https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-01193-1 Skip to main content Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Advertisement Advertisement Nature * View all journals * Search * My Account Login * Explore content * About the journal * Publish with us Subscribe * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed 1. nature 2. news 3. article * NEWS * 28 April 2022 Massive study of pet dogs shows breed does not predict behaviour Data from more than 18,000 canines show that pedigree is not destiny. * Freda Kreier 1. Freda Kreier View author publications You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar * Twitter * Facebook * Email You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF Several different dog breeds on the seashore and in the waves. Swimming is for the dogs: research shows that dog breed does not predict behaviour, such as an eagerness for a doggy paddle.Credit: Kay MacCoubrey/Getty Dog enthusiasts have long assumed that a dog's breed shapes its temperament. But a sweeping study comparing the behaviour and ancestry of more than 18,000 dogs finds that although ancestry does affect behaviour, breed has much less to do with a dog's personality than is generally supposed^1. "When you adopt a dog based on its breed, you're getting a dog that looks a certain way," says co-author Elinor Karlsson, a computational biologist at the University of Massachusetts in Worcester. "But as far as behaviour goes, it's kind of luck of the draw." Form over function That's partly because breeds are something of a modern invention. Humans have been shaping how dogs look and behave since domestic dogs first evolved from wolves more than 10,000 years ago. But for most of that time, these efforts were focused on dogs' working ability -- how well they herded livestock, guarded against danger or pulled sledges, for example. Breeds as we think of them today -- distinctive canines such as beagles, pugs and Labradors -- are a by-product of more recent evolutionary meddling. Starting around 200 years ago, dog enthusiasts in Victorian England began inventing breeds by actively selecting for canine traits that they found aesthetically pleasing. This experimentation created today's breeds. Contemporary purebred dogs are defined by their looks, but breed is also thought to influence temperament. The American Kennel Club, for instance, describes pugs as "mischievous" and border collies as "affectionate". [d41586-022] Ancient genomes heat up dog domestication debate But, as Karlsson points out, "anyone who's owned eight dogs from the same breed will tell you all about their different personalities". Wanting to get a better sense of how breed influences behaviour, Karlsson and her colleagues surveyed thousands of dog owners about their pets' backgrounds and activities, ranging from whether they had a propensity to eat grass to how likely they were to chase toys. The researchers then sequenced the DNA of a subsection of the survey dogs to see whether ancestry could be linked to behaviour. The team found that some traits were more common in certain breeds. For example, compared with a random dog, German shepherds were more easily directed; beagles, not so much. And the authors' genetic studies revealed that mixed-breed dogs with a particular ancestry were more likely to act in specific ways. Mutts with St Bernard ancestry, for instance, were more affectionate, whereas mutts descended from Chesapeake Bay retrievers had a penchant for wrecking doors. Photo of Sandy, one of the mixed-breed dogs featured in the study for this story. Among the mutts who contributed data to the new study was Sandy, whose heritage includes Australian cattle dog (21.4%) and collie (8.6%).Credit: Angela Lek But, on average, breed explained only around 9% of the variation in how a dog behaved, a number "much smaller than most people, including me, would have expected," says Karlsson. Particularly low was the connection between breed and how likely a dog was to display aggressive behaviour, which could have implications for how society treats "dangerous" dog breeds, says Evan MacLean, a comparative psychologist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who was not involved in the study. "We talk about breeds like they're categorically different," he says. "But in reality, that's not the case." Genetic analysis revealed 11 regions of the genome that are linked to specific behaviours. A tendency to howl, for example, was associated with a region near two genes whose human analogues are involved in speech. The most significant link was between a region of the genome that in humans is involved in cognitive performance -- but in dogs increased the likelihood of getting stuck behind objects. These genetic traits have been around for much longer than breeds have existed, says Kelsey Witt, a population