We have a huge influence on our dog’s personalities. This, from a Michigan State University study that surveyed over 1,600 dog owners.

Researchers asked owners to evaluate their dog’s personalities and answer questions related to the dog’s behavioral history. They also answered questions about their own personalities.

The team found that dogs often resemble their owners. For example, extroverted individuals said their dogs were friendly, while unsociable people said their dogs were more fearful.

This study suggests that while some traits are genetic, dogs’ personalities are largely molded by their humans.

Source:

Michigan State University (2019, February 24). Good Dog? Bad Dog? Their Personalities Can Change. NeuroscienceNews. Retrieved February 24, 2019 from http://neurosciencenews.com/dog-personality-10804/

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Taylor Bennett

Taylor Bennett

Taylor Bennett is the Content Development Manager at Thriveworks. She devotes herself to distributing important information about mental health and wellbeing, writing mental health news and self-improvement tips daily. Taylor received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism, with minors in professional writing and leadership from Virginia Tech. She is a co-author of Leaving Depression Behind: An Interactive, Choose Your Path Book and has published content on Thought Catalog, Odyssey, and The Traveling Parent.

Check out “Leaving Depression Behind: An Interactive, Choose Your Path Book” written by AJ Centore and Taylor Bennett."

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