It’s probably no surprise to their owners, but dogs, much like people, have distinct personalities¹ (canine-alities?) that shift and change over time, according to a new study.

这对它们的主人来说可能并不奇怪，但是根据一项新的研究，狗，也会像人一样，有着不同的个性，并且随着时间的推移，这种个性也会有所改变。

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.

密歇根州立大学的研究人员说，狗也有人类一样的情绪，它们的个性特征影响它们对不同情况的反应。研究表明，狗主人对这些个性有着巨大的影响，而狗狗个性的变化也是对主人的个性或心理状态的反应。例如，那些与宠物关系亲密的人往往会养一只更活跃、更易兴奋的狗。

“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 psychology² 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 optimal³ time for training and even a time in their lives that they can get more aggressive toward other animals.”

“当主人经历了人生的巨大变化时，他们的个性就会改变。而这种改变也发生在狗身上——并且发生的几率很大。”MSU心理学教授威廉·肖皮克在大学的一份发布中解释说，“我们认为这些狗的性格相当稳定，因为它们的生活方式没有像人类那样发生巨大的变化，但实际上它们改变了很多。我们发现了它们与主人的相似之处，最佳的训练时间，甚至是它们生命中对其他动物更具攻击性的时间。”

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.

这项研究是同类研究中最早也是规模最大的研究之一。Chopik和他的团队对1600多只、包括50个品种狗狗的主人进行了调查。狗龄从几周到15岁不等，性别分布均匀。Chopik为狗主人创建了一个广泛的调查表，以评估其狗的性格特征和自身特征，并回答有关其狗的行为历史的问题。

The researchers specifically examined behaviors that can be predicted by personality. They found that a dog’s disposition⁴ influences their attachment⁵ and bond to their owners, biting behavior, and even chronic⁶ illness. Such correlations⁷ show how a dog’s personality can actually help predict their future behavior.

研究人员专门研究了可以由个性预测的行为。他们发现狗的性格会影响狗对主人的依恋和联系，咬人行为，甚至慢性病。这种关联性表明狗的个性如何能够帮助预测狗未来的行为。

“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 obedience⁸ is around the age of six, when it outgrows⁹ its excitable puppy stage but before its too set in its ways.”

“我们发现了三个主要方面的相关性：年龄和个性，人与狗的个性相似性，以及狗的个性对狗与主人关系质量的影响，”肖皮克说年长的狗训练起来要困难得多，“我们发现，教狗服从的黄金期大约在六岁左右，过了兴奋的小狗阶段，又还未彻底定型之前。”

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 aggression¹⁰ 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，狗的性格会随着时间的推移而改变，这取决于它们与主人之间的关系。 尤其是狗的年龄，对其个性产生了深远的影响，虽然许多行为可以纠正，但对于狗主人来说，由于恐惧和侵略而产生的行为就更难纠正了。 先前有研究表明，狗能真正阅读主人的面部表情，并在主人心情不好时变得更加紧张。

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

这项研究发表在《心理学研究杂志》上。