狗狗也會有性格變化

It’s probably no surprise to their owners, but dogs, much like people, have distinct personalities (canine-alities?) that shift and change over time, according to a new study.

這對它們的主人來說可能并不奇怪，但是根據(jù)一項新的研究，狗，也會像人一樣，有著不同的個性，并且隨著時間的推移，這種個性也會有所改變。

Researchers at Michigan State University say dogs also have moods like humans, and their personality traits affect how they react to different situations. The study reveals that dog owners have immense influence over these traits, with such changes occurring as a response to an owner’s personality or mental state. For example, people who felt happiest about their relationship with their pet tended to have a dog that was more active and excitable.

密歇根州立大學的研究人員說，狗也有人類一樣的情緒，它們的個性特征影響它們對不同情況的反應。研究表明，狗主人對這些個性有著巨大的影響，而狗狗個性的變化也是對主人的個性或心理狀態(tài)的反應。例如，那些與寵物關(guān)系親密的人往往會養(yǎng)一只更活躍、更易興奮的狗。

“When humans go through big changes in life, their personality traits can change. We found that this also happens with dogs – and to a surprisingly large degree,” explains lead author William Chopik, professor of psychology at MSU, in a university release. “We expected the dogs’ personalities to be fairly stable because they don’t have wild lifestyle changes humans do, but they actually change a lot. We uncovered similarities to their owners, the optimal time for training and even a time in their lives that they can get more aggressive toward other animals.”

“當主人經(jīng)歷了人生的巨大變化時，他們的個性就會改變。而這種改變也發(fā)生在狗身上——并且發(fā)生的幾率很大。”MSU心理學教授威廉·肖皮克在大學的一份發(fā)布中解釋說，“我們認為這些狗的性格相當穩(wěn)定，因為它們的生活方式?jīng)]有像人類那樣發(fā)生巨大的變化，但實際上它們改變了很多。我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了它們與主人的相似之處，最佳的訓練時間，甚至是它們生命中對其他動物更具攻擊性的時間。”

The study is one of the first — and by far the largest — of its kind. Chopik and his team surveyed the the owners of over 1,600 dogs, including 50 breeds. Pup-participants ranged from just a few weeks to 15 years and were nearly evenly split between male and female. Chopik created an extensive survey for owners to evaluate their dog’s personality traits, as well as their own characteristics, and answer questions about their dog’s behavioral history.

這項研究是同類研究中最早也是規(guī)模最大的研究之一。Chopik和他的團隊對1600多只、包括50個品種狗狗的主人進行了調(diào)查。狗齡從幾周到15歲不等，性別分布均勻。Chopik為狗主人創(chuàng)建了一個廣泛的調(diào)查表，以評估其狗的性格特征和自身特征，并回答有關(guān)其狗的行為歷史的問題。

The researchers specifically examined behaviors that can be predicted by personality. They found that a dog’s disposition influences their attachment and bond to their owners, biting behavior, and even chronic illness. Such correlations show how a dog’s personality can actually help predict their future behavior.

研究人員專門研究了可以由個性預測的行為。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)狗的性格會影響狗對主人的依戀和聯(lián)系，咬人行為，甚至慢性病。這種關(guān)聯(lián)性表明狗的個性如何能夠幫助預測狗未來的行為。

“We found correlations in three main areas: age and personality, in human-to-dog personality similarities and in the influence a dog’s personality has on the quality of its relationship with its owner,” says Chopik. “Older dogs are much harder to train; we found that the ‘sweet spot’ for teaching a dog obedience is around the age of six, when it outgrows its excitable puppy stage but before its too set in its ways.”

“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)了三個主要方面的相關(guān)性：年齡和個性，人與狗的個性相似性，以及狗的個性對狗與主人關(guān)系質(zhì)量的影響，”肖皮克說年長的狗訓練起來要困難得多，“我們發(fā)現(xiàn)，教狗服從的黃金期大約在六歲左右，過了興奮的小狗階段，又還未徹底定型之前。”

Results showed that dogs’ personalities changed over time based on the quality of their relationships with their owners. A dog’s age in particular had a profound effect on its personality, and while many behaviors can be corrected, those stemming from fear and aggression are more difficult to correct for pet parents. Previous research has shown how dogs can actually read their owners’ facial expressions and become more stressed when they’re in a bad mood.

果表明，狗的性格會隨著時間的推移而改變，這取決于它們與主人之間的關(guān)系。 尤其是狗的年齡，對其個性產(chǎn)生了深遠的影響，雖然許多行為可以糾正，但對于狗主人來說，由于恐懼和侵略而產(chǎn)生的行為就更難糾正了。 先前有研究表明，狗能真正閱讀主人的面部表情，并在主人心情不好時變得更加緊張。

The study was published in the Journal of Research in Psychology.

這項研究發(fā)表在《心理學研究雜志》上。