Taking The Test
From Dr. Stanley Coren's book, Why We Love The Dogs We Do: How To Find the Dog That Matches Your Personality, it's time to look at what aspects about our personalities predict the dog breeds right for us. But, first we must find out about our own personality traits. The following short test should be able to give you a better picture. It's important to remember that while we all want to appear "perfect," and give the answers that we think are most flattering, the information yielded will then be useless. Let's not forget what this test is really for. It's to help you better select the dog right for you, not to impress anyone with the behavior traits that you think are the best to have.

This test is made up of 16 words (with their definitions) used to describe our personal traits or characteristics. For each word, decide how accurately it describes you. Don't spend long thinking about each individual word. Your first impressions of your personality are usually the most accurate. Select one of the answers from the scale below. Then, write that number in the space provided beside each word (on your own printed sheet of this page).

Personality Test
Now, how accurately do these words describe you? Fill in the number that goes with your answer. It may help to ask yourself the following question for each word: "How accurately does ______ describe me?"

___  Shy: you lack self-confidence and tend to be uncomfortable around others

___  Undemanding: you don't demand or expect much from other people

___  Gentle-Hearted: you are warm or kind to other people

___  Outgoing: you enjoy meeting other people

___  Assertive: you tend to be aggressive and outspoken with other people

___  Cunning: you are crafty, skillful at manipulating others, and a bit devious

___  Unsympathetic: you are not easily swayed or emotionally moved by other people's problems

___  Introverted: you feel more comfortable by yourself & are less interested in having other people around

___  Non-Aggressive: you tend to be mild-mannered and not forceful around other people.

___  Not Deceptive: you are not tricky or misleading & tend to be straight-forward when dealing with others

___  Kind: you are thoughtful, caring, and accommodating to other people

___  Friendly: you like to be with others and are open and warm around them

___  Dominant: you tend to lead others and like to command and take charge in a group

___  Tricky: you can be deceiving, or able to fool others, to get what you want

___  Hard-Hearted: you are unconcerned about other people and don't care much about their feelings

___  Unsociable: you don't enjoy meeting people or being in company of others

Ready to continue? Click here to score the test!