Pets and Personality by Kristine Ikeda
Pets and Personality: A Look at Dogs, Their Personalities,
and Their Relationship with Humans
Kristine Ikeda
Psy 260
Dr. James
6/23/94
Importance of Studying Dogs and their Personalities
Why I Chose Pets and Personality and Focused on Dogs
Subject Headings Used During Research
Types of Databases Used
Steps Taken During Library Research
Problems Encountered During Research
Suggestions to the Reader
Looking at a Dog's Personality
Evidence of a Dog's Personality
Evidence I See of My Dog's Personality
How You Can Change a Dog's Personality
Studies on Personality of owners of Pet Dogs
Changes in a Dog's Personality
Similarities (Dog and Human Personality)
My Evidence of the Similarities (Dog and Human Personality)
Differences (Dog and Human Personality)
My Evidence of the Differences (Dog and Human Personality)
Function of a Dog as a Companion
My Feelings About My Dog as My Companion
Dogs as Therapy for Children
Dogs as Therapy for the Elderly
Final Thoughts on Dogs and Personality
Glossary
References
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IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING DOGS AND THEIR PERSONALITIES
The presence of a pet dog and its personality, have a great
effect on human beings. More than 89% of the 13,000 readers surveyed
by Horn and Meer in 1984 had pets in their homes (Horn & Meer, 1984,
52). Horn and Meer's study also revealed that 54 of those with pets
owned dogs. Today, it is estimated that the "number of cats and dogs
owned by Americans to be between 27 and 48 million" (Frost, 1991, 39).
I believe this is true because I have also come into contact with many
people who have pet dogs in their home. Therefore, I find that it
would be worthwhile to research a dog's personality and the effect that
a dog's personality has on human beings.
I define "personality" as the patterns of behavior, including
thoughts and feelings, that make a unique individual. In my
definition the word "individual" should create a picture of a human
being in people's minds. But, what about a dog's personality? I have
found patterns of behavior in dogs and discovered research on the
thoughts and feelings they encounter. This research has led me to
believe that a dog does have a personality.
The other important aspect I discovered is that a dog's
personality can affect an individual and vice versa. Having a dog as
a pet can have a great effect on people's self-esteem and their degree
of happiness (Lee, l990, 26). I believe this is true because I feel
happier, in general, when I am greeted by my dog, Rascal, or am playing
with him. I can tell that my personality changes to becoming happier
because I think about seeing him, feel excited that I will see him, and
smile when I do see him. Likewise, I find that I affect the way my dog
way my dog feels also. I feel his personality changes because he
shows his excitement when he sees me by jumping up and down and wagging
his tail, a dog's grin. According to Grant, those behaviors show that
the dog is excited and happy (Grant, 1984, 86).
WHY I CHOSE PETS AND PERSONALITY AND FOCUSED ON DOGS
I chose the topic pets and personality because I was interested
in finding out if pet's do have personalities and if there is a
relationship between a pet and a human. The topic also caught my
attention because I have a pet dog and two pet birds. I felt that I
could relate to the topic because of my relationship with them. I
decided to focus the paper on dogs as pets for many reasons.
I feel closest to my dog, Rascal. I help with the care of his daily
needs and p1ay with him everyday. I never play with the birds who are
cared for by my mother. Second, I felt that the self-witnessing
portion of the paper would be fun with Rascal. I felt that it would
be easy to engage in the self-witnessing of my actions concerning him
because I spend so much time with him anyway. Lastly, I was interested
in learning about dogs and their personalities and felt that the paper
was a good opportunity to do so.
The paper has meaning to me because I will be researching to find
out if others agree with me that a dog does have a personality and is
very important in their lives. It was an interesting topic for me
because of my own relationship with my dog, Rascal. I also wanted to
inform those who didn't know about dogs and their personalities. The
paper would allow them to see how important the role of a dog can be.
