How the dog’s temperament affects training and education

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The temperament of a dog is a stable set of psychophysiological characteristics that underlies the formation of character and behavior. The temperament of the dog is due to the type of higher nervous activity. The temperament of a dog is what it is born with and what determines its life in many ways. What types of temperament of dogs are and how do they affect the process of training and raising a pet?

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What is the temperament of dogs?

Dogs, like humans, have four types of temperament:

Sanguine is a strong balanced moving type. The processes of excitation and inhibition are well developed, however, it is necessary to work correctly with such a dog so that it is not overexcited. Sanguine dogs are energetic, active, efficient, have a quick reaction, are constantly looking for new experiences, are willing to learn and quickly adapt to change. There are also disadvantages: if you train and train a sanguine dog incorrectly, it will be easily distracted, experience problems with concentration, rush and make mistakes, it would seem, out of the blue.
Phlegmatic is a strong balanced inert type. The phlegmatic dog is calm, not subject to sudden mood swings, rarely shows aggression, and is characterized by endurance. But keep in mind that these dogs can hardly switch to other activities and learn new skills rather slowly. But what they learned once is remembered, as a rule, all their lives. On the one hand, this is a plus - such dogs need less work to maintain the skill. On the other hand, if you teach a pet bad habits, retraining it will be difficult.
Choleric is a strong unbalanced type. Such dogs are very excitable, while the processes of inhibition are weak. They are impulsive, impetuous, passionately surrendered to their favorite cause, but at the same time prone to outbreaks, a sharp change in mood. These are excellent working and sporting dogs, but with improper training and insufficient or excessive loads they can become uncontrollable, quick-tempered or aggressive.
Melancholic is a weak type, that is, processes and excitations and inhibitions are poorly developed. These are dogs with a “fine mental organization”: they get frustrated by any trifle, are rather reserved, timid, and although these dogs are very sensitive, sometimes it seems that they react poorly to the environment. Such dogs are more likely than others to suffer from distress, they have phobias and anxiety disorders.

Types of temperament in dogs, as in humans, are not always found in their pure form. Often there are mixed types of temperament - any combination of the two above types.

In addition, owners can not always correctly determine the type of temperament of their dog. For example, sanguine people are often called choleric, who were either not explained the rules of behavior, or were not taught to control themselves, or were not provided with sufficient physical and intellectual stress.

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Why take into account the temperament of the dog in the process of training and education?

The temperament of the dog is very important to take into account in the process of training and education, because if you build classes incorrectly, nothing good will come of it.

If you are dealing with a sanguine dog, most likely it will be very easy for you to teach it new things. You can quickly complicate tasks, but you need to make sure that a balance of excitement and relaxation is maintained. Take the time to train your dog in the "keep yourself in your paws" ability and work on its ability to concentrate. At the same time, do not wait until the pet gets bored - do not torment the dog with repeated repetitions of the same.

If the dog is phlegmatic in temperament, do not rush it and do not get annoyed when it seems to you that the pet is "blunt". Give the phlegmatic dog time to learn new things. It may take more repetitions, but your patience will pay off in the future when the skill is firmly mastered. And switching from one type of activity to another, do not rush.

When working with a choleric dog, avoid repeated repetitions of the same thing, quickly switch from one task to another, but at the same time constantly make sure that the pet is not tired and not overexcited. These dogs grasp everything on the fly and are capable of not showing fatigue for a long time, and then “unexpectedly” explode, so the owner is required to be sensitive and not to transmit.

With a melancholy dog, you need to behave extremely correctly and avoid any harshness, otherwise the pet will simply go inside and lose confidence in the person. These dogs need smooth, patient and gentle handling. Only in a safe and calm environment can they exist comfortably and learn new things.