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Scientific Survey On Dog Personality


corvus
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As part of my PhD project, I'm looking at dog personality. I have put together a survey for Australian dog owners to collect information on how dog personality may affect dog behaviour. I would be very grateful to any dog owners in Australia who would take this survey. The more participants I get the stronger my results! You have to be over 18, though (sorry juniors).

To take the survey, click on this link: http://sydney.edu.au/vetscience/teaching_l...bias_dogs.shtml, read the Participant Information Statement, and click on the link to the survey at the bottom of the page. Please do share the url with your friends.

If you would like more information on the project, you're welcome to ask me and/or check my website: www.dogoptimism.com

Many thanks!

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I just spent a whole weekend at Paul McGreevy seminar.

I learned enough about "learning theory" (or the science of learning?) to make my head explode.

Some of it made me wonder if Paul was familiar with this website - I think not. And if any of his students were hanging out here - hey look. And if he was familiar with the word "Drive" being used to describe "motivation" or "revved up" almost interchangeably or if he was familiar with Jaak Pankeep's work.

He had so much info to try and impart, we didn't get to ask a lot of questions. I plan to send him an email for him to read or ignore at his leisure.

PS

Had a go at the survey. Some questions were difficult to answer - because I don't know if her response is fearful or not. And some responses were not covered by the options or she will do everything on the range and I don't usually know which in advance. Ie I can't predict which stranger she will like and which one she will bark at.

And when I finished the survey - it didn't go to a "you're done thank you page" it went back to the beginning and refused to exit. The exit button needs to go somewhere else like back to the project page maybe.

Some of the questions I wasn't sure about...

I think she is extremely sensitive to attempts to punish but sometimes it's hard to tell

She doesn't always react in a useful way (eg doesn't always stop doing the naughty thing).

and she doesn't always view my attempted adversives as adversive... eg really enjoyed catching and eating the rolled up newspaper. Regards yelling as chat/attention.

Does not always respond the same way to unfamiliar adults.

Sometimes she greets them and lets them pat her like they're long lost friends

Sometimes she sniffs them and then keeps her distance

Sometimes she barks her head off them and runs circles around them. Keeps out of reach.

Sometimes if they look at her and reach out to pat her, she goes from keeping her distance to barking in circles...

And sometimes she pokes them in the bottom with her nose, especially if she thinks they look familiar or have a treat, or a ball and a throwing stick (though she's much better at chase and eat ball than fetch). She pokes me in the bottom too and I'm trying not to reward it (by ignoring instead of giving attention). Sigh.

Some things in the survey I have reduced by training.

Ie she used to go for every fast moving object, but now ignores most of them.

She likes the bath and water generally, hates the nail clippers (they actually hurt).

And she dislikes being separated from me, but regards "line of sight" as being "with me", so across a footy oval or paddock - is fine with her. Me behind a tree - not so good. However she will go sunbake in the yard without me. As long as I leave the door open. If I shut the door, she hangs around it waiting for me to open it.

Edited by Mrs Rusty Bucket
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Some of it made me wonder if Paul was familiar with this website - I think not.

Oh, I think he tries not to be. ;)

Had a go at the survey. Some questions were difficult to answer - because I don't know if her response is fearful or not. And some responses were not covered by the options or she will do everything on the range and I don't usually know which in advance. Ie I can't predict which stranger she will like and which one she will bark at.

You do the best you can. It's meant to be "in general". If you can't answer a question you can skip it.

And when I finished the survey - it didn't go to a "you're done thank you page" it went back to the beginning and refused to exit. The exit button needs to go somewhere else like back to the project page maybe.

Thanks, I'll fix it.

Some things in the survey I have reduced by training.

Yep, training (and previous experience) always has an effect. Unfortunately, it's virtually impossible to quantify a dog's learning history.

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Maybe that could be an extra question...what training and at what level? I also did the survey and I thought some of the answers were definitely skewed by training.

Some of it made me wonder if Paul was familiar with this website - I think not.

Oh, I think he tries not to be. :D

Had a go at the survey. Some questions were difficult to answer - because I don't know if her response is fearful or not. And some responses were not covered by the options or she will do everything on the range and I don't usually know which in advance. Ie I can't predict which stranger she will like and which one she will bark at.

You do the best you can. It's meant to be "in general". If you can't answer a question you can skip it.

And when I finished the survey - it didn't go to a "you're done thank you page" it went back to the beginning and refused to exit. The exit button needs to go somewhere else like back to the project page maybe.

Thanks, I'll fix it.

Some things in the survey I have reduced by training.

Yep, training (and previous experience) always has an effect. Unfortunately, it's virtually impossible to quantify a dog's learning history.

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I did it for both of mine, but I dodn't have appropriate options for some of the training questions.

My greyhoundsa are not trained to sit/stay or stay or whatever, so I had to say they always broke when in fact they just don't do it :)

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How does Paul not know we "proof" our dog training? Weird.

Paul didn't write the survey. I did.

As it happens, I spent the last 9 months researching it before I put it together. Weird. Most of the questions came from other studies and have been validated, which means I can be fairly confident the answers are telling me what I want to know, regardless of the variation in training history and life experiences. Pretty cool, don't you think? I used to think generic training questions were bollocks, but it turns out they really aren't. That is sooo... :) ;)

Thanks everyone! :D It is extremely exciting for me. :thumbsup:

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Just completed it for one of my dogs but found a couple of questions a bit odd.

Considering this is purebred forum with many breeders there was no option for "Bred this dog" under "Where did you obtain the dog".

Then asking what age you aquired the dog, surely birth, 4-6 wks, 8-10 wks, 11wks -1 year and older than 1 year, would have been better options when assessing temperament and social skills. Those early weeks are far more critical to the final social behaviour of a dog, than any other time in their life.

Was also a little stuck with the questions about playing with other dogs. Does that apply to the dogs they know or live with or strange dogs, because my dogs are never allowed to play with strange dogs. Just answered it for the dogs they live with.

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Done for tango - very easy survey and interesting to look at the results and see how readable he really is (to me anyway)

lots of luck - it's a very interesting topic...I'd be happy to do it for my 3 Dobes from the 80's and 90's as well if you don't mind deceased dogs......but it would be very easy

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