My dachshund is the most stubborn dog I’ve ever met.
When I ask him to sit, he lies down.
When I tell him to stop licking the back door, he makes it his mission to cover every crevice of the glass in his slobber.
And his listening? Well, let’s just say it’s selective at best…
But the good news is, he’s not the only one.
Every dachshund owner I’ve met says the same thing – they’re all so god damn stubborn.
And it doesn’t just stop at dachshunds.
Every dog breed seems to have it's own distinct personality traits.
While dachshunds are stubborn, German shepherd's are fiercely loyal and protective and border collies are workaholics.
But it's not just pet owners picking up on these common personality traits.
According to a new study, dog breeds really do have individual personalities.
A new study of 17,000 dogs from dozens of breeds has confirmed that much of dogs personalities is actually written in their DNA.
Comparative psychologist Evan MacLean from the University of Arizona compared the personalities of dogs from different breeds in an attempt to find a relationship between their DNA and their distinct personality traits.
"Our findings suggest that there are certainly genetic influences on dog behaviour, and dog owners are never working with a 'blank slate'," MacLean told Inverse.
Side note – Dogs can actually tell when you're upset and they want to help you. Post continues below...
In his findings, MacLean discovered 14 personality traits across the dog breeds he studied.
In MacLean's analysis he found that of the 14 personality traits, trainability, chasing, and aggression appeared most frequently across dog breeds.
Other personality traits MacLean identified included fear of strangers, attachment and attention-seeking, touch sensitivity and energy levels.
Unfortunately for some pet owners who are struggling to deal with their dog's personality, there's a chance there's not much you can do to change their personality traits.
"Certain breeds are more inclined to engage in certain behaviours, which can be frustrating if it's a behaviour the owner is struggling with," MacLean explained.
But while some personality traits are prominent in certain dogs, genes aren't always everything.
“While one breed may exhibit more or less of a particular behaviour on average, you never know exactly what you are going to get in any individual dog — you only know, on average, what you might expect to get."
