Personality traits in free-ranging dogs: Do experimental tests mirror natural behavior?

ABSTRACT: While animal personality research is expanding, methods used to assess personality traits of free-ranging animals are often unreliable or report mixed results in the validation process. One potential reason is inadequate implementation of methods used for captive animals to wild populations. In this study we assessed cross-context validity of human- and conspecific-directed sociability, exploration, and aggression in a free-ranging dog population, with measures obtained from experimental testing and naturalistic observations. We found strong agreement between the two methods for human-directed sociability and exploration, supporting their validity. Although conspecific-sociability showed limited associations, initial reactions to other dogs during the test was linked to conspecific proximi

SUBMITTER: Blenkus U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12661346 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature