Do Dog Owners Choose Dogs With The Same Personality As Them?

Do we choose dogs that have the same personality as we do?

Though I don’t agree with everything in these studies, it may point out why people of certain personality types have issues with their dogs. By that I mean, we all know someone on our own block that can’t keep control of their dog, keeps them on a chain outside all day or their dog is constantly getting loose. Everyone else on the block has dogs and with no problems. But everyone always has an issue with this one family. Oh yeah, and their dog is always a large breed.

So does this mean that certain irresponsible personality types are attracted to certain breeds? I don’t know.

But what I do know is that I don’t really like to ever use the term “aggressive” about any breed. Every single dog is different from the next dog, just as we humans are. Yes, some may have more of a guard dog mentality then others, but if the owner cares for and takes responsibility for their big dog, there should never be an issue.

And that, my friends is ALWAYS the answer. Take responsibility for the life of your pup.

If you notice your dog has fear issues with kids, get some help and maybe, just maybe, don’t bring them around children. I know sometimes as dog parents we can be blind to issues with our dogs, but we aren’t serving the children or our dog well, if we don’t open our eyes.

Every time I walk my dogs and a parent asks if their child can pet my dog, I remind myself that if Max or Remy bit the child, this parent would be working overtime to have them put down. Thankfully, my hounds are sweethearts, but you get the picture.

I guess in the end, with dogs, and children I might add, it all comes down to responsibility.

Let us know what you think in the comments section and please be nice and courteous of other people’s opinion.

Thanks!

Kenn Bell
Dog Files Creator

It has often been said that spouses come to resemble each other over time, and sometimes dogs and their owners do too. But do pets and people have personalities in common as well? A pair of new studies suggests that may be the case.

In one study, published in the October 2012 issue of the journal Personality and Individual Differences, researchers approached owners at obedience classes in Northern Ireland and asked them to fill out a personality questionnaire. For the study, only owners of German shepherds, Rottweilers, Labrador retrievers and golden retrievers were asked to participate.

“We deliberately wanted to focus on breeds that are commonly owned, but at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of public perception of temperament — both German shepherds and Rottweilers are commonly perceived to be aggressive, while labs and retrievers (breeds frequently used to advertise organizations such as Guide Dogs for the Blind) are more likely to regarded in a nonaggressive light,” researcher Deborah Wells said.

The findings of the study indicated that owners of the stereotypically laid-back breeds such as Labrador retrievers are less likely to be hostile and aggressive than owners of dog breeds with more intense personalities like German shepherds and Rottweilers. The shepherd and Rottie owners scored higher in the personality trait of psychoticism, which is marked by anger, hostility and aggression. In fact, of all the traits focused on in the questionnaire, the only marked difference between owner types was that of psychoticism.

A similar study published in the June 2012 issue of the journal Anthrozoös (a multidisciplinary journal focused on research regarding the interaction between people and animals) found that people with more argumentative personalities are more likely to choose bull terriers or similar breeds than breeds perceived to be more easygoing. In Anthrozoös’ study, seven common breeds of dog were rated by 235 people through an online survey. The survey also asked participants to rate themselves on traits regarding standard personality categories such as Agreeableness, Conscientiousness and Neuroticsm. It also asked them to disclose their age and any youthful delinquency and describe their dating practices.

The results showed a clear pattern in personality traits and preferred dog breeds. People who scored lower in Agreeableness and higher in Neuroticism and Conscientiousness, and younger people, actively preferred a dog thought of as aggressive. Neither youthful delinquency nor a wish to impress the opposite sex predicted this preference for an aggressive dog (although these factors were considered within the Agreeableness score). What these findings showed is that a preference for a more aggressive dog is not necessarily driven by self-reported desire for status display or male competition so much as youth and low Agreeableness and Conscientiousness generally.

Neither study can answer the question of whether aggressive people choose dog breeds with a reputation for aggression and then intentionally train them to be aggressive. Researcher Wells stresses: “Just because someone with a higher psychotic tendency owns a breed that is widely perceived to be aggressive, does not necessarily mean that animal is a threat to society.” She also points out that many other factors can influence an owner’s choice of dog breed, such as the size of dog the owner’s home can accommodate, and any allergies the owner may have.

Dog owners, of course, would tell researchers that they are leaving out another factor: very often, the dog chooses you.

Story by Mikki Hooven

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resumewritersworld.com
11 years ago

So funny picture!)))

San Diego Dog Wash
11 years ago

For a minute, I thought this post was about dog owners choosing dogs who look like them? LOL! Labradors and golden retrievers are great with kids and popular as family dogs. While bulldogs, rottweilers, dobermans really have that macho image in them. Interesting argument!

petara
11 years ago

I also thought like that,But such an interesting post isn’t it.

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