SUBJECT HEADINGS USED DURING RESEARCH
I began my library research by typing in several headings into
the different databases in the library. First, I typed in "pets" and
"dogs" into the Pearl City library computer and got many unhelpful
entries that I couldn't use. Most of the entries referred me to books
on dogs in general. The books described different breeds of dogs, how
to take care of dogs, and how to train them. There was not too much
information on a dog's personality.
Second, I typed in headings at the Hamilton Library. I was more
successful there. Some headings that I received references for were
"pets", "pets and human bond", "pets and companion", and "dogs and
human bond." "Pets" provided 84 entries in UH Carl and 307 entries in
Uncover. "Pets and human bond" brought up 1 entry in UH Carl and 4
entries in Uncover. "Pets and companion" brought up 3 entries in UH
Carl and 6 entries in Eric. "Dogs and human bond" brought up 3 items
in UH Carl and 3 items in Eric. "Pets and personality" brought up n
responses in all the databases I tried.
TYPES OF DATABASES USED
The first database I used was the Hawaii State Library System at
the Pearl City Library. Then, at Hamilton Library I used UH Carl,
Uncover and the CD-ROM. In the CD-ROM, I checked the Readers' Guide
Abstracts, Eric, Psychlit, and the Newspaper Abstracts.
STEPS TAKEN DURING LIBRARY RESEARCH
First, I went to the Pearl City Library to see how much
information there would be on pets, personality, and dogs. I wanted
to be sure that there would be enough information on the topic to write
20 pages. As I mentioned earlier, the books which were referred to me
by the computer were not as good as I hoped they would be.
Nonetheless, I looked through them and picked out l0 books which I
thought would be of some help. At this point, I only had these l0
books to start my research. I assumed that Hamilton library would have
journal articles on the topic so I decided to focus on the topic pets
and personality.
Next, I focused my attention on books, journal articles, and
magazine articles in Hamilton library. I looked through UH Carl for
more books on the topic and then spent a few hours at Hamilton library
looking for those books. Another day I went through the different
databases at Hamilton Library: UH Carl, Uncover, and Eric. That same
day I looked for some of the references in the library. I was able
to find a few journal articles. Then, on the day that the class was
assigned to go to the library, I looked through the CD-ROM. That same
day I looked for the references that were brought up in the CD-ROM.
Three of us doing pets and personality worked together to find journal
articles and magazine articles which we could use. All the information
that we found was shared amongst the three of us. It worked out well
because we all shared the cost of Xeroxing the material for each other.
Finally, the last research I did was going to the Hawaii State
Library and looking up references which weren't available at Hamilton
Library. I went to look for articles in McCall's and to find some
journal articles which weren't available at Hamilton library. Also,
while I was there I tried to get articles in the Boston Globe and
Chicago Tribune. I was unable to locate the articles because the
Hawaii State Library System only keeps the papers which were published
in the previous three months. The paper I needed was published in 1992
so it was unavailable.
PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED DURING RESEARCH
I encountered many problems while conducting my research. First,
I could not borrow some books on my topic because they were already
checked out. I also ran into problems while typing in subject headings
into the databases. Some headings provided no references and were
useless. I did not know the correct headings to use so many that I
tried gave me books and articles that were not related to my topic.
Finally, I became frustrated when I found journal articles or books
that had nothing to do with my topic. I did not interpret the summary
which stated what the article or book was about correctly. I became
upset because I spent the time looking for the item and it was useless
to me.
SUGGESTIONS TO THE READER
I have many suggestions which I think the next person doing
research on dogs and personality will benefit from. First, conduct
your research early so that books will be available for you to borrow.
Second, use the thesaurus in the computers to save time when typing
in headings. Using the thesaurus will limit your search time and give
you only references you need. Third, ask people who are doing the same
topic as you for help. It would benefit all those researching the same
topic to work together. Myself and two others working on pets and
personality shared information by looking up journal articles for each
other and Xeroxing enough copies so each person would have a copy of
the articles. Finally, I would suggest that when you find a book
under a certain call number that you look for other books in that same
section. By looking around in that section you would probably find
other books on the topic. This would save you some time looking
through the computer.
