Personality traits in the domestic dog
The domestic dog (Canis familiaris) has been subjected to a huge range of selection pressures during domestication that has resulted in a considerable diversity in morphology and behaviour. This, together with the many uses the dog is put to in our society, makes the dog an interesting model for studies of animal personality. However, only […]
Shyness-boldness predicts performance in working dogs
This study investigates if there are relationships between personality and performance of dogs (Canis familiaris) in working dog trials. Data from 2655 dogs of the two breeds German Shepherd dog (GSD) and Belgian Tervuren (BT) were used. The breeds were chosen because of indications of differences in personality between these breeds, and because both breeds […]
Integrating animal temperament within ecology and evolution
Abstract Temperament describes the idea that individual behavioural differences are repeatable over time and across situations. This common phenomenon covers numerous traits, such as aggressiveness, avoidance of novelty, willingness to take risks, exploration, and sociality. The study of temperament is central to animal psychology, behavioural genetics, pharmacology, and animal husbandry, but relatively few studies have […]
Personality matters: Consistency of inter-individual variation in shyness-boldness across non-breeding and pre-breeding season despite a fall in general shyness levels in farmed American mink (Neovison vison)
Individuals of the same species vary consistently in their behaviour across time and context, and this is often referred to as animal personality. In this study, we investigate animal personality based on the definition of personality traits as underlying dispositional factors, which are linked to biological internal factors that are stable and perhaps heritable. Although […]