Dogs like humans each have their own personality traits that set them apart from one another.
Each dog has their own set of emotions and instincts that make them unlike any other dog in the world.
These and many other factors all come together to be what we're going to call your dog's temperament.
It's important to realize your dog's temperament can be determined by a number of factors.
We're going to talk about a breeds common characteristics, the unique genetic sequence of each dog,
the environment they're coming from and their age.
First, there's the common character of each breed.
Each breed has a common genetic sequence that can make up their natural behavior with each breed.
There are specific traits that are honed in through centuries of breeding to develop certain desired
temperaments.
You have border collies, for example, that were originally bred to herd livestock.
They're very active and need a lot of outdoor space to release their energy.
And then there are other breeds like the toy poodle that was derived from the larger standard poodle
to be more of a companion.
The next factor is the unique genes for each dog, even though each puppy takes on part of the genetic
makeup from each parent and the corresponding breed.
There's still enough variance in how these genes come together that widen the spectrum of possible personalities
that each puppy can develop.
Because of this, you could have two or more puppies from the same litter that differ from one another
dramatically, even though they're born in the same environment from the same parents.
You could have a puppy that is very energetic and playful, and another one that's a very calm.
The next important factor is the past or current environment of your dog.
If a dog is left undeveloped, it will pick up whatever habits or characteristics that life presents
if they're coming from a rescue shelter.
They may have developed more anxiety and stress that you'll need to work with in a more calming and
trusting manner.
It may take longer to build trust with your dog before you can begin on obedience training.
Now, let's talk about the age of a dog.
You may have heard the common phrase You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Well, people say this because when a dog has been so accustomed to behaving a certain way all their
life, it can take more effort to change what they're used to doing and what you're requesting them
to do.
This doesn't mean it's impossible to teach an old dog.
They have developed more wisdom and are accustomed to environments that can give them more patience
to work with you.
This can be a lot more convenient with some obedience skills like stay older.
Dogs also have much stronger and more developed bladders, which gives them more control when being
house trained, whereas a three month old puppy can only be expected to hold themselves for a couple
of hours.
Knowing the temperament of your dog will give you great guidance in how to adjust the training that
will yield the best results.
Now, after considering all this, what signs do you look for to determine your dog's temperament?
How does your dog respond to new sounds or objects?
Is he aggressive towards other people, pets or strange sounds?
Is he unaffected, or does he run the opposite direction seeking shelter?
If you've already spent some considerable time with your dog, you will likely already be attuned to
their temperament.
But if not, there are few short tests you can conduct to test your dog's dominance or restraint.
You can try holding your dog on their back.
Hold them down for a good 10 seconds.
Being in this position is a sign of submission.
Some dogs will fight the positions, scrambling to get back up, and others will lay their calm and
submissive and relaxed.
You can also test for signs of aggression, curiosity and fear with the sound or sight test.
For the stern test, you can get a large pan from your kitchen and a metal spoon.
When your dog isn't paying attention, you can make a loud sound by hitting the pan with the spoon and
watching how your dog reacts.
For a site test, I like to attach a rag to a leash or rope.
You'll drag the rag across the floor a few feet in front of your dog.
Your dog will either run away or ignore the rag.
Curiously, run up and play with it.
Or it might be really aggressive trying to tear it up.
In each of these types of tests, you will learn things that will help with certain commands.
For example, if your dog is more curious or dominant alpha, you may have to spend more time with them
on the down command.
Or try a different technique.
Remember to stay patient and be persistent.
They will learn if you don't give up with the more curious and excited dog, you can show more excitement
in your praise that they will respond to much better.
A dog with a more calm temperament might easily go down and may even default to the down command to
when trying to teach the security.
So you'll need to work with them holding the set position without laying down.
If you want to learn more about how to conduct this test on your dog, you can visit this link and it'll
tell you step by step how to conduct the test.
To summarize, there are no two dogs alike.
Each will have a unique temperament and you'll need to adapt your training but always use positive reinforcement.
You don't want to ruin the trust you have with your dog because it will make working with them in the
future much more difficult.
If you follow these guidelines, just like you can teach a child their ABCs.
You can also teach your dog proper obedience.