What is your dog's personality? Although the term "personality" may not be appropriate to describe a canine companion's characteristics, dogs do have individual strengths and weaknesses that make up the dog's temperament. Knowing your dog's temperament will help you decide how to raise your dog. You may even want to find a dog trainer with experience motivating dogs just like yours. You can also use temperament characteristics to help you select a dog that will best adapt to your family and lifestyle. 

TESTING
Much has been written about temperament testing. Many canine behaviorists offer services in evaluating dogs for placement in new homes as well as for selection of dogs for specific work. This type of temperament testing is valid when the tester has interpretive skills based on years of experience with hundreds of dogs. It is difficult to list exercises with which you could reliably select a dog for your family. However, the detailed information provided here gives you the background you need to interact with a dog and draw some conclusions. Your dog's temperament can be classified into various categories. To fully evaluate a dog's temperament, be sure to consider a dog in various environments on more than one visit. Imagine what would happen if you were evaluated on a ten minute slice of one day! 

TERMINOLOGY
As you read through this detailed material on canine temperaments, terminology can get complicated. People have heard much about dominance as if it’s a way to define a dog’s personality, which it isn’t. Many people use "dominant" as the opposite of "submissive" but this is also incorrect. A relationship with a boss and an employee may be described as dominant to subordinate but this assumes a long standing formal relationship. Submissive reactions to new objects are common in dogs as are assertive reactions. It depends both on the dog’s experience and natural tendencies.  

EVALUATING PUPPIES
Temperament testing is often cited as a method for predicting the adult personality of a puppy. Research shows that it is not accurate. Generally, puppies (6-12 weeks) display more subordinate/submissive behavior to strangers than they will as adults. Adolescent dogs (6-18 months depending on breed) generally display more assertive/social climbing behavior to strangers than they will as adults. A puppy gets a lot of clues about social status from his environment. Since the environment is always changing, so is a dog's behavior. Evaluating puppies is helpful but cannot fully predict an adult dog's behavior.

PREDICTING AGGRESSION
A special mention of temperament testing and predicting aggression is in order. It may be common sense to assume that assertive dogs are social climbers and submissive dogs will be subordinate. This is NOT the case. In fact, this is not even the norm. It also would be common sense to assume that assertive dogs would be more likely to be aggressive. This is also not reality. Although you may be more comfortable with the terminology after you slog through this material, consider these examples to help you understand the difficulty of predicting aggression in dogs.

	Your Golden Retriever, listens to everyone, even strangers. This labels her a subordinate dog. She also runs up to every baby carriage and mail carrier to investigate, making her an assertive dog. While investigating, she bowls people over with her licking and tail wagging. However, when pinched, stepped on and grabbed by children she does not bite. As you can see assertiveness occurs in subordinate dogs and is not a predictor of reactivity or aggression.
	Your neighbor's German Shepherd understands many words but ignores them from anyone but her owner. She accepts leadership from few people and never from strangers. This is a trait of an independent and will trained dog. She may be a social climber because she engages in prolonged eye contact with you when you walk by the fence. She doesn't bark, just stares at you. However, when her owner got a 6' foot tall cat scratching post, the shepherd hid in the basement for two days because she reacts submissively to threatening situations. If their home were broken into, chances are the dog would hide again. Social climbing is not a good predictor of assertiveness or aggression.
	Last example. Your sister's subordinate and submissive Sheltie rolls over on her back when approached by anyone, even toddlers. Once when she was hiding from the exterminator, you reached under the bed to comfort her and she bit you! Not dominant OR assertive, yet someone got bitten.

The point is, biting is not predictable based on characteristics of temperament alone. Temperament measures do not predict biting now or in the future. 

EXTREME BEHAVIOR
Extreme behavior during evaluation is always a concern. Extremely submissive, assertive, or subordinate dogs will be more difficult to train than dogs with more moderate temperaments. 

Overt threats from a puppy (under 6 months of age), growling and threatening body postures, are always undesirable behaviors, even for a future watch dog. Puppies displaying these behaviors lack social skills to interact safely with other animals, including people. These dogs may be unable to accept the ever widening social group encountered by a dog living in a human family. Overt threats in an adult will require careful handling as well.

Fear of people in a puppy, exhibited by hiding and crying out when touched, is also undesirable behavior for a pet. An overly fearful puppy may not be able to accept the busy life of a human family. Unusual fears in adults may be learned from specific experience and will require special handling as well. 

Both of these extremes of assertiveness and submissiveness are observed in puppies and dogs kept in isolated environments, especially without a mother or siblings, during critical periods of development. What is important is to re-evaluate after intervention. A dog who changes strategies quickly with training is going to be easier to work with than one who sticks to the same option even after being presented with other choices. If you are considering adopting a dog that displays extreme behavior, please contact a behaviorist for assistance.

ABUSED DOGS
Most abused dogs are friendly and outgoing despite what you might think. Inexperienced dogs can be shy even if they have never been handled roughly. Mistreated dogs may display behavior that is not indicative of their true temperament. If you are considering adopting a dog that you know has not had proper care, consult a dog trainer for advice with temperament evaluation. Be sure you can offer this dog the social situations that will prevent him or her from harming a person or coming to harm as a result of his extreme behavior.

Evaluating a dog's temperament can help you to choose a dog that will fit into your family or help you determine which type of training will be most effective for a dog you already live with. All dogs have a mouth, and all dogs can bite, regardless of their temperament.