Opinion Research now proves what every dog lover already knows: Breeds don’t matter

A Rottweiler is dangerous, a labrador is the perfect family pet and Indian dogs — and the so-called “mixed breeds” — have an unpredictable temperament. Yet, true dog lovers have always known, from both instinct and experience, that “there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad owners”. Now, research coming out of the US has confirmed their intuition. A study published in the Journal of Science found that the correlation between breeds and behavioural characteristics in over 18,000 dogs was minimal. Nature matters, of course, but nurture, it is quite clear, matters more.

Most of the breeds we know today began emerging in the Victorian era. And while much has changed in the last couple of centuries, the distinctly feudal obsession with the status dogs can provide remains intact. The upwardly-mobile family of the 1980s and ’90s wanted a Pomeranian, the barking bling of choice today is Beagles. And, perhaps thanks to their virality on YouTube, it is now easy to spot Huskies — a breed meant for snow-clad, high-altitude climes — in the 45-degree heat of the Indian Subcontinent. The most common response from the status-conscious dog lovers, when confronted about why they don’t adopt Indian breeds or “stray” dogs is: “Don’t know the parents, or breed. What if their temperament is off?”

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Scores of people across the world adopted dogs during the pandemic. It was, for many, the one solace of being trapped at home — most canine companions, after all, require constant attention. But the reward for that attention is, to put it simply, unconditional love. As jobs, relationships and friends came and went, dogs stayed firm in their loyalty. It did not matter if they were Cocker Spaniels or Great Danes, Dachshunds or Dobermans. Thank god for dogs, breed no bar.