INFLUENCE OF OWNERS’ PERSONALITY ON PERSONALITY IN LABRADOR RETRIEVER DOGS

抄録

Selective breeding of domestic dogs has created breeds that have various behavioral characteristics and unique morphologies. However, individual dogs within the same breed still show diversity in behavioral tendencies. Studies have demonstrated that a dog’s personality may be associated with that of the owner. However, most of these studies used a mixed sample of various breeds. Given the potential bias of owners with different personalities to choose different breeds, we should look at this correlation within the same breed. Here we tested whether five personality dimensions (neuroticism, extroversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness) of owners were associated with their dogs’ personality (fearfulness, aggression toward people, activity/excitability, responsiveness to training, and aggression toward animals) in a single breed, Labrador Retrievers. The results showed that dogs’ aggression toward people was negatively associated with owners’ extroversion, and dogs’ responsiveness to training was positively associated with owners’ openness. In contrast, dogs’ fearfulness, activity/excitability, and aggression toward animals were free of the influence of owners’ personality. These results suggested that dogs’ personality is at least partly affected by the owners’ personality.