geneticist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. "At first glance, it seems surprising that breed isn't a good predictor" of behaviour, she says. "But when you think about how recent breeds are, it makes sense." doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-01193-1 References 1. Morrill, K., et al. Science 376, eabk0639 (2022). Google Scholar Download references Related Articles * [d41586-022] Genes unleashed: how the Victorians engineered our dogs * [d41586-022] Big dog, little dog: mutation explains range of canine sizes * [d41586-022] Dogs caught coronavirus from their owners, genetic analysis suggests * [d41586-022] Can dogs smell COVID? Here's what the science says Subjects * Animal behaviour * Genomics Latest on: Animal behaviour Speedy catapulting saves spiders from predators: their mates Speedy catapulting saves spiders from predators: their mates Research Highlight 25 APR 22 Insights from orangutans into the evolution of tool use Insights from orangutans into the evolution of tool use News & Views 12 APR 22 Why I got a PhD at age 61 Why I got a PhD at age 61 Career Column 01 APR 22 Genomics How to ensure the Human Cell Atlas benefits humanity Correspondence 03 MAY 22 Base edit your way to better crops Base edit your way to better crops Technology Feature 27 APR 22 Trove of tumour genomes offers clues to cancer origins Trove of tumour genomes offers clues to cancer origins News 21 APR 22 Nature Careers Jobs * Postdoctoral Fellowship to study a new lysosome storage disease University of Michigan (U-M) Ann Arbor, MI, United States * Postdoctoral Fellowships Washington Research Foundation (WRF) Various, WA, United States * Research Professor(s) in Network Science Northeastern University (NEU) London, Greater London, United Kingdom * Sethi Lab Research Fellow - Functional Screens in Gastrointestinal Cancer Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) Boston, MA, United States You have full access to this article via your institution. Download PDF Related Articles * [d41586-022] Genes unleashed: how the Victorians engineered our dogs * [d41586-022] Big dog, little dog: mutation explains range of canine sizes * [d41586-022] Dogs caught coronavirus from their owners, genetic analysis suggests * [d41586-022] Can dogs smell COVID? Here's what the science says Subjects * Animal behaviour * Genomics Advertisement Sign up to Nature Briefing An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, delivered to your inbox every weekday. Email address [ ] [ ] Yes! Sign me up to receive the daily Nature Briefing email. I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Sign up * Close Nature Briefing Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter -- what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Email address [ ] Sign up [ ] I agree my information will be processed in accordance with the Nature and Springer Nature Limited Privacy Policy. Close Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing Explore content * Research articles * News * Opinion * Research Analysis * Careers * Books & Culture * Podcasts * Videos * Current issue * Browse issues * Collections * Subjects * Follow us on Facebook * Follow us on Twitter * Subscribe * Sign up for alerts * RSS feed About the journal * Journal Staff * About the Editors * Journal Information * Our publishing models * Editorial Values Statement * Journal Metrics * Awards * Contact * Editorial policies * History of Nature * Send a news tip Publish with us * For Authors * For Referees * Submit manuscript Search Search articles by subject, keyword or author [ ] Show results from [All journals] Search Advanced search Quick links * Explore articles by subject * Find a job * Guide to authors * Editorial policies Nature (Nature) ISSN 1476-4687 (online) ISSN 0028-0836 (print) nature.com sitemap Nature portfolio * About us * Press releases * Press office * Contact us * * * Discover content * Journals A-Z * Articles by subject * Nano * Protocol Exchange * Nature Index Publishing policies * Nature portfolio policies * Open access Author & Researcher services * Reprints & permissions * Research data * Language editing * Scientific editing * Nature Masterclasses * Nature Research Academies * Research Solutions Libraries & institutions * Librarian service & tools * Librarian portal * Open research * Recommend to library Advertising & partnerships * Advertising * Partnerships & Services * Media kits * Branded content Career development * Nature Careers * Nature Conferences * Nature events Regional websites * Nature Africa * Nature China * Nature India * Nature Italy * Nature Japan * Nature Korea * Nature Middle East Legal & Privacy * Privacy Policy * Use of cookies * Manage cookies/Do not sell my data * Legal notice * Accessibility statement * Terms & Conditions * California Privacy Statement Springer Nature (c) 2022 Springer Nature Limited