LOOKING AT A DOG'S PERSONALITY
Dogs show signs of having a personality through their expression
of thoughts, feelings, and overt actions. Randolph (1987) says that
each dog has a unique personality just like individuals. He also
commented that some breeds have a tendency to be friendly while others
more aggressive. For example, breeds such as the Basenji and the
Borzoi are more likely to be quiet, the Collie and Shih Tzu more apt
to be sociable, and the Akita and the Chow Chow more aggressive to
other dogs (Randolph, 1987, 16). I have seen that my dog also exhibits
some of the traits that are associated with his breed. He is a mixed
breed so it is hard to tell exactly what he is, but we do know he is
part Samoye. This dog is known to be a quick sprinter and this is true
of Rascal. He is quick and can run very fast.
I also found that it could be useful to have an idea of the types
of personality that different breeds of dogs have. A person could use
what they know about the traits of different breeds of dogs to
determine what kind of dog they have, should they not know. I know
that Rascal is part Samoye, but are unsure of the rest of his ancestry.
Every time he carries out a behavior, we attribute it to him being a
certain breed.
Many things can be the cause of a dog's personality. Some
believe that "genetics, early handling, and conditioning" will make the
dog's personality (Randolph, 1987, 15). Randolph (1987) believes that
these things will affect a dog's temperament. Breed and genes, as
well as experience are believed as the causes of personality to others
(Shook, 1992, l03). Shook (1992) believes that experience plays an
important role. He finds that abuse and neglect can pull a dog from
a happy life while skilled training can create a possible bully into
a respectable dog. Therefore, from this information I can conclude
that many experts who study dogs believe that it is a combination of
genetic factors and environmental factors which affect the development
of a dog's personality.
I agree that experience, along with genes and breed, is the cause
of a dog's personality. This is supported by the existentialist view
which we learned in class. This view supports the theory that the dog
is the way he is now because of the things he is experiencing now, not
what he experienced in the past. Therefore, I feel that dogs are the
way they are now because of the environment provided to them and the
way they are treated by their owners. In this situation, I agree with
the existentialist view that a dog's personality is created by his
present experiences and not his past experiences or genetic factors.
The Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) can be used to determine what kind
of personality a dog has. According to Shook (1992) the test involves
evaluating the dog's willingness to do things such as come and
retrieve. It also looks at how the dog responds to being stroked.
Another part of the test involves testing the dog's sound sensitivity
and sight sensitivity. The puppy is then rated on a six-point scoring
system. A puppy receiving a one is classified as aggressive while a
puppy receiving a six is said to be independent and cool giving humans
little time of day (Shook, 1992, l04).
EVIDENCE OF A DOG'S PERSONALITY
A dog exhibits thoughts, feelings, and overt behavior. I found
through research that dogs exhibit thoughts and feelings. Dogs desire
a sense of belonging and membership in a group (Thomas, 1993, 111).
According to Thomas (1993), they exhibit feelings of wanting to be with
another dog and think about how to gain membership into a group. He
also said that dogs desire a firm and dependable social structure.
I interpret this as examples of the affective and cognitive aspects of
a dog's personality. Thomas' observations confirm my belief that a dog
does have a personality.
Dogs can experience loneliness, joy, anger, and sadness
(Sanders, 1993, 217). In Sanders's (1993) article, he described an
incident where a puppy became very angry at its owner. The subject had
left a puppy at home alone and returned to a very angry puppy. The
puppy's anger was displayed through the naughty acts he committed. The
puppy shredded newspapers and flipped his water dish. The subject also
described to Sanders the cold shoulder received from the puppy.
Usually, the puppy would greet the subject at the door, but this time
the puppy continued sleeping as if the subject had not come home.
