Dog personality study could help match the right breed with the right owner Behaviour

A recent study [published March 2011] has investigated the personalities of 98 breeds of dog, in an effort to categorise certain aspects of their personality.

The chief features explored in the study are Calmness, Trainability, Dog Sociability, and Boldness.

Previous work has tended to classify breeds of a certain Group (i.e. Terriers, Hounds, Pastoral [Herding] dogs, Mastiffs and so on) as all having certain characteristics common to that Group, but this study shows that many breeds do not fit their Kennel Club's designation.

This study can certainly help with prospective owners looking for their ideal breed to fit in with their lifestyle, and also help rescues gauge an individual dog's temperament based on its breed parentage.

For instance a family with children would almost certainly want a breed with a High level of Calmness:
Is calm, even in ambiguous situations
Is emotionally balanced, not easy to rile
Is cool-headed even in stressful situations

Dog Sociability would be an important factor for anyone living in a town or city, where the dog would be meeting other dogs on a daily basis in parks. It may not matter to someone who lives in a rural location, seldom meets any other dogs and enjoys long walks in remote areas.

Low Sociability indicates a dog that:
Fights with others frequently
Is bullying with other dogs

High Sociability is of course the polar opposite of the above, and a dog that gets on well with others of its own species, and is ready to share toys with them.

Trainability is probably less of a consideration for those who are wanting a household pet (virtually all breeds can be trained to basic level, i.e. sit, down, recall, housebreaking, etc.) but would be of importance for those seeking a breed for dog sports or working. However it should be considered that dogs with a low Trainability score may be difficult off-lead and may not be able to be given full freedom.

Boldness
A breed that is Low on the Boldness scale:
Is rather cool, reserved
Is unassertive, aloof when unfamiliar persons enter the home
Sometimes fearful, shy or awkward

High Boldness would be those breeds that energetic, excitable and reactive, such as terriers.

The breakdown of the different breeds is given on page 66,and there are some interesting results.

Full study is here [PDF file]:

Trainability and boldness traits differ between dog breed clusters
Borbála Turcsán∗, Eniko˝ Kubinyi, Ádám Miklósi,
Department of Ethology, Eötvös University, H-1117, Pázmány P. s. 1/c, Budapest, Hungary