Many of the popular stereotypes about the behavior of golden retrievers, poodles, or sneakers, for example, are not supported by science, according to a new study.
“There is a huge variety of behaviors in each breed, and at the end of the day, every dog is truly an individual,” said study co-author and geneticist at the University of Massachusetts, Eleanor Carlson.
He said pet owners love to talk about their dog’s personality, as seen by some owners at a dog park in New York.
Elizabeth Kelly said her English Springer Spaniel was “friendly, but it’s also the queen bee species.” Suly Ortiz described her yellow lab as “really calm, lazy and shy”.
Suly Ortiz describes her yellow lab as “really calm, lazy and shy”. Research confirms what dog lovers know: every puppy is truly an individual. (Emma H. Tobin / The Associated Press)
And Rachel Kim’s mixed breed dog is “a lot of different dogs, in terms of personality – extremely independent, really affectionate with me and my husband, but handsome, quite suspicious of other people, other dogs.”
How much does the race predict behavior?
This kind of excitement from pet owners inspired Karlsson’s latest scientific research. He wanted to know to what extent behavioral patterns are inherited – and how dog breeds are associated with discreet and predictable behaviors.
The answer: While physical characteristics such as the long legs of a beagle or the spots of a Dalmatian are clearly inherited, the breed is not a strong prognostic factor in the personality of any single dog.
The researchers’ work, published Thursday in the journal Science, gathers a huge body of data to reach these conclusions – the most collected ever, said Adam Boyko, a geneticist at Cornell University who did not participate in the study.
Huskies compete in their team during the 28th International Sled Dog Race near Oberhof, Germany, on February 24, 2018. Some breeds, such as huskies and greyhounds, may show a greater tendency to howl. But many of these dogs do not, as both owners’ research and genetic data have shown. (Jens Meyer / The Associated Press)
Dogs became mankind’s best friend more than 14,000 years ago, as the only animal domesticated before the advent of agriculture.
But the concept of dog breeds is much more recent. About 160 years ago, humans began to breed selective dogs to have certain stable physical characteristics, such as the texture and color of the hair and the shape of the ear.
The researchers looked at more than 18,000 dog owners and analyzed the genomes of about 2,150 of their dogs to look for designs.
Some behaviors show heredity, but not strictly according to the lines of the race
They found that certain behaviors – such as screaming, showing and showing friendliness to strangers – have at least some genetic basis. But this inheritance is not passed down strictly according to the lines of the tribe. For example, they found golden retrievers that do not recover, said co-author Kathryn Lord, who studies animal behavior with Carlson. Some breeds, such as huskies and beagles, may show a greater tendency to howl. But many of these dogs do not, as both owners’ research and genetic data have shown. Researchers have not been able to find a genetic basis for aggressive behaviors or links to specific breeds. “The correlation between dog behavior and dog breed is much lower than expected,” said Jeff Kidd, a geneticist at the University of Michigan who had no role in the study.
