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Temperament
Ellen Nickelsberg
4 ArticlesClear Headed
This is vague term that is common mostly in working German Shepherd circles, but can be used when referring to any dog. It describes a dog that can think clearly and remain focused when highly stimulated.…
Sharpness
Sharpness is a temperament term used mainly in working German Shepherd circles but can be used to refer to the temperament of any dog. There is no common definition for the term, but in general it…
Game, Gameness, or “Game-bred”
The term "game" in dog temperament refers to a dog that seemingly has a disregard for injury, exhaustion, and death when in an aggressive state, particularly when hunting and fighting. The term has historically been used…
Hard and Soft Dogs
Generally, the terms "hard" and "soft" are used to describe how individual dogs respond to discipline. It should not be confused with how dominant/submissive a dog is or how aggressive it is since these are completely…
Social aggression
This is often referred to as aggression that is related to a conflict in the dominant/submissive relationship between two dogs or human and a dog. It is also used interchangeably with the term "dominance aggression". When…
Dominant vs Submissive
By definition dominant (dominance) and submissive (submission) refers to a role in a relationship. So technically it is possible for a dog to be dominant in one relationship and submissive in a different relationship. Dominance and…
Resource Guarder
"Resource guarder" is referred to as a temperament trait since puppies are born with varying degrees of this instinct to guard limited resources. It is derived from a primitive survival instinct inherent of all wild canines…
Pack Drive
Pack drive is a term used to describe a dog's desire to be with and function as a unit with their "pack". Like all traits it is a relative term that is hard to measure. In…
Bite Inhibition
Bite inhibition refers to a dog's tendency to control the force of their bite when appropriate, such as during play, when giving a disciplinary bite, or even taking treats from the hand. In the dog training…
Prey Drive
Prey drive encompasses all the behaviors which originate from the original instinct to hunt, kill, and dissect prey. More specifically this includes tracking, stalking, chasing, biting, holding, shaking, and dissecting (tearing apart). Different breeds were selectively…
Flight Drive
Not technically aggressive behavior, this is the instinct to remove self from a threatening situation. This is the most insecure drive and is the opposite of prey drive. Flight drive is the drive a dog will…
Defense Drive
In its pure form is the instinct to intimidate and use the least contact necessary to drive away a threat to a dog’s self, social status, pups, or anything that the dog feels is important. When…
Fight Drive
This is reserved mostly toward competitors of "equal" or undetermined status. A dog in fight drive will perceive his target as a threat to something important, but will also go out of his way to continue…