Click title of post for link.
INTERESTING
Dog and owner demographic characteristics and dog personality trait associations
Enikő Kubinyi, Borbála Turcsán1, and Ádám Miklósi
Eötvös University, Department of Ethology, H-1117, Pazmany P. s. 1/c, Budapest, Hungary
Abstract
The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between four personality traits (calmness, trainability, dog sociability and boldness) of dogs (Canis familiaris) and dog and owner demographics on a large sample size with 14,004 individuals. German speaking dog owners could characterize their dog by filling out a form on the Internet. There were five demographic variables for dogs and nine for owners. Two statistical methods were used for investigating the associations between personality and demographic traits: the more traditional general linear methods and regression trees that are ideal for analyzing non-linear relationships in the structure of the data.
The results showed that calmness is influenced primarily by the dog's age, the neutered status, the number of different types of professional training courses (e.g. obedience, agility) the dog had experienced and the age of acquisition. The least calm dogs were less than 2.5 years old, neutered and acquired after the first 12 weeks of age, while the calmest dogs were older than 6.9 years. Trainability was affected primarily by the training experiences, the dog's age, and the purpose of keeping the dog. The least trainable dogs had not received professional training at all and were older than 3 years. The most trainable dogs were those who participated in three or more types of professional training. Sociability toward conspecifics was mainly determined by the age, sex, training experience and time spent together. The least sociable dogs were older than 4.8 years and the owners spent less than 3 h with the dog daily. The most sociable dogs were less than 1.5 years old. Males were less sociable toward their conspecifics than females. Boldness was affected by the sex and age of the dog and the age of acquisition. The least bold were females acquired after the age of 1 year or bred by the owner. The boldest dogs were males, acquired before the age of 12 weeks, and were younger than 2 years old. Other variables, including the owner's gender, age, education, previous experience with dogs, the number of people and dogs in the household, and purpose of keeping the dogs had minor, but detectable effects.
The results suggest that on-line questionnaires are a very effective means for collecting data about dog behavior, especially if owners are motivated by instant feedback. However, note that the characteristics of dogs in the present study were reported by the owners, and the associations with the traits do not necessarily represent a causal relationship.
Thoughts and observations from someone who has been repeatedly introduced as "Nicole Silvers, that dog whisperer lady I was telling you about" I don't whisper to dogs; I eavesdrop on their conversations with each other.
Search This Blog
Blog Archive
-
►
2014
(1)
- ► January 2014 (1)
-
►
2010
(14)
- ► March 2010 (4)
- ► February 2010 (9)
- ► January 2010 (1)
-
▼
2009
(88)
- ► November 2009 (4)
- ► October 2009 (4)
- ► September 2009 (3)
- ► August 2009 (11)
-
▼
July 2009
(32)
- Invisible Fences are NOT COOL
- Monash Canine Personality Questionnaire
- Isn't that Pain? -- REdefining Punishment
- Elicitation-- Step 2 -- Getting the Dog to Do It
- DIY Dog Training
- Correction does not equal Learning
- Thinking & Feeling
- Cotton --Canine Disarming?
- Large Dog, Glass Sliding Door
- BOYCOTT Lancaster County Products
- The Rescue Business
- Recall = "Come" Command
- You're Going To Do What I Say.... Or You're Going...
- I will not tolerate your crap
- Effects of Stress on (Human) Cognition
- Puppyhood--Keep The Faith
- Guest Post on ILRA
- Hungarian study of 14,000 -- Dog and owner demogra...
- Thoughts inspired by recent study-- "Dyadic relati...
- Dog Training and Dan Ariely's "Predictably Irratio...
- Help Your Dog Always Have the Right Answer
- Training Dogs Vs Training Dolphins or any other sp...
- That's Treats, Right? -- Defining "Rewards"
- More on Cesar Millan
- Jumping Thru Hoops
- Manipulation for Wives & Pet Owners
- My Dominant Houseplant
- The Dog is Biting
- The Rescue Rant
- It's HERE! It's HERE!
- Impenetrable Fingers or How Not to Meet a Dog
- Overview of Basic Approaches to Problem-Solving
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment