Study Suggests a dog’s Breed has little impact on personality
Whenever you talk to any dog owner chances are they will tell you that their dog is unique. Turns out that it is true. A new study at the University of Massachusetts confirms it. The study entitled “Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes” was published in the journal Science and the findings suggest that a dog’s breed plays only a small part when it comes to determining its personality. Whether they are affectionate, playful, shy, or otherwise has mostly to do with the environment they are raised in and their experiences rather than their breed the study finds.
The study is the largest one of its kind. The research team compared the genetic and survey data of 2,155 dogs as well as the survey results from owners of an additional 16,000 pups. The dogs included mixes and purebreds with 128 breeds represented in the study.
When it comes to physical traits such as size and body proportions genetics plays a big role. But personality is a whole other story. The findings in the study challenge the stereotype that breeds have specific and reliable behaviours. While breed can be important, it doesn’t provide the full picture. According to the research, less than 25% of the differences in personality from dog to dog can be explained by genetics. While some behaviours like retrieving and being sociable with humans seem to have more to do with genetics, a dog’s playfulness and whether they are loving, standoffish, easy to train, or stubborn among other personality traits we love or dislike about our beloved companions varies wildly even among dogs of the same breed. For example, Labrador Retrievers, have a reputation for being kind, easy-going, and loving dogs which is most likely why they are the most popular dog breed in America for 31 consecutive years. But there are some who may be shy and aggressive. Pit Bulls on the other hand have a reputation for being hard-wired to be aggressive but data from the study defies the stereotype. The research team found that Pit Bulls were not more aggressive than other dogs despite what many believe.
The research findings show what many who are part of the dog world have been arguing for a while now which is that the behaviour of human’s greatest animal companion is shaped mostly by their environment and not their breed.