it's life.  In my mind, that is mere existence, and not life.

Answer 2

Gladly!! Weak nerved is a dog that is easily bothered by anything out of the norm in his environment. A dog that freaks out when a loud noise occurs, when it hides from things that other dogs will not hide from.

Sharp/shy can be defined in a few different ways, but, the one I like and use is the dog that is so scared that it becomes defensive and tries to bite/snap/growl for no right reason.

Unstable speaks for itself..any dog mentioned above would be considered unstable, not able to act in a predictable manner to a stimuli every time!!

Fear aggressive is the WORST type of dog and the kind that will bite anything and anyone that it perceives as threat, real or imaginative.

These dogs will bite adults, kids, anything that stands in the way of them feeling secure!

Of course there are varying degrees, some dogs are worse then others.

None of these would be acceptable in my eyes as far as my dog.

I spend years and a lot of money looking and getting a dog for myself, and I make d**n sure that what I get does not come close to what is being described here!!

Answer 3

well i found this great answer about weak nerved dogs-

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?...

as for Shy- i would have to say a dog that is just very leery or nervous about everything around it, a fear bitter most likely.

unstable- would to me be one that has been in a situation of abuse to the point of a total psychological break down. (gone mad)

fear aggressive- a fear bitter comes to mind. a dog that chooses FIGHT in the flight of fight reflex. Animals AND humans have flight of fight reflex. backed into a corner the animal is frightened and chooses to fight for it's "life" instead of fleeing.