Citation

Helton WS. Behav. Processes 2009; 82(3): 355-358.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch 8020, New Zealand. Deak_Helton@yahoo.com

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.beproc.2009.08.004

PMID

19683035

Abstract

People rank breeds of dogs for trainability despite a lack of evidence of breed differences in underlying behaviour. Instead of using behavioural information, people may use dog morphology to determine the trainability of breeds. Dogs are categorized as dolichocephalic, mesocephalic, or brachycephalic based on cephalic index, a ratio between skull width and length. Dolichocephalic breeds are anatomically more specialized for running and brachycephalic breeds are more specialized for fighting. Dog breeds rated as highly trainable are instead mesocephalic, morphological generalists. Looking trainable in dogs may reflect differences in physical morphology.

Keywords: Animal Bites; Dog Bites

Language: en