Is your dog messy? The reason may not be the breed of the dog, but the personality of the dog.

A major study published in the journal Science tries to explain whether dogs’ behavior is really linked to dogs’ genes. dog breed. However, contrary to popular belief, the results show that only 25% of these behavioral traits are inherited.

When we own or buy a dog, we tend to choose the animal based on the characteristics of the breed, such as its behavior, personality or appearance. We believe that a species can be more loving, more playful, and even more protective. However, behavioral traits may not be directly linked to race, according to a study by Kathleen Morrill and her team, a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts in the United States.

The largest survey ever conducted in the region collected data through the lab’s own database, Darwin’s Ark, and involved 18,385 dog owners who answered a survey of more than 100 questions about their animals, including breed, physical and behavioral characteristics. In total, the genomes of 2,155 of these dogs were fully mapped so analysis could be performed.

Other studies have been done in this area before, but the researchers explain that sampling was based on analysis of the behavior of groups of dogs, performing a behavioral averaging, but the new study analyzed dogs individually. to make comparisons between dogs of the same breed or to analyze whether dogs conform to the behavioral patterns of the dominant breed in their genetic mix.

Genomic mapping showed that 80% of the animals’ physical traits are directly genetically inherited, but on the other hand, only 25% of the behavioral traits are inherited.

Therefore, many of the behaviors of these animals have environmental factors that would explain the behavioral differences between animals of the same breed. Also, according to research, only 9% of personality differences between puppies are directly related to their breed.

In addition to these findings, 11 regions were identified in the genetic mapping. DNA The number of dogs associated with behaviors ranging from howling to being sociable. In the human genome, these regions are linked to language and long-term memory.

Morril and colleagues hope the research will provide a new way to look at the behavior and personality of dogs and help develop treatments for neurological conditions in animals and humans.

ARTICLE Science: doi.org/10.1126/science.abk0639