EVIDENCE I SEE OF MY DOG'S PERSONALITY
I also notice that my dog, Rascal, has a personality of his own.
I can tell that he does have feelings because he shows signs of being
happy and sad. During one incident, Rascal ran away from us at the
park. When I finally retrieved him, I took him back to the house and
made him stay in my room for punishment. When I finally let him out,
he jumped on me and licked my face as if to say he was sorry. After
trying to make up with me, he ignored me until the next day because I
had punished him. I knew he was upset because he played with everyone
else but me and ignored me when I called him to come and play.
I see evidence of Rascal's personality in the way he acts.
He has a unique personality which makes him different from any other
dog. For example, when Rascal wants food he will sit near us to get
our attention. If we don't give him food, he places his chin on our
lap and looks at us with sad eyes. If he still doesn't receive food,
he rubs his paw against us to say he wants food.
HOW YOU CAN CHANGE A DOG'S PERSONALITY
I believe dogs can be trained to behave properly, similar to how
a human being is taught to listen and show respect. They learn in a
different way, but their personality can be changed. one important
thing to remember is that a dog is not intelligent like humans
(Broderick, 1973, 14). Broderick (1973) also said that dogs can learn
only a few basic words and their meanings and never carry on -a
conversation with you. With this in mind, he suggests training a dog
through conditioning. The process would be to give the dogs praise,
such as a pat or treat to eat, when they do something right. This way
the dogs learn to associate the behavior with a reward. This is called
operant conditioning, the frequency of an operant response after it has
been followed by a favorable outcome (Mischel, 1993, 307).
I believe a dog can also learn behaviors by imitating its owner.
A puppy learns the first moment it joins a family by mirroring its
owners effect (Shook, 1992, 113). According to Shook (1992), a dog
must be trained early or he may teach itself inappropriate behaviors.
He also said that dogs must be trained so that they know correct
behaviors from incorrect behaviors. I believe this is true because of
situations with my dog, Rascal. Rascal has a tendency to pull us
ahead on walks, instead of heeling and walking at our pace. My father
once commented that he must be part Alaskan Husky because of his
tendency to pull so much. I suggested to my father that Rascal's
pulling was not due to breed, but because of the situation that my
father has created. Rascal is not scolded when pulling occurs and
therefore, has not learned it is wrong. This is supported by the
existentialist view. According to the theory, Rascal is pulling not
because of his genes, but because he enjoys doing it and thinks it's
alright to do it. He continues to pull because he is not corrected
when he does it.
STUDIES ON PERSONALITY OF OWNERS OF PET DOGS
As I researched I discovered a lot of information on personality
characteristics of pet owners and non-owners. This information shows
differences in people who own pets and those who don't. The study
reported by Johnson and Rule (1991), involved l04 elderly pet owners
and non-owners who were tested on a Multiple Adjective Check List.
"Pet owners scored higher on the Nurturance Scale and significantly
lower on the Succorance and Abasement Scales" (Johnson & Rule, 1991,
243). In another study reported by Johnson and Rule (1991), it was
discovered that non-owners tended to be more independent than owners
and also more likely to avoid lasting obligations. They also
discovered that pet owners were more likely to avoid loneliness and did
not place emphasis on a clean home.
I have also seen that there is a relationship between the owner's
personality and the type of dog that the owner chooses to get. I have
noticed that most of my female friends own dogs that are small and
cute. For example, many have Poodles or Dachshunds. one of my female
friends has a dachshund who is very mischievous like her. Likewise,
I have noticed that a lot of my male friends prefer bigger dogs, such
as Golden Retrievers or German Shepherds. My male friend owns a very
big, but lazy Golden Retriever. He picked this Golden Retriever out
of a litter of five because of his lazy manner and droopy eyes. After
I saw the dog, I became aware of the similarity that my friend is very
lazy too.
