Dogs are not just pets, they are our faithful friends and family members. Each dog is unique and has its own personality. But what influences the personality of our four-legged friends? This is the question scientists from Finland asked themselves, who conducted a study to find out what factors influence the character of dogs.
The study was conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Helsinki, Folkhälsan Research Center and the University of Turku. They analyzed data on 11,418 dogs to understand what factors influence the pets’ character formation.
Personality traits are critical to well-being because they act as predictors of mortality as well as physical and mental health – both in humans and other animals, the authors of the paper noted. In pets, including dogs, personality can also affect relationships with relatives and the owner.
“Since personality is inherent in at least most animals, studying the character traits of dogs can deepen understanding of personality in all species. Plus it will improve the well-being of both the pet and the owner,” the authors of the article noted.
The findings are published in the journal iScience.
Factors affecting the character of dogs
Among other things, the researchers took into account 12 critical variables, including gender, age, breed, socialization level, presence of other dogs in the home; average time spent alone during the day; the reason a person decided to get a pet, and more.
Subjects ranged in age from 0.18 to 17.13 years (mean, 5.18 years), with 53% being female and the majority (76%) being intact. A total of 52 breeds participated in the study, the most frequent (480 dogs) were Finnish Lapphunds, Arctic spitz-like herding dogs.
The authors of the study found that the breeds varied markedly in all personality traits and that age was closely related to personality traits. Some environmental factors, such as the level of socialization as a puppy, the frequency of play and the reason for owning the dog also influenced the animal’s personality. However, the effect was not as significant, i.e., the relationship between environment and personality is limited.
Interestingly, previous studies have focused on the main images of personality structure and traits such as fearfulness/non-defensiveness, energy/activity, tendency to train, aggressiveness and sociability. But despite this data, the factors influencing the personality of man’s four-legged friends have not yet been fully explored. In particular, it remained unclear whether the character of a dog really changes with age, how much it depends on the breed, and so on.
What else is important to know
Character traits in dogs have long been of interest to scientists. As the authors of the study point out, personality traits in dogs are largely genetic, as estimates of heritability in humans and in animals often range from 40 to 50 percent. However, some of the variability in personality is also due to environmental influences, especially in early childhood. Plus, while personality traits are relatively stable after ontogenesis, they change with age: conscientiousness and malleability often increase in humans, while neuroticism and extraversion, on the other hand, decline with age.
A study by scientists in Finland provides a better understanding of how the character of our four-legged friends is formed. It may help dog owners take better care of their pets and improve their quality of life.