Dog behavior by breed

Studies have shown that, while individual dogs vary widely in their behavior, the behavior of dogs of a particular breed are distinct on average. In looking at dogs in New York, Seattle, and elsewhere, we used a study by Turcsán, et al. To quote from the original authors:

“Dogs that scored low regarding the trainability trait are described by their owners as uninventive and not playful, whereas dogs that scored high on this trait are regarded as intelligent and playful. Boldness was related to fearful and aloof behaviour with a low score corresponding to a high degree of fearfulness/aloofness, and vice versa. The calmness trait describes the dogs’ behaviour in stressful/ambiguous situations. A low score on this trait indicated stressed and anxious behaviour in these situations, while a high score referred to calm and emotionally stable dogs, according to the owner. Finally, dog sociability refers to their behaviour toward conspecifics [other dogs], with a low score indicating a high tendency for bullying or fighting and inversely high scores related to a low tendency.”

BreedCalmTrainableSociableBold
Airedale TerrierHighMediumHighHigh
Alaskan MalamuteHighLowMediumLow
American Cocker SpanielHighMediumHighHigh
American Staffordshire TerrierLowHighLowLow
Anatolian Shepherd DogHighLowMediumLow
Appenzeller SennenhundLowHighMediumLow
Australian ShepherdLowHighLowLow
Bavarian Mountain HoundLowHighLowLow
BeagleHighMediumHighHigh
Bearded CollieHighMediumHighHigh
BeauceronLowHighMediumLow
Belgian MalinoisLowHighLowLow
Bernese Mountain DogHighMediumHighHigh
Border CollieLowHighLowLow
Border TerrierLowHighLowLow
BoxerLowHighLowLow
BriardLowHighMediumLow
BrittanyLowLowLowMedium
Bull TerrierLowLowLowMedium
BulldogHighMediumHighHigh
Cairn TerrierLowHighLowLow
Cavalier King Charles SpanielHighMediumHighHigh
ChihuahuaLowLowLowMedium
CollieLowHighMediumLow
Coton de TulearHighLowMediumLow
DachshundLowHighLowLow
DalmatianLowHighLowLow
Doberman PinscherLowHighLowLow
Dogue de BordeauxHighLowMediumLow
English Cocker SpanielLowHighLowLow
English SetterHighLowMediumLow
Entlebucher Mountain DogLowHighLowLow
EurasierHighLowMediumLow
Flat-Coated RetrieverHighHighHighHigh
French BulldogHighMediumHighHigh
German Hunting TerrierLowHighLowLow
German ShepherdLowHighLowLow
German Shorthaired PointerHighHighHighHigh
German SpitzLowLowLowMedium
German Wirehaired PointerLowHighLowLow
Giant SchnauzerLowHighLowLow
Golden RetrieverHighMediumHighHigh
Gordon SetterHighMediumHighHigh
Great DaneLowHighLowLow
Greater Swiss Mountain DogHighMediumHighHigh
HavaneseHighMediumHighHigh
HovawartLowHighLowLow
Ibizan HoundLowHighMediumLow
Irish SetterHighMediumHighHigh
Irish TerrierLowHighLowLow
Irish WolfhoundHighLowMediumLow
Jack Russell TerrierLowHighLowLow
KromfohrlanderLowHighMediumLow
Labrador RetrieverHighMediumHighHigh
LeonbergerHighMediumHighHigh
Lhasa ApsoHighLowMediumLow
MalteseLowLowLowMedium
Miniature DachshundLowHighMediumLow
Miniature PinscherLowHighLowLow
Miniature PoodleLowHighMediumLow
Miniature SchnauzerHighMediumHighHigh
Old English SheepdogHighMediumHighHigh
Parson Russell TerrierLowHighLowLow
PekingeseHighMediumHighHigh
Perro de Presa CanarioLowLowLowMedium
PointerHighMediumHighHigh
Polish Lowland SheepdogLowHighMediumLow
PoodleLowHighLowLow
PugHighMediumHighHigh
Pyrenean ShepherdLowHighMediumLow
Rhodesian RidgebackLowHighMediumLow
RottweilerLowHighLowLow
Saint BernardHighMediumHighHigh
Shar PeiHighLowMediumLow
Shetland SheepdogHighMediumHighHigh
Shiba InuLowHighMediumLow
Shih TzuHighMediumHighHigh
Siberian HuskyHighMediumHighHigh
Small MunsterlanderHighMediumHighHigh
Soft-Coated Wheaten TerrierHighMediumHighHigh
Staffordshire Bull TerrierHighMediumHighHigh
Standard SchnauzerLowHighLowLow
Tibetan TerrierLowHighLowLow
VizslaLowHighLowLow
WeimaranerLowHighMediumLow
Welsh TerrierLowHighLowLow
West Highland Wheaten TerrierLowHighLowLow
WhippetHighMediumHighHigh
White Swiss ShepherdLowHighMediumLow
Wirehaired DachshundLowHighLowLow
WolfspitzLowHighLowLow
Yorkshire TerrierLowLowLowMedium

Reprinted with permission from Applied Animal Behaviour Science, “Trainability and boldness traits differ between dog breed clusters based on conventional breed categories and genetic relatedness” by Borbála Turcsán, et al.