CHANGES IN A DOG'S PERSONALITY
Through my interactions with my dog, I have seen that a dog's
personality is not fixed, but can change in the presence of different
human beings. I have seen my dog turn into the friskiest, disobedient
dog minutes after being calm and obedient. My explanation for this is
that Rascal knows which member of my family will tolerate disobedience.
If Rascal goes outside to use the bathroom with me, he knows that when
I say to come into the house that he must listen. If my mom or dad
takes him outside, he comes back into the house when he's good and
ready. They have control over him only some of the time and Rascal
knows it.
I relate the idea of a change in personality to the interaction
approach in psychology. This theory says that society can affect
personality. The when and where can be determinants in the kind of
personality which is exhibited in the dog. I find that also related
is the idea of an inner and outer personality. A dog can exhibit a
different outer personality among different members in society.
SIMILARITIES (DOG AND HUMAN PERSONALITY)
A similarity between a dog's personality and a human personality
that I found through research, is the idea that dogs are affected by
stress just as humans are. As the smallest child can sense disharmony
in a family, a pet can also sense tension (Fox, 1991, 138). Such
things as arguments or the arrival of a new baby can affect pets
according to Fox (1991). He also describes that a dog can react to the
stress by vomiting or becoming aggressive. Similar to how parents
would deal with an unhappy child, Fox (1991) suggests that owners pay
more attention to their dogs to alleviate the stress.
Another similarity found by Squire (1991) is that most dogs, like
most humans, enjoy being in the company of someone. Squire suggested
that dogs are social animals who like to be with someone because of
their nature to travel in packs. Since dogs feel separated from the
pack when they are left alone, they become lonely, frightened, and
anxious (Squire, 1991, 43). This anxiety causes them to chew on
slippers or go through the garbage.
Similar to humans, dogs also can exhibit actions such as rape.
Thomas (1993) found evidence of how dogs rape through the attack of a
neighbor's dog. Thomas saw a springer spaniel named Misty come flying
through the air into the yard and jump on top of another dog, Viva
(Thomas, 1993, 82). Thomas described Viva's screaming, kicking, and
biting to fight him off. Misty penetrated Viva and she became
pregnant. This story reminded me the rape which happens in our
society.
Finally, Thomas (1993) found that dogs can exhibit signs of
having morals. She witnessed an episode involving two of her pet dogs,
Bingo and Maria. In her house, she has two parakeets and three mice.
one day the dog, Maria, noticed the parakeets and began attacking them
in their cage. Bingo, the other pet dog, began barking and placed
himself between a startled Maria and the cage (Thomas, 1993, 51). He
stayed there as a guardian of the parakeets until Maria left. Thomas
(1993) attributed these actions to many factors. First, Bingo could
have felt the need to protect the birds as if he were their master.
Second, Bingo could have felt disturbed that Maria was causing a
disturbance in the household and wanted to bring the household back
under control. In either case, "his deed speaks well for the strength
of his moral fiber" (Thomas, 1993, 52).
MY EVIDENCE OF THE SIMILARITIES (DOG AND HUMAN PERSONALITY)
I have observed some similarities of dogs and humans from
watching my dog, Rascal. I noticed that like a human being, Rascal has
feelings. When we scold Rascal, his ears fold down instead of standing
up and alert. This means that he is sad and afraid. Besides having
feelings, I have noticed signs that Rascal is a sociable dog. I see
that he becomes very excited when we have company at our house. I
believe this shows that he likes to be around others. He always runs
to the door when the doorbell rings so that he can greet whoever is
there. He also always greets the family at the back door when we come
home. Rascal likes to jump on us and lick us when we first arrive
home.
Rascal also doesn't like to be left alone at home. If he knows
that the family is getting ready to go out, he follows us around the
house watching our every move. Then as we're ready to leave, he waits
by the door with his nose to it. He, like most humans, want to be in
the company of others.
I have also seen the aggressive nature of Rascal when he is in
heat. He likes to use the pillow as the source for his aggression.
