User:Rise.campbell/sandbox

Canine Personality: Canine personality is defined as the combination of characteristics or qualities that form a canine's individual distinctive character. Personality in canines refers to the behavioral characteristics that describes and accounts for consistent patterns of normal behavior that are stable across time and situations. It is made up of characteristic patterns, thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Their personalities arise within and they remain fairly constant throughout a canine's life. A canine's personality is made up of a combination of characteristics or qualities that form a distinctive character which is passed down from parents to their young pup

Canine Personality have a genetic contribution which has to do with the complex personality phenotypes (set of observable characteristics) which are thought to be influenced by many environmental factors and multiple genes (Genetic makeup). As of now, only a handful of genes have been linked to personality traits in humans, however canines offer a promising approach to detect the genetic components of complex behavioral traits. In canines, a large proportion of their personality is due to their inherited genes, so there is no question that genes play a role in the behavior of domestic canines, but a canine's individual environmental history plays a major role in shaping its behavior over its lifetime. From the time a puppy is welcomed into a household of humans that puppy becomes completely dependent of the humans to become their new caretaker for all of their needs.

Canines are likely to have been the first animals to be tamed and as such have shared a common environment with humans for many years. Humans have become interested in this animal and its personalities because Canine Personality research has been inspired by a number of common concerns. Some of those concerns are that potential canine owners look to find canines that are similar to their own self so they mesh well in each others lifestyles. Also animal shelters and other agencies have an interest in using personality traits to improve the success of the adoption process and to direct care to the animals most in need of attention. There is a test called C-BARQ or (Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire) that contains eleven dimensions for canine friends, and eight for guide dogs. For puppies, aggressiveness and submission were the most consistent traits while activity, fearfulness, sociability, and responsiveness to training were the least consistent.

One important canine behavior that is very important to humans is their ability to attend and respond to human social gestures and cues. Owners of canines find it very important to have a canine that can learn visual and verbal cues that they show. Most owners prefer a canine that is easily trained such as Labrador Retriever, German Shepard, Standard Poodle, and Border Collies. Humans want to become familiar with canine personalities because canines are very useful to humans. Humans use canines for hunting, herding, sledding, rescue missions, police dogs, drug findings, guiding the blind, as well as a lovely companion at home. The evolutionary development and diversification of canines is interesting because, instead of natural selection by the environment, humans are artificially selecting and are responsible for the hundreds of canine breeds that are domestic and exist today.