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Dogs have personalities too!

June 16, 2003

It might be thought that personality is something that only exists among humans. But this is by no means the case, according to Kenth Svartberg at the Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, who has studied the personalities of dogs in his doctoral dissertation. He has shown that dogs--just like humans--differ when it comes to anxiety, playfulness, and wanting to mingle with unknown people!

Personality in animals can be described as the individual's typical way of behaving in various situations. The Swedish researcher Kenth Svartberg has studied the personality of dogs with the aid of a test in which the dog encounters different types of situations. By analyzing data from a large number of dogs of several breeds, he has found support for personality traits in dogs. There are primarily three important distinctions that emerge from the test.

One of these is the dog's attitude to strange people--from suspiciousness and reserved posture, to a positive attitude where the dog willingly and gleefully greets strangers. Another trait is the dog's general reaction to unfamiliar events in the environment, where the dog can be placed on a scale from 'very little fear in combination with great curiosity' to 'great fear and little curiosity.'

The third distinctive personality trait is the dog's interest in playing with humans, both familiar and unfamiliar ones. These personality traits are stable across repeated tests.

Moreover, the personality from the test is noticeable in other situations. On the one hand, personality traits seem to be important for the success of tests designed for working dogs, but there are also clear ties between personality in the test and how pet dogs normally function in everyday situations. Of interest regarding dogs of the future is the fact that personalities typical of a breed seem to be sensitive to modern breeding, and not to the original tasks of the breed. For instance, Kenth Svartberg has found a connection between breeding for exhibitions and a high degree of caution toward both people and events in the environment. This is in stark contrast to the personality of popular breeds, which are characterized by great playfulness and social optimism. In summary, the study shows that several important aspects of the personality of dogs can be described by a behavioral test, which can be used, for example, in breeding and for predictions of future behaviors in various situations.

Vetenskapsrådet (The Swedish Research Council)