Just like humans, dogs have different personality types that have great influence over their socialization skills, behaviors, and emotions.
Understanding your pup's unique personality makes a great difference in how you train them-- you can better react to their behaviors in the most effective way. To learn about how you dog sees the world, read the five typical dog personality types below and discover more about pet!
Confident Dog
This dog displays qualities of a natural born leader, beaming with confidence. Even though this dog type is likely to show a great deal of leadership and desire to take charge of a situation, they can be a team player as well. Most of their confident qualities will be shown though their body language and actions, sometimes in the form of dominance. Due to this, you should not try to react harshly or try to assert a great deal of authority over them, as this may consequently lead to aggression. Instead, try to use positive reinforcement for training purposes.
The Shy and Timid Dog
Even with good intentions, trying to force this type of dog into a heavily social environment, such a doggy daycare, may have a negative impact. By placing them in a scary situation where they are not comfortable, this could create a sense of mistrust or lead to aggression out of fear. This type of dog typically reacts well with praise, treats, and encouragement and needs introductions to people and other pets at a slow pace. To help them with the socialization process, they need reassurance that they are safe and secure in their environment, which may take some time.
The Independent
It is common for the Independent dog to not bond with humans that they don't view as leaders and further, tend to only bond with one person. At first glance, it may appear that this type of dog is standoffish, yet they are comfortable and happy being by themselves. You shouldn't try to force these dogs into a social environment fast, as they may respond with aggression. For training purposes, it is best to see what motivates them, whether it be treats, toys, or affection, and use that method as positive reinforcement.
Laid-back and Happy Pup
These types of dogs get along with almost everybody; they are the perfect example of a happy, family dog. They may enthusiastically jump on people out of excitement and need to be trained to keep calm when they meet new people or dogs. Commonly, labrador retrievers and golden retrievers fall under this personality type.
The Adaptable Dog
Finally, we have the adaptable dog. They want to please others at all times and will do anything to make their owner happy, even if that means controlling their excitement over a situation. With their desire to please, adaptable dogs are also the easiest to train and often get along with other types of animals due to their calm and loving nature.
Curious to find out more about you dog's personality type? At All Dogs Club, we use our required evaluation, valued at $25, to identify your pet’s personality and other social characteristics. After this evaluation is complete, we pair them with other dogs in the pack that compliment who they are and your pup’s daily moods.