Many times he will place the pillow under his body and go through the
motions as if he was actually engaging in sexual intercourse. This
overt behavior reminds me of similar aggressive actions pertaining to
sexual intercourse that humans engage in also.
DIFFERENCES (DOG AND HUMAN PERSONALITY)
One feature of all dogs that is not present in all humans is that
dogs are nonjudgmental. Dogs don't judge you if you're rich or poor
or fat or skinny (Caras, 1982, 37). They love you no matter who you
are or what you look like. Caras (1982) describes other things a dog
won't do such as whisper behind your back when you do something wrong,
blame you if something goes wrong, or treat you different if you cheat
on an exam.
According to Broderick (1973), a dog cannot be reasoned with.
This is similar to a little child who, unlike a dog, will eventually
grow into an individual capable of reasoning. Broderick (1973) says
that a dog can only understand so much and may never understand why he
is told to do some things and not to do others. He gives the example
of a mother who says "No, hot!" to her daughter who tries to touch the
stove. Soon after, Broderick says that the child will begin to
associate that when she is told "No," she is to follow orders. Even
more so, the daughter will reason that she is not to touch the stove
because it may be hot. A dog will never be able to learn why he
shouldn't do certain things. He will only learn that he should follow
orders so that he won't be punished (Broderick, 1973, 15).
MY EVIDENCE OF THE DIFFERENCES (DOG AND HUMAN PERSONALITY)
Through the witnessing of my dog, I have seen evidence that dogs
do not judge you. My dog greets everyone at the door whether they are
old, young, happy, sad, and even friendly or unsociable. Also, I have
seen that you cannot reason with dogs. First of all, my dog cannot
tell when he is not supposed to put something in his mouth. He picks
up anything on the floor that looks appealing. If he really wants the
object, he won't give it back. I have a hard time getting it away from
him because I can't reason with him. He won't understand that I would
give him a reward if he would give the item to me.
Rascal also does not understand why he is not supposed to cross
the street. Every time we walk him in our neighborhood and we need to
cross the street, we have him sit for a few seconds at the curb. When
we're ready to cross, we say "O.K." so that he knows to cross the
street now. We want him to learn that he cannot cross the street
alone. I'm sure he knows that he has to wait for us to cross the
street, but I don't think he knows why. He will never understand that
we don't want him to cross the street for his own safety.
FUNCTION OF A DOG AS A COMPANION
I have discovered that dogs can be the perfect companion for
almost anyone. As companions, dogs can assist in loneliness and
provide opportunities for closeness with another human being (Netting,
Wilson, & New, 1987, 61). Netting, Wilson, and New (1987) also cite
pets as providers of emotional support because of their characteristics
of being loyal and nonjudgmental.
I believe a dog can be an especially good companion for children.
Having a dog as a pet can help them learn the values of gentleness and
responsibility (Horn & Meer, 1984, 53). I can see how this would be
true because it allows the children to learn how to be kind and caring
to the dog. In terms of responsibility, I think it is good for the
children to feed, bathe, and walk the dog.
The dog can also be a good companion for adults. For young
adults, Horn and Meer (1984) found that dogs not only provide learning
on gentleness and responsibility, but can help the couple prepare for
parenthood. I notice this is many young couples who own dogs and don't
have children. They view the male as the father, the female as the
mother, and the dog as the baby. Studies show that elderly people
also gain from having a dog as a companion because the dog allows them
to make friends, a difficult task for some in older years (Lowe, 1988,
17).
I have also seen through observations of my grandma and Rascal
that a dog can be a great companion. When Rascal first arrived at
our house, she detested his presence and ignored him. Soon thereafter,
she began playing with him during the day and even took him for walks.
Today, Rasoal is her companion throughout the whole day. They spend
the whole day together riding in the car and taking naps. Rascal
touched my grandma where no animal ever did before. He allowed her to
make a new friend in him.
