Dog Personality Profile

When completing the profile, keep in mind that we devised it for a house dog or pet with and enriched environment and perhaps even a little training, not a dog tied out in the yard or kept solely as a house dog. Answers should indicate behaviours Buddy would exhibit if he’d not already been trained to do otherwise. For example, before he was trained properly, did he jump on people to greet them or jump on the counter to steal food?

The possible answers and their corresponding point values are as follows:

  • Almost Always – 10
  • Sometimes – 5 – 9
  • Hardly ever – 0 – 4

For example, if Buffy is a Beagle, the answer to the question “When presented with the opportunity, does your dog sniff the ground or air?” is probably “Almost always,” giving him a score of 10.

You’re now ready to find out who Buddy really is. You may not have had the chance to observe all these behaviors, in which case you leave the answer blank.

When presented with the opportunity, does your dog

  1. Sniff the ground or air? ___
  2. Get along with other dogs? ___
  3. Stand his ground or show curiosity in strange objects or sounds? ___
  4. Run away from new situations? ___
  5. Get excited by moving objects, such as bikes or squirrels? ___
  6. Get along with people? ___
  7. Like to play tug-of-war games to win? ___
  8. Hide behind you when he feels he can’t cope? ___
  9. Stalk cats or other dogs, or things in the grass? ___
  10. Bark when left alone? ___
  11. Bark or growl in a deep tone of voice? ___
  12. Act fearfully in unfamiliar situations? ___
  13. Bark in a high pitched voice when excited? ___
  14. Solicit petting or like to snuggle with you? ___
  15. Guard his territory? ___
  16. Tremble or whine when unsure? ___
  17. Pounce on his toys? ___
  18. Like to be groomed? ___
  19. Guard his food or toys? ___
  20. Cower or turn upside down when reprimanded? ___
  21. Shake and “kill” his toys? ___
  22. Seek eye contact with you? ___
  23. Dislike being petted? ___
  24. Act reluctant to come close to you when called? ___
  25. Steal food or garbage? ___
  26. Follow you around like a shadow? ___
  27. Guard his owner(s)? ___
  28. Have difficulty standing still when groomed? ___
  29. Like to carry things in his mouth? ___
  30. Play a lot with other dogs? ___
  31. Dislike being groomed or petted? ___
  32. Cower or cringe when a stranger bends over him? ___
  33. Wolf down his food? ___
  34. Jump up to greet people? ___
  35. Like to fight other dogs? ___
  36. Urinate during greeting behavior? ___
  37. Like to dig or bury things? ___
  38. Show reproductive behaviors, such as mounting other dogs? ___
  39. Get picked on by older dogs as a young dog? ___
  40. Tend to bite when cornered? ___

Score your answers using Table 2-1.

Table 2-1 Scoring the Profile
1. / 2. / 3. / 4.
5. / 6. / 7. / 8.
9. / 10. / 11. / 12.
13. / 14. / 15. / 16.
17. / 18. / 19. / 20.
21. / 22. / 23. / 24.
25. / 26. / 27. / 28.
29. / 30. / 31. / 32.
33. / 34. / 35. / 36.
37. / 38. / 39. / 40.
Total Prey / Total Pack / Total Fight / Total Flight

After you’ve obtained the totals, enter them in the appropriate columns of the profile at a glance shown in Table 2-1. And check out Figure 2-4 to see your dogs profile at a glance. In the figure, simply shade in the columns to see your dog’s profile at a glance.

Profile at a Glance

Prey / Pack / Fight / Flight
100
50
0