It has long been known that out of the numerous different dog breeds, some breeds are thought to have inherent behaviours common to their breed. Australian working dogs are natural herders, while German Shepherds make excellent guard dogs, and Chihuahuas........I'll get back to you on that one. However, this previous assumption now has some scientific proof to back up the idea that canines have certain behavioural characteristics are controlled by genetics.In a 50 yr long study by the Institute of Cytology & Genetics at the Russian Academy of Sciences, an interesting discovery was made in an experiment to domesticate a colony of Silver Foxes. Even though the foxes chosen for breeding were selected based solely on desired behavioural traits – tameness in particular – it was soon observed that the foxes with high levels of tameness also began displayed certain physical characteristics such as coat color patterns, nose length, floppy ears and widened skulls, were associated with the animals displaying high levels of tameness.
These results have encouraged researchers to more closely investigate the relationship between genetics and behaviour in canines. A number of previous studies have been done that hint at the possibility of a connection, but no solid research has yet been performed. Future research into this topic will allow for a greater understanding of canine behaviour, and possibly grant insights into human behaviour as well.
Written by: Thomas Thornton (41425530)
Primary Reference
Spady, T.C. & Ostrander, E.A. 2008, "Canine behavioural genetics: Pointing Out the Phenotypes and Herding up the Genes", The American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 82, pp. 10-18
Secondary References
Canine Behavioural Genetics
Fur Color Linked To Dog Personality
Dog-gone Good Genetics
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