MY FEELINGS ABOUT MY DOG AS MY COMPANION
My personality has changed since Rascal has become my companion.
My thoughts, feelings, and actions have changed over the time I have
spent with him. First, I have seen a change in my thoughts toward
Rascal. In a retrospective self-report, I remember thinking that
Rascal would not be appropriate for our home. He was given to us by
a relative and welcomed into our home after years of my mother swearing
that we would never have a dog. I remember thinking that he would be
too much trouble and a nuisance. I did not think highly of him.
During the first weeks that he lived in my house, I went on a trip and
didn't give him a second thought. I do not remember thinking about him
at all during my trip. Presently, during my self-witnessing, I catch
myself thinking of Rascal many times a day. When I am in school I
think about what he may be doing at home and things that I can do with
him when I get home. Today, I have pleasant thoughts about Rascal.
My feelings toward Rascal have also changed. In retrospect, I
remember not liking Rascal. I felt upset that my mother would allow
him to stay in our home after years of saying she didn't want a dog.
Presently, during my self-witnessing, I feel that I love Rascal very
much and care for him. I realize that my feelings have changed because
of the way I feel about him today. I feel worried that he may get hurt
when he goes for walks off leash, feel jealous when he rather play with
my grandmother than me or hurt when he doesn't want me to hug him.
My actions in general and toward Rascal have also changed. In
the past, when I was upset at home it took awhile for me to calm down.
I also remember getting angrier more often and easier. I also would
leave Rascal alone at home and didn't care if he was by himself.
Today, I find myself calming down faster after episodes of becoming
upset because I begin to play with Rascal. More and more, I also see
myself buying him toys and treats when I go shopping. Finally, when
I go to places for a short while, I take Rascal with me in the car.
I don't like to leave him alone. I find that he enjoys going for the
ride also.
DOGS AS THERAPY FOR CHILDREN
Dogs are being incorporated into many programs for children.
Poresky and Hendrix (1990) reported that children who had close
relationships with dogs as their companion animals were more likely to
score higher on the child development scales than those who did not
have companion animals. They also reported that adolescents' self-
esteem was raised with the companionship with dogs (Poresky & Hendrix,
l990, 52).
Recently, according to Nebbe (1991), practitioners have found
benefits in using animals in their work with children. Nebbe reported
a study involving the use of dogs in interviews. She said that an
interviewer used a dog in l0 of 20 of her sessions and noticed a
difference in the responses she received from the interviewees. In
every case with the dog present, the interviewer found that the
interviewees responded with more openness and less hostility than in
the interviews without a dog present (Nebbe, 1991, 363).
One case study that Nebbe (1991) described involved a 12-year-
old, fifth grader, named Brice. Nebbe (1991) characterized Brice as
a show-off who liked to be known as tough. She said that he
transferred to a new school during the middle of the year and had a
hard time adjusting. Due to the difficulty he had with the transition,
Brice's teacher asked him to visit Nebbe. The first few sessions they
had were very unproductive. Nebbe (1991) shared how she incorporated
Brice into her animal guidance class with her dog, Peter. At the
beginning of the class, Brice was withdrawn, but as the class continued
he became an active participant (Nebbe, 1991, 365).
Displaced children and those in long term foster homes also
progress at a faster rate when dogs are a part of their treatment
(Nebbe, 1991, 363). The children find a friend in the dog and feel
more comfortable when they are around. According to Nebbe (1991), the
dogs seem to provide the children with consistency and control in their
unpredictable environments.
Finally, dogs were used by child psychiatrists during visits with
mental patients (Pechter, 1985, 82). In one case, Pechter (1985)
described how the child became attached to the dog after the dog began
playing with him and licking his face. Soon after, Pechter (1985) said
that the boy warmed up to him and began to open up to him more.
Thereafter, the doctor used his dog during icebreaker sessions with his
patients.
