Breeders and dog owners often talk about behaviors and personalities that are supposedly specific to various dog breeds. But these popular stereotypes are actually poor predictors of whether a pup is friendly, aloof, or easy to train, according to a new study published yesterday (April 28) in Science.
“There is a huge amount of behavioral variation in every breed, and at the end of the day, every dog really is an individual,” study coauthor and University of Massachusetts geneticist Elinor Karlsson tells the Associated Press.
Karlsson tells the AP that pet owners’ enthusiasm to talk about their pet's personalities inspired her latest research into dog behavior. She was curious about the extent to which behavioral patterns are inherited, and how much a dog’s breed is associated with distinctive and predictable behaviors.
The researchers compiled a massive dataset of physical and behavioral descriptions provided by more than 18,000 dog owners and ...
