Wednesday, September 23, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Paw
Prints
Jodi Schneider McNamee
Columnist
What is your dog’s
personality?
Is your dog really play-
ful, or more laid-back? Does
your furry friend easily get
along with other dogs, or
does he run away from new
situations?
Your dog was born with
a set of instinctive behaviors
that he inherited from his
parents. These behaviors can
be grouped into three broad
categories — prey, pack, and
defense — called “drives.”
How many behaviors your
dog has in each category,
or drive, will determine his
temperament, his personal-
ity and how he perceives the
world.
But your dog’s personal-
ity doesn’t spring completely
from genetics or inherited
behaviors. Just like people,
dogs are affected by their
experiences and their envi-
ronment — and their person-
alities can change over time.
Personality is the com-
bination of characteristics
or set of attributes such as
sociability, aggressiveness,
and willingness to please,
that come together to form
the social behavior of a spe-
cies. Understanding who
your dog is, based on his
personality type, can help
you figure out why he acts
in a certain way and defines
his behavior characteristics
as an individual. Each dog
has their own personality
and just like people, dogs
fall into different personality
types.
We all know someone
who’s the life of the party,
someone who is quiet and
reserved, or someone who
will do whatever it takes to
get ahead.
Knowing your furry
friend can help avoid poten-
tial behavior issues before
they get out of control, when
you understand how he may
behave in certain situations.
The Confident Dog is a
natural-born leader of the
pack. He’s dominant, self-
assured, and can be pro-
voked to bite. But he’s a
team player and responds
best to a pet parent that is
determined and decisive and
has the potential to be a fine
working or show dog. He
can easily fit into a house-
hold provided his family
knows what they are doing
when it comes to training.
This dog feels secure in his
surroundings, and has a self-
assuredness that shows in his
body language.
The Independent Dog
tends to be uninterested in
people. This independent
personality is perfectly
happy being away from the
crowd. Some breeds are
independent by nature and
capable of developing a very
close bond with the family
member who takes control
as a fair, patient and strong
leader. He may not be very
affectionate and tends to
have a low need for human
companionship.
The Adaptable Dog is
eager to please, and the easi-
est of the five personalities
to train. Not as outgoing as
the happy personality, this
pooch gets along well with
other dogs, cats, and people,
including being reliable with
kids. He’s perfectly happy to
follow commands from his
pet parent. This is an easy-
to-control dog — coopera-
tive, gentle and affectionate,
which makes him a great
family pet. The adaptable
personality would be a good
candidate as a therapy dog.
The Laid-Back, Happy
Dog is always ready to greet
everyone he meets, whether
he knows them or not. He
gets along well with other
dogs and cats. Pooches with
a happy personality that
haven’t been taught basic
commands, like sit or down,
most likely will get into trou-
ble for jumping up on people
when they greet them. This
dog can also become overly
excited, especially around
children. He will become
well adjusted if he receives
regular training and lots of
exercise.
The Shy/Timid Dog
needs a pet parent who can
give calm, consistent, and
patient understanding, with
sensitivity to his needs and
feelings. This pooch is inse-
cure and extremely submis-
sive. A timid dog doesn’t like
being in uncomfortable situ-
ations or around sudden or
loud noises. He bonds very
closely with his pet parent
and requires regular com-
panionship and encourage-
ment to bring him out of his
shell. Reward this dog with
lots of praise for each little
success because he needs
that special reassurance from
the one he bonds with to feel
safe and secure.
Your furry family mem-
ber may fit perfectly into one
of these personality types or
he may be a couple of types
mixed together, but whatever
personality type your dog is,
19
photo by Jodi Schneider McnaMee
lucas is a laid-back happy dog.
enjoy your time with him
and give him every opportu-
nity to be the best he can.
Understanding your
furry friend’s personality
helps you avoid unneces-
sary confrontations when
training or socializing him.
Not all dogs enjoy being
around other canines, and
there’s nothing wrong
with that. Knowing why
your dog behaves the way he
does is one part of building
a strong bond that will last a
lifetime.