Listen Live

Your mood and your personality may change over time, often because of things you have experienced or endured.  The same thing can happen with your dog, with you – the dog owner – being the biggest area of influence on your dog’s mood and personality.

A recent study out of the Journal of Research in Personality found that a dog’s personality traits can change over time in relation to it’s environment and interactions with their owner.  For instance, extroverted owners had dogs that tended to be more excitable and active.  Owners who are more easy-going and agreeable, saw their dogs and less fearful and less aggressive in nature.

In the study, they found a dog’s personality often changed based on how much an owner played with the dog and/or if the owner had a happier or negative disposition, too. And if by some chance you can’t read your dog’s mood, a company has actually created a vest your dog can wear (that monitors the dog’s heartbeat) that will change color based on your dog’s mood.

 

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Ирина Мещерякова