Every dog has a unique personality that influences its behavior.

Today, discover a way to assess your dog’s personality so you can get to know your dog better!

Show Highlights

• This is part three of three.
• One of Bennie's postulates – Dogs have different personalities.
• Episodes 000 through 087 touched on different life cycles, a few breed specific traits were mentioned and discussion about your dog's personality and YET all those shows were about YOU!
• In this show, we are going to discuss how your dog's personality can affect your environment and training.
• Dogs have different personalities, what they are most likely to exhibit with these personalities and some combinations to be aware of.
• In human personality testing, we have the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test.
  • There are 16 human personality traits, and dogs have them too.
• There are multiple places you can locate a good combination of personality traits of dogs:
  • For example: AKC.org
  • Affenpinscher says this dog is confident, famously funny and fearless which is all very true.
• Bennie uses Wikipedia as well he puts in the dog breed name and has located great information about the temperament description.
• Just like in Myers-Briggs, you can take these personality traits for humans and use them for your dogs.
• Bennie has broken down the different emotions into 7 main categories regarding if you can determine if your dog is going to be aggressive or a dominant:
  • Intelligent mentally sound, emotionally secure
  • Loyal vigilant, calm, trusting
  • Dominant protective, possessive
  • Affectionate friendly, care-free, gentle
  • Scheming strong willed, spiteful
  • Independent aloof, confident, entertain themselves
  • Energetic high strung, alert
  • Bennie is adding an 8th – Submissive
• A truly dominant dog is very rare.
• 97% of the time, when you take your role as the leader your dog will assume their position.
• Just like in the Myers-Briggs, you can have a dog with a mix of any the 7 above personality types.
• Canine version of Myers-Briggs:
  • INFJ The strong and sensitive type Labs, Mastiffs
  • ENFP More confidence than it really needs Pugs, Chihuahuas
  • ISFJ –  Likes to cuddle and is a lover, not a fighter Cocker Spaniels, Bichons
  • ESFP Vanity and Confidence Poodle, Collie, (Bennie)
• You will start to see these specific personality traits around the 6-month mark.
• Personality is very difficult to change.
• Bennie agrees that it is morally incorrect to try to change your dog's personality.

Homework

• Take the Myers-Briggs test for your dog and let us know through our Facebook page on Family Dog Fusion. There will be a link that will take you to the 4 personality types and you will choose from each of those types that are indicated by a letter. You just pick out what you think your dog is or what you are looking for. There are brief descriptions of each type.
• If your dog doesn't seem to fit in a certain way there isn't always going to a perfect match up for comparing human personality traits to dog personality traits.
• You are going to come up with a 4-letter trait and at the bottom of the page use that to scan over those 4 letters and it's going to give you a list of words describing that trait. Pick out three words that express your dog's personality and look at your own personality traits that could work for you.
• Keep in mind the analytical personality traits and to not give them to your dog. For example: dogs cannot be jealous, spiteful, or envious. They do not learn through analytical thought.
• Send us a picture of your dog or their name and how you and your dog matched up.

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