DOGS’ PERSONALITIES CAN CHANGE

A recent study suggests that canine personalities aren’t set in stone and, just like humans, they can go through dramatic personality changes based on life events. The research, which was published in Journal of Research in Personality, is the largest study of dog personality ever conducted. Over 1,600 dogs spanning 50 different breeds were included in the work, which surveyed pet owners and attempted to draw links between life events and changes in the behavior of the animals and their caretakers. William Chopik, lead author of the study, said, “When humans go through big changes in life, their personality traits can change. We found that this also happens with dogs. We expected the dogs’ personalities to be fairly stable because they don’t have wild lifestyle changes humans do, but they actually change a lot. We uncovered similarities to their owners, the optimal time for training and even a time in their lives that they can get more aggressive toward other animals.”
* Like when they figure out how to drink your beer when you’re not home.
* How can they tell? For dogs, it’s a fine line between sociable exuberance and just having an urge to sniff butts.
* My cat has become unbelievably sarcastic over the years.
* Thanks, Journal of Research in Personality, but we knew this already thanks to nine years of that “Dog Whisperer” show. DUHHH!!!