Dog Characteristics: Cheerful • Devoted • Easy-going • Protective • Faithful • Impatient
Scientific Name: Canis familiaris
Collective Term: A pack of dogs

It can be Hard to Identify a Dog Personality

There's something about a dog personality's warmly expressive eyes that'll charm your socks off. Dogs feature many of the characteristics of the canine family and are some of the most charming, creatures in the animal kingdom. Although they border on the predictable, they're never boring or eccentric.

Dog personalities come in all shapes and sizes and it's difficult to identify them by physical appearance alone. The best way to recognize one is by its dominant trait: gregariousness. Energetic and eager-to-please, they have an overabundance of energy, spend a great deal of time at play, and are frisky even when hard at work. Expressive with people that they love, they readily display distaste for those they dislike.

Dogs do not display the characteristically sharp intelligence and aggression of their wolf and fox cousins. Instead, they rely on their advanced emotional senses to survive. Sensitive to the feelings of others, they recognize the importance of dominance and submission in the social order and are ready to play their role either way. Sometimes they take the lead, while other times they are happy to tag along and play a more subdued role. Dogs are only secure when their position in the social hierarchy has been clearly defined.

The Secret to the Dog Personality's Success

Dogs take pride in helping others and excel in all aspects of the service industry. Some of the world's best restaurants employ dogs as waiters -- for dogs are people-pleasers at heart.  Their desire to help others lands them in a wide variety of industries, including the medical and retail fields. Even so, dogs are also comfortable in leadership roles and are capable of owning their own business or being a supervisor in a large company, especially with deer or sheep personalities as subordinates. With a commanding presence and clear, barking voice, they are well liked and respected as leaders. Their intelligent insights and gregarious nature also make dogs successful salespeople.

As eager to please as a dog can be, it can also be a bit of a moocher who believes “thou shalt share” is the eleventh commandment. A dog wouldn't hesitate in splitting its sandwich or sharing its home, but has no shame in demanding reciprocation.

Careers & Hobbies

Waiter • Retailer • Medical • Sales • Shepherd
Making love • Hiking • Team sports • Biking

Love & Friendship

Chivalry is not dead in the dog's world and the average dog puts its mate on a pedestal... making it feel like the most important person in the world. This can be an exquisite delight for individuals who require a lot of attention, but to some, this concern can be quite overbearing. Take the case of the feline personalities whose obsession for independence clashes with the dog's in-your-face affection. The resulting friction often results in relationship-ending cat-and-dog fighting.

A dog's love life is a vortex of flirting-filled days and passion-packed nights. After all, a dog is still a dog and it takes a special personality to keep pace with its sexual appetites. Gorillas, zebras, and baboons are certainly up to the challenge but it's really the wolf and wild dog personalities that satiate the dog's carnal hunger.

Fidelity is a problem for one with such a healthy libido. But dogs want to do the right thing, and fight their straying instincts for as long as possible.

Famous Dog Personalities

Kato Kaelin

Kato Kaelin became famous for being someone's best friend. Unfortunately his friend was OJ Simpson during his murdery phase.

Jack Black

When casting directors are looking for a non-threatening, best-friend type -- Jack Black usually gets the call.