You may have encountered the social phenomenon wherein people seem to resemble their canines (whether by design or coincidence), but a new scientific study is claiming you and your dog may in fact share a similar personality.
Researchers from the UK’s Kennel Club examined a total of 16 popular dog breeds alongside over 1,500 of their past and present owners. The dog breeds were then classified by five core personality traits including openness, extroversion, agreeableness, as well as the all-important aspect of emotional stability.
Due to the fact that people have a subconscious bias towards pups that mirror themselves in this regard, as well as pups they believe would suit their lifestyle, there was a noticeable alignment.
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As you can imagine, positive and happier folks gravitate towards golden retrievers, whereas those who have “strong organisational skills” and are sticklers for rules tend to pick miniature schnauzers – a breed famed for their easy trainability.
The extroverted and the agreeable love Pomeranians; the friendly and the affectionate are all about Staffordshire bull terriers or Jack Russell terriers; while “risk takers” are likely to be found cuddling up to whippets.
“Each breed has distinct characteristics, traits, and care needs, which helps would-be owners understand more about whether they might be a good fit for them,” said Bill Lambert, a spokesperson for the Kennel Club (via Reader’s Digest).
“It appears that we can often tell a lot about a person from the type of dog that they own. It is quite striking to see how many people unconsciously select dog breeds with personalities that match their own character, showing that birds of a feather really do flock together.”
