I tried to explain this gene to a physician friend who has 5 golden
retrievers. She could not understand it, and thought I was
imagining it. Here is the scientific evidence to prove it. Ha ha
ha, Amy
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2006 1:42
PM
Subject: [pyrnet] Not our Pyrs!!!
I am forwarding this from another list. Surely
the author is not talking about the same Great Pyrenees as
ours!
PGDS - PLEASING GENE DEFICIENCY
SYNDROME
By Carol Brescher
The American
dog behaviour scientist, Dr. Peter D. Wooffer, recently described PGDS in
his thesis. It's a condition which primarily affects Great Pyrenees. PGDS is
found to a certain degree in some other breeds, but it is most common in
Pyrs. On a weighted scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest), three
well-known breeds have the following
ratings:
Labrador Retrievers
0.5
Poodles
2.1
Great
Pyrenees
9.9
SYMPTOMS
PGDS results in
a strong disinclination to obey even simple commands like returning to owner
during outdoor activities without leash. The condition is aggravated by
factors such as:
- Yorkshire terriers at
large
- Passing
pizza delivery men
- Ongoing
excavation work
- Postmen
with dog biscuits in their pockets (as required by the
Postal Regulation
and known by any Pyr)
- Blackbirds
in the mood
PGDS can also
be seen indoors, particularly right after eating when owner approaches dog
with wet cloth to remove food debris from face. A typical evasive action
follows which can be attributed directly to
PGDS.
IS IT THE
REAL THING?
PGDS can
easily be mistaken for deafness, but there are significant differences. Use
this simple test: Open a bag of salted peanuts at approx. 800 yards from the
dog. If the dog
appears within approx. 5 seconds, deafness can usually be
ruled out.
As opposed to
a deaf dog, a PGDS-ridden dog usually eyeballs the owner for a short moment
before changing course or resuming previous
activity.
PGDS is not
related to the IQ of the dog in any way. In 1996, Dr. Wooffer demonstrated
in an experiment at Brussels University (Brussels, Arizona), that Great Pyrenees displaying typical
symptoms of PGDS were able to solve quadratic equations and understand
commands in contemporary Norwegian.
Certain
critics of Dr. Wooffer's work have suggested that PGDS is simply another
name for disobedience, but this has never been scientifically
proven.
WHAT DO I DO
IF MY DOG HAS PGDS?
PGDS is not
contagious but it is hereditary. You should notify the kennel that your dog
is afflicted with PGDS so they can take it into account when planning future
breeding. It is doubtful whether you will receive any compensation; most
breeders will try to reject
the claim for damages by arguing that it's a
characteristic of the breed.
When PGDS has
been diagnosed you must try to continue everyday life as best you can. Most
Pyr owners are excellent at explaining away the peculiar behaviour of their
dog. The following sentences might prove
useful:
- It hasn't
taken a proper run in 3 weeks
- It is
suffering from a rare disease
- It is still
only a puppy
- It is
deafâ
Your
contribution?
We are trying
to gather as much information as possible on this serious condition. If you
have made some interesting observations about PGDS in your Great Pyrenees,
please send us a Fax so that we can add them to this data for the benefit of
other worried Pyr owners.
Thank
You,
Carol
Brescher, Operations Manager
UniFlex Data
Systems, Inc.
255 Old New Brunswick
Road
(N230)
Piscataway, NJ 08854
(732)
562-8700 (Voice), (732) 562-0790 (Fax)