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- Svartberg, Kenth
(författare)
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A possible basis for personality in dogs: Individual differences in affective predispositions
- 2022
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 255
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Previously, dog personality traits that seem to correspond have been identified by the Dog Mentality Assessment (DMA) and the Behaviour and Personality Assessment in Dogs (BPH): Playfulness, Sociability, Curiosity/fearlessness (DMA) vs. Non-social fearfulness (BPH), Aggressiveness, and Boldness. The first aim was to study the relationship between these traits. Correlation analyses on data from 1078 dogs subjected to both assessments revealed moderate correlation for Aggressiveness (r = 0.25) and high correlations (r = 0.47-0.59) for the other four corresponding traits, which indicates that they reflect similar aspects of dog personality. Considerable correlations were found after up to four years between assessments, suggesting temporal stability over longer periods of time. The second aim was to analyse the data set from a core-affect point of view. Two major dimensions were identified using principal component analysis and multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS). The first dimension was correlated positively with object play, pro-social behaviour, and exploration, and negatively correlated with fear-related variables, whereas the second dimension had its highest correlations with variables related to aggressiveness. The MDS analysis suggested a circular arrangement of the assessment variables in two-dimensional space, implying that several aspects of the assessed behaviour were related to both dimensions. The correlation pattern for data from a questionnaire related to everyday behaviour was in line with the results and provided additional information about the character of the two-dimensional space. The two dimensions may, at a state level, be interpreted as valence and arousal, respectively, and seem to reflect core affect in dogs. At a trait level, the dimensions seem to represent boldness and impulsivity, respectively. The second dimension may also indicate a coping strategy in challenging situations. From this point of view, the assessed behaviour may serve as the observable indicator for both stable personality and temporary affective states. Thus, the personality traits may, at least partly, be defined as individual differences in affective predispositions. From the current results, an affect-based model may be elaborated in which profiles of individual dogs or groups of dogs can be identified by the DMA and the BPH. There are several possible applications, for example in the identification of affect-related markers for problem-causing behaviour, welfare, and working performance in dogs. Due to the similarities with affect-and personality-related models used in humans, the two-dimensional space may be useful in comparative studies in areas such as genetics, well-being, mental health, and personality.
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| 2. |
- Svartberg, Kenth
(författare)
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The hierarchical structure of dog personality in a new behavioural assessment: A validation approach
- 2021
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Ingår i: Applied Animal Behaviour Science. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1591 .- 1872-9045. ; 238
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Experimental assessments can be useful in the study of individual differences among dogs. One example of such assessment is the Dog Mentality Assessment (DMA), in which stable traits, referred to as personality traits, have been detected. Due to limited access to the DMA for dogs of non-working breeds, a new experimental assessment named Behaviour and Personality Assessment in Dogs (BPH) was developed in 2012 with the DMA as a model. In this study, behavioural ratings from 12,117 dogs assessed with the BPH were analysed in two steps: first, a hierarchical factor analysis procedure was carried out, and second, the construct validity of the extracted factors was studied. Two measures of validity were used: correlations with subjective ratings during the assessment (internal construct validity (ICV)) and correlations with data from a web-based questionnaire regarding everyday behaviour (external construct validity (ECV)). The ECV was also used to investigate on which level of the factor hierarchy everyday behaviour was best predicted. The approach revealed a hierarchy of factors, from one general factor at the top to 28 specific factors at the bottom, with generally high ICV. The first factor, Boldness, is related to six of the eight subtests and is associated with a positive attitude towards unfamiliar persons, interest for object play, low fear, and high degree of exploration. Most of the specific factors stem from the factors Sociability, Playfulness and Non-social fearfulness at the third level in the hierarchy, factors with high or at least moderate ECV. Sociability seems to be the best predictor for attitude towards unknown persons and dogs outside the assessment situation, including positive interest, fear, and aggression. The broader factors at the first levels correspond well to a range of everyday behaviours but for some behavioural tendencies more specific factors appearing at lower levels in the hierarchy were of greater importance. For example, noise-related fear was predicted first by a factor from the 12th factor level. The results from the ECV analysis indicate consistency between contexts and suggest that the BPH can reveal dog personality traits. The information from the assessment may give indications regarding welfare as well as potential problem-causing and preferred behaviour. Given a genetic basis for the traits, the most promising application is in dog breeding, where a combination of broad and narrow factors, relevant for the breed in question, may be used as measures in breeding objectives.
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