As accurate as this generalization may be from an overall perspective, the authors note that it overlooks what can be important individual differences reflecting"biological and external factors [which can] contribute to the direction, timing, and magnitude of personality change over time” .
Moreover, older dogs don't experience the same variety of life events as older humans in that they don't choose romantic partners, spend years in the workplace, or have awareness of historical and social events. However, dogs can be subjected to the influence of such factors as changes in the family structure of their owners, moving, and potentially the loss of their owner to illness or death.
The dogs ranged in age from 6 months to 15 years, and 4 years after the initial test, 37 of them were brought back into the lab to allow for tracking of personality changes over time. From the video recordings of the tests, the research team developed 70 behavior-based variables to rate. Subsequent statistical analysis condensed these 70 variables down to the following 5 personality traits:Manner of greeting the experimenter, playfulness with a ball, time taken to obey a command.
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