Dogs are increasingly recognized as valuable models for studying psychiatric disorders due to their shared environment with humans and complex social behavior. Salonen et al. (2022) explored the relationship between dog personality traits and behavioral problems using survey data from 11,360 pet dogs. The study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze correlations between seven personality traits and ten unwanted behaviors.
Personality traits included insecurity, energy, training focus, aggressiveness/dominance, human sociability, dog sociability, and perseverance. Unwanted behavioral traits included fearfulness, noise sensitivity, separation anxiety, aggression (towards strangers, owners, and other dogs), and impulsivity/inattention.
The results revealed that insecurity, resembling human neuroticism, was strongly associated with a range of unwanted behaviors such as fear, aggression, and anxiety. Likewise, training focus (similar to conscientiousness in humans) was negatively linked to impulsivity and inattention, while aggressiveness/dominance correlated with aggressive tendencies. These parallels closely mirror findings in human psychology, where neuroticism predicts psychopathology, and low conscientiousness is tied to attention deficit–related issues.
Overall, the study highlights that dog personality traits resemble human traits, suggesting potential neurological and genetic similarities. This reinforces the value of dogs as a natural model for psychiatric research while also offering practical insights for dog owners and trainers in addressing behavior problems through personality-informed approaches.
Source: Salonen, M., Mikkola, S., Hakanen, E., Sulkama, S., Puurunen, J., & Lohi, H. (2022). Personality traits associate with behavioral problems in pet dogs. Translational Psychiatry, 12. Published February 23, 2022.
