How to describe the personality of a dog

Dogs’ personalities vary as widely as their appearances!

So do their skills and aptitudes, their preferences, and their motivations. In fact, there’s a ton of fascinating research going on right now just to try to get a better sense of what it’s like to be a dog. As any dog lover knows, their lives and interesting, complex, and full of emotion.

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BTW, I recommend this book or this one to read more about that research–both are free with an Audible trial! They’re fascinating glimpses into what it must be like to see the world through a dog’s eyes!

So here’s a little secret: John and I talk for Emmett and Lucas. Not to them. Not about them. For them. As in… we’re emptying the dishwasher at 5:30. Emmett is sitting in front of his bowl, huffing. John will say in his Emmett voice, “Stop doing that, people. Feed me my damn dinner.” Or Lucas will be whining because his toy is under the couch, and he can’t reach it. I will say in my Lucas voice, “Life is so haarddd. Lady, get me my toy right noooowwww.” And so on.

Last night we got to talking: Are the things we say for them accurate? How much of what we make up would they really, truly say?

I would venture to say we’re pretty close. Yes, that’s a big leap, but I would also venture to say that I have a very solid understanding of their personalities.

Here’s how I describe my dogs:

Emmett

Oh, Emmett. Emmett is stubborn but so sweet, a little Velcro strip stuck to my pant-leg. He’s lazy and has serious food-hoarding issues. But he’ll do absolutely anything we ask of him, especially if there’s a treat involved. Emmett loves being the center of attention, loves meeting new people, loves going new places. Emmett is completely and utterly fearless. He tolerates what he doesn’t like – puppies, not being fed on time – with heavy sighs. But he’s happy, oh, is he happy. He wags his curly tail with his entire body. All he wants out of life is a good snuggle, a tasty snack, and a nice, long nap preferably outside, in the sun, on his back.

Lucas

Lucas, my little Lucas. Oh, have we had a long road with this one. He’s incredibly smart but so terribly anxious. New things threaten Lucas. He’s ever-vigilant. While he’s terrified of the broom, plastic bags, the vacuum, construction equipment, and so on, he guards this house and us with his entire heart. I am confident that he would overcome his fear of the vacuum if it meant keeping us safe. But he’s impatient if he can’t find his toys. He howls when he doesn’t get his way. But he’s also playful. Put a puppy in the room, and Lucas will play until he drops.  He jumps, leaps, spins, and flings whatever plaything he can find. He hates hugs but implores us to rub his ears and scratch his butt. He’s independent at home, moving from room to room to guard us from every angle. Lucas loves a walk, loves to sniff, to run… oh man, does he love to run. All he wants out of life is to keep everyone safe, slices of American cheese, and lots of scratchings.

Those are my at-a-glance descriptions of the boys. I could go on and on (and on…) about the many facets of their personalities, their habits, their strengths and weaknesses, everything. I truly feel like I know these guys inside and out, to the point where I can predict their behaviors and reactions, and, thus, John and I can speak for them!

But what about you? How would you describe your dog? I would LOVE to hear how you all describe your dog’s personality. What are his or her traits or characteristics that make him or her uniquely yours? Let’s hear ’em in the comments below!