Dog Temperament An Important Consideration

When you’re choosing a dog for your children, you need to look at body size and grooming requirements, but another very important consideration is dog temperament.

The term temperament refers to a dog’s general attitude and outlook.

Dog temperament not only varies between breeds, but also between individuals within a breed. For example, working breeds are known to be active and may not like to sit still, whereas terriers can be tenacious and quite strong willed.

When choosing a dog, consider your family’s lifestyle. If you have older children you may be happier with an active dog who will rough and tumble with them. Younger children would prefer a quieter dog temperament. Some dogs are dominant, and less suited to families with younger children. Submissive puppies may be afraid of noisy children and defend themselves with a nip.

Another important aspect of dog temperament is trainability. Intelligent dogs who are easy to train and learn what’s expected of them quickly are easier to teach to fit the family lifestyle. However, these dogs are also easily bored and may be destructive if they don’t have enough mental stimulation.

It’s often much easier to predict dog temperament with purebred dogs as they tend to have a characteristic demeanour. Whether you’re choosing a purebred or a crossbred pup, see if you can meet the parents as the pups will often take after them.

Many breeders now are performing dog temperament testing to match each pup to the most suitable home. This is an excellent way of reducing the chance of a pup being rehomed.