Animal personalities?

[Karen]

I do think certain aspects of an animals personality are there from birth, and some factors can exacerbate certain traits in an animals upbringing. I am thinking of a dog owned by people I know - the pup was "skittish" when they got him, never was comfortable with someone reaching over his head, and didn't know he was a dog - didn't know how to play with other dogs. A lot of that could have been corrected with early intervention, but instead, he was never socialized around other pups, and lived with an owner who tended to "bark too much" in human terms, so it fed into the pup's inborn anxieties. He became a sweet dog around people as long as they knew him, but also a barker, and never did learn to interact with canines.

Anyone who has ever spent time with more than one baby discovers that each infant has distinct personality traits, so it is natural that other creatures would be the same way!

I do think, for example, that it is probably easier to "ruin" a good dog or cat than "fix" one with problems, but isn't that almost a truism?

[Barbara]

Breeding animals is not only about how they should look but also about the character.
Shepherd dogs have a different character than hunting dogs- obviously.
This is why it is so difficult to have these "working dogs" now in small city apartments. Actually they would need a job on a farm to be much happier.

With cats it's the same- everyone who had an Aby sit on the shoulder or on top of the door or on the cupboard knows they have a character different from let's say a Ragdoll that has been bred to be much more quiet.

As in humans there are of course always individuals who do not fit- lazy GSDs and active Persians

[Freedom]

I'm with you, Richard. Growing up, at one point next door neighbors had a GSD. Something about her eyes . . . she was never a good pet for them. They had several other dogs (I'm talking over 25 years time), most were GSD or mix. But this one female, oh dear.

I believe that in the past 30 years, breeders and maybe even AKC have focused on making dogs good pets, focusing on personality traits for some to make them more family friendly. For some reason, the (formerly called) Spitz comes to mind.

By the way, with bichons, there are bumper stickers, magnets etc. with this saying on them: Death from the Ankles Down. Fortunately ,none of mine have that tendency!

[RICHARD]

Here's another thought about animal personalities....

Have you ever met an owner who will defend an oddball pet-one who bites, chases or ?- by saying, "oh, that's just the way they are..."

Then you look at the owner and see where that behavior comes from?