Do dog breeds determine behavior?

Research shows breed explains only about 9% of dog behavior. Training, socialization, environment, and individual personality play a much bigger role.

Should I choose a dog based on breed?

Focus on the individual dog’s temperament, energy level, and history. Breed can influence looks and size, but behavior varies widely within breeds.

Can DNA tests predict my dog’s personality?

No. DNA tests are fun for ancestry insights, but they don’t reliably predict personality or behavior.

What should I check before adopting a dog?

Look at temperament, stress recovery, comfort with handling, and engagement during a meet-and-greet. Lifestyle match is more important than breed.

Why Dog Breeds Don’t Define Behavior*

Sep 19
2 min read

Stereotypes are catchy. Real dogs are messy and wonderful.

The short story

It’s tempting to assume a breed is a personality: Labs are friendly, Border Collies are obedient, Huskies are dramatic. But big studies of 18k+ dogs (purebred and mixed) found that breed explains only a small slice of behavior, about 9%. Most of what you see in a dog comes from many genes acting together plus training, socialization, health, and daily life.

What the research actually found

Modern breeds are young. The “pure breed” idea is only ~160 years old and focused a lot on looks (coat, size, ears) more than behavior.
Physical traits track breeds. Things like size or coat are strongly tied to breed because they were selected for.
Behavior is fuzzier. Traits like friendliness, reactivity, and attention are influenced by lots of small genes and by environment.
“Biddability” varies too. Even the most “trainable” breeds show wide differences between individual dogs.

What this means for choosing a dog

Pick the dog, not the label. Meet them, walk them, see how they recover from surprises, and how they engage with you.
Ask about history. Sleep, exercise, enrichment, exposure to people/dogs, and past stress matter more than the breed on paper.
Expect overlap. Any breed can have a couch potato or a go-getter.

Common myths (and friendlier facts)

Myth: “Breed X is always great with kids.”Fact: Individual dogs and their socialization history matter more. Supervise and teach kids dog-safe habits.
Myth: “If I get a working breed, I’ll automatically have a star student.”Fact: You still need consistent training, outlets for energy, and rest.
Myth: “DNA tests will predict personality.”Fact: They’re fun and informative about ancestry, but they don’t forecast behavior reliably.

Quick pre-adoption checklist

Temperament meet-and-greet (new place + handler swap)
Startle & recovery (gentle novel sound; watch rebound)
Handling comfort (paws, collar, brief hug—always kindly)
Food interest and toy play (without guarding)
Walk-by around dogs/people (space + decompression)

Human Dog Harmony takeaways

Look past labels: Judge the dog in front of you.
Behavior > pedigree: Prioritize temperament, recovery from stress, and engagement.
Plan the lifestyle match: Energy, downtime, enrichment. That’s harmony.

Source: Morrill, K., Hekman, J., Li, X., McClure, J., Logan, B., Goodman, L., Gao, M., Dong, Y., Alonso, M., … Karlsson, E. K. (2022). Ancestry-inclusive dog genomics challenges popular breed stereotypes. Science, 376(6592), 29 April 2022. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639