A psychology term which is related to the use of pets with
children is the Social Role Theory. This theory states that it is "a
responsible role that is culturally accepted for young children in our
society" to be a pet owner (Netting, Wilson, & New, 1987, 61). This
idea means to me that society finds it beneficial for a child to have
a pet. I believe that it is then the child's role to develop a sense
of responsibility from having a pet.
DOGS AS THERAPY FOR THE ELDERLY
Dogs can provide major benefits for the elderly. In one study,
900 people 65 and older were asked about their health status and pet
ownership ("Canine Comfort", l990, 11). It was discovered that people
with pets visited the doctor less and had less stress. In another
study, Burke (1992) found that residents in a nursing home who were
exposed to pets were more likely to smile and became more alert than
those who weren't exposed to the pets.
Dogs give older adults the opportunity to touch and be touched
(Pechter, 1985, 85). According to Lowe (1988), this is important
because for many seniors, this allows them to touch the dog and be
touched whenever they want to. He said that sometimes the only touch
they receive is from their doctors. Through self-witnessing, I find
that the touch factor is very beneficial. I enjoy hugging my dog
when I do it. I notice that I feel better after a hug because it makes me feel good. I also agree that having
dogs allow you to hug them whenever you want to.
Some studies also show that the elderly take better care of
themselves if they are taking care of something else (Lowe, 1988, 17).
Lowe said that having pets keep the older adults on their toes because
they require care. I believe this is true because I have seen a change
in my grandmother since Rascal has come to live with us. She plays
with him all day and enjoys his company. I notice that she is happier
when she is with him and being responsible for him keeps her mind
going.
Another positive reason for the elderly to have dogs is that the
dogs don't allow their blood pressure to rise because they don't talk
back (Pechter, 1985, 85). Unlike a person who could fight with or
aggravate an older person with comments, a dog cannot answer back and
allows the elderly person to have the last say. This is good for the
elderly because it will minimize their stress.
A psychology term which relates to this idea is the exchange
theory. This theory states that "people continue to engage in
relationships only as long as the benefits of their interactions
outweigh the costs" (Netting, Wilson, & New, 1987, 61). This means
to me that the elderly interact with pets because it benefits them when
they do. The pets provide them with companionship and tactile
stimulation. I believe that the elderly engage in the relationship
because in this situation the benefits outweigh the costs. The
benefits of the love and companionship that they receive outweigh the
cost of maintaining and taking care of the dog.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON DOGS AND PERSONALITY
This paper has taught me a lot about the topic of dogs and
personality. From all the research and self-witnessing done, I believe
that dogs do have unique personalities of their own. I find they
experience thoughts, feelings, and overt actions which make up a
personality. There are many similarities and differences to that of
a human personality. Ultimately, the dog's personality and human's
personality affect each other as the two interact. Dogs provide
companionship and love to their owners as their owners do in return.
Besides learning about a dog's personality in general, I learned
about the positive functions that dogs and their personalities can have
on the owner. Besides being a loving friend, they serve as a means to
get incommunicative people to open up and as a basis for tactile
stimulation.
Lastly, I realized the difference having a dog can make. I see
that other people feel similar bonds and think the same positive
thoughts about their pet dog as I do mine. I hope the paper re-
emphasized the importance of a dog to those who already have dogs and
touched those who don't have a dog to consider getting one. The paper
was worthwhile because I learned a lot about myself and my pet dog,
Rascal.
GLOSSARY
Exchange Theory - The idea that people continue to engage in
relationships only as long as the benefits of their
interactions outweigh the costs.
Interaction Approach - Society can affect personality. Those that a
person comes into contact with can affect their
personality.
Operant Conditioning - The frequency of an operant response after it
has been followed by a favorable outcome.
Personality - The thoughts, feelings, and patterns of behavior that
make a unique individual.
Puppy Aptitude Test (PAT) - A test that can be used to determine what
kind of personality a dog has.
Social Role Theory - Society believes that a set of behaviors exist to
define a role.
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