Does my dog act like its breed?
Probably less than you think. In 2022, scientists combined owner surveys on 18,385 dogs with the DNA of 2,155 of them, mixed breeds included, and asked how much a dog’s breed tells you about how it behaves. The answer was: not much, for any single dog. Breed made a real difference to some traits on average, but individual dogs varied far more within a breed than between breeds. Breed turned out to predict looks much better than behaviour.
The quiz starts with your dog’s breed: Labrador, Golden Retriever, Border Collie, German Shepherd, Corgi, Husky, Samoyed, Shiba Inu, Poodle, Bichon Frise, Pomeranian, French Bulldog, Chihuahua, Beagle or Dachshund, or mixed / not sure. Then come five things that breed is famous for, and you say whether your dog does each one totally, sometimes or not at all. A Husky gets asked about howling back and escaping, a Shiba about the Shiba scream and ignoring you, a Labrador about eating anything and jumping into water. The second part is four guesses about what the 2022 study found: how much of the behaviour difference between dogs breed explains, which behaviour breed predicts best, what tells you more about toy play, and how much better breed predicts looks than behaviour.
Your dog gets a match score and a label: By the Book, Mostly on Brand or Breed Rebel. A mixed dog rates one famous habit from each of five breeds and is an Original Recipe, with the breed it acts most like. The result sheet then sets the score beside what the 2022 study found. The reputations are stereotypes, written down only so a dog can be compared with them; they are not a scientific description of any breed.
What the quiz asks
Your dog’s breed and five things it’s famous for, then four guesses about the science.
Your dog
- Its breed: Labrador, Golden Retriever, Border Collie, German Shepherd, Corgi, Husky, Samoyed, Shiba Inu, Poodle, Bichon Frise, Pomeranian, French Bulldog, Chihuahua, Beagle or Dachshund, or mixed / not sure
- Five things your breed is famous for, each rated totally, sometimes or not at all
- A mixed dog rates one famous habit each from the Husky, Shiba Inu, Golden Retriever, Border Collie and Labrador
The science: guess what the study found
- How much of the difference in behaviour between dogs breed explains, on a slider
- Which behaviour breed predicts best
- What tells you more about how much a dog plays with toys
- How many times better breed predicts looks than behaviour
Your result
- A match score: how much your dog lives up to its breed’s reputation
- A label: By the Book, Mostly on Brand, Breed Rebel or Original Recipe
- Your four guesses next to the study’s findings, with the fact behind each
- A share card with your dog’s breed and its five habits
Dog breeds and behaviour: common questions
Is this test free? Do I need to sign up to see my result?
Yes, it’s free, and there’s nothing to sign up for: no account, no email, no payment. Your result appears on this page the moment you finish, and you can share it or play again straight away.
Are my answers saved or sent anywhere?
No. Your answers and your result stay in your browser: nothing you pick or type is sent to us. The live site counts anonymous visits (that a test was opened, how far people got, whether they finished) without any of the answers. Your latest result is kept in this browser so you can find it again, and a challenge link carries only the name of your result. If you add a photo of your dog to the share card, it is drawn on your device and never uploaded.
How long does it take, and can I play on my phone?
About 2 minutes. It works on a phone, tablet or computer in any up-to-date browser, as long as 3D graphics (WebGL) are switched on, which they are almost everywhere. Sound effects are optional: the switch is in the top corner.
What does the dog breed behaviour test tell me?
The test gives your dog a match score, how much it lives up to its breed’s reputation, and one of four labels: By the Book, Mostly on Brand, Breed Rebel, or Original Recipe for a mixed-breed dog, which also learns the breed it acts most like. You also get your score on four guesses about a large 2022 study of breed and behaviour. The result sheet lists your dog’s five habits beside the reputation and each guess beside the real figure. The share card shows the comparison, with your dog’s photo if you add one, and a challenge link lets a friend compare dogs.
How is the result worked out, and how accurate is it?
You pick your dog’s breed from fifteen popular ones and rate five things that breed is famous for: totally is 2 points, sometimes 1, not at all 0. Eight or more out of 10 is By the Book, 5 to 7 Mostly on Brand, 4 or less Breed Rebel. The reputations are stereotypes written for this page, not findings. The four guesses come from Morrill and colleagues’ 2022 study in Science, which surveyed owners of 18,385 dogs and sequenced 2,155, and found breed a weak guide to any one dog.
Does dog breed determine personality?
Not for any one dog. The 2022 study in Science found that breeds differ on some behaviours on average, but dogs vary so much within every breed that knowing the breed tells you little about the dog in front of you. Breed explained only about 9% of the variation in behaviour between dogs, and predicted looks about five times better than behaviour.
What if my dog is a mixed breed?
Pick “Mixed / not sure”. Your dog then rates one famous habit each from the Husky, Shiba Inu, Golden Retriever, Border Collie and Labrador, gets the label Original Recipe and finds out which breed it acts most like. The 2022 study is on your side: many of its dogs were mixed breeds, and because their ancestry varies, the researchers could separate what comes with a breed from what comes with the dog.
Where the facts come from
The four findings are from Morrill et al. (2022). The breed reputations are popular stereotypes, written for this page so they can be compared; they are not from the study.
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