What is My Dogs Personality?

What is your dog's personality? Although the term "personality" may not be appropriate to describe a canine companion's characteristics, dogs do have individual strengths and weaknesses that make up the dog's temperament. Knowing your dog's temperament will help you decide how to raise your dog. You may even want to find a dog trainer with experience motivating dogs just like yours. You can also use temperament characteristics to help you select a dog that will best adapt to your family and lifestyle.

TESTING
Much has been written about temperament testing. Research about reliability is not all positive. Canine behaviorists evaluate dogs for placement in new homes as well as for selection of dogs for specific work. This type of temperament testing is valid when the tester has years of experience with hundreds of dogs. But checking off responses to exercises is of little value unless you can compare it to your knowledge of those hundreds of other dogs. It is difficult to list exercises with which you could reliably select a dog for your family. However, the detailed information provided here gives you the background you need to interact with a dog and draw some conclusions. As you read through this detailed material on canine temperaments, terminology can get complicated.

TERMINOLOGY
"Dominant" and "Subordinate" describe a social status extremes while "Assertive" and "Submissive" describe reactions to threats. Many people use "dominant" as the opposite of "submissive" so I am pointing out that this is not how I use the terms to avoid any confusion.

EVALUATING PUPPIES
Temperament testing is often cited as a method for predicting the adult personality of a puppy. Research shows that it is not accurate. Generally, puppies (6-12 weeks) display more subordinate and submissive behavior to strangers than they will as adults. Adolescent dogs (6-18 months depending on breed) generally display more assertive and dominant behavior to strangers than they will as adults. A puppy gets a lot of clues about social status from his environment. Since the environment is always changing, so is a dog's behavior. Evaluating puppies is helpful but cannot fully predict an adult dog's behavior.

PREDICTING AGGRESSION
A special mention of temperament testing and predicting aggression is in order. It may be common sense to assume that assertive dogs are dominant and submissive dogs are subordinate. This is NOT the case. In fact, this is not even the norm. It also would be common sense to assume that assertive or dominant dogs would be more likely to be aggressive. This is also not reality.

Your Golden Retriever, listens to everyone, even strangers. This labels her a subordinate dog. She also runs up to every baby carriage and mail carrier to investigate, making her an assertive dog. While investigating, she bowls people over with her licking and tail wagging. However, when pinched, stepped on and grabbed by children she does not bite. As you can see assertiveness occurs in subordinate dogs and is not a predictor of aggression.

Your neighbor's German Shepherd understands many commands but ignores them from anyone but her owner. She accepts leadership from few people and never from strangers. This is a trait of a socially dominant dog. Further evidence of her high social status is that she engages in prolonged eye contact with you when you walk by the fence. She doesn't bark, just stares at you. However, when her owner got a 6' foot tall cat scratching post, the shepherd hid in the basement for two days because she reacts submissively to threatening situations. If their home were broken into, chances are the dog would hide again. Dominance is not a good predictor of assertiveness or aggression.

Last example. Your sister's subordinate and submissive Sheltie rolls over on her back when approached by anyone, even toddlers. Once when she was hiding from the exterminator, you reached under the bed to comfort her and she bit you! Not dominant OR assertive, yet someone got bitten. The point is, aggression is not predictable based on characteristics of temperament alone. Temperament measures do not predict biting now or in the future.

EXTREME BEHAVIOR
Extreme behavior during evaluation is always a concern. Extremely submissive, assertive, dominant or subordinate dogs will be more difficult to train than dogs with more moderate temperaments.

Overt threats from a puppy (under 6 months of age), growling and threatening body postures, are always undesirable pet behaviors, even for a future watch dog. Puppies displaying these behaviors lack social skills to interact safely with other animals, including people. These dogs may be unable to accept the ever widening social group encountered by a dog living in a human family. Overt threats in an adult will require careful handling as well but are as much caused by learning as by innate temperament.

Fear of people in a puppy, exhibited by hiding and crying out when touched, is also undesirable behavior for a pet. An overly fearful puppy may not be able to accept the busy life of a human family. Unusual fears in adults may be learned from specific experience and will require special handling as well.

Both of these extremes of assertiveness and submissiveness are observed in puppies and dogs kept in isolated environments, especially without a mother or siblings, during critical periods of development. If you are considering adopting a dog that displays extreme behavior, please contact a behaviorist for assistance.

ABUSED DOGS
A very special evaluation is required for dogs that have been subjected to extremely poor care. Mistreated dogs may display behavior that is not indicative of their true temperament. If you are considering adopting a dog that you know has not had proper care, consult a dog trainer for advice with temperament evaluation. Be sure you can offer this dog the social situations that will prevent him or her from harming a person or coming to harm as a result of extreme behavior.

Evaluating a dog's temperament can help you to choose a dog that will fit into your family or help you determine which type of training will be most effective for a dog you already live with. All dogs have a mouth, and all dogs can bite, regardless of their temperament.

The above is general information always ask your veterinarian about the care of your Shih Tzu puppy or dog!