Management and personality in Labrador Retriever dogs

• DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2014.04.006
• Publication Date: 2014-04-26T13:47:53Z
• Authors: Sarah E. Lofgren; Pamela Wiener; Sarah C. Blott; Enrique Sanchez-M...; John A. Woolliams; Dylan N. Clements; Marie J. Haskell
• Keywords: Labrador Retriever; HUBzero; Animal-Assisted Therapy; Neutering

Abstract Canine personality is of keen interest to dog owners and researchers alike. The regular human contact with them makes dogs an ideal species to use in the investigation of animal personality. This study specifically focused on Labrador Retrievers, consistently one of the most popular breeds both in the UK and around the world. Using surveys completed by dog owners, data was gathered on the behaviour of the dogs, in addition to the physical characteristics and management characteristics of the dogs ( n =1978). Twelve personality traits were identified and investigated for associations with the demographic data. It was found that the working status of the dog was more commonly associated with differences in personality than other analyzed factors. Gundogs had higher scores for ‘fetching tendency' and ‘trainability' than Showdogs or Pets ( P P