Mayhew 1

Jordan Mayhew
Professor Debra Dagher
UWRT 1102-P090
September 22nd, 2014
Personality Types vs. Breed of Dog and How the Two Associate with Breed Aggressions
Through my research I intend to differentiate the correlation of a humans personality
type and the breed of dog they own. I want to investigate if there is a problem with the
correlation in regards to breed aggression; thus, leading to my solution, if any, to the relevance of
personality type of a human determined before certain breeds can be owned. My research will be
focused on the United States only, as aggressive breed laws and restrictions already vary by
city and state, making for a broad range of data.
The topic of breed aggression is one that most already have an opinion of. Most people
have a very strong opinion on the topic, even if they lack education in the subject. These
opinions have led to breed restrictions in some towns and cities, which have caused a vast
majority of the population to fear these restricted/aggressive breeds. I will answer the question,
are we basing our opinions of aggressive breeds on clinically diagnosed aggressive animals, or
on breeds that are just generally understood to be aggressive? The general populace is placing
blame on the breed instead of taking a look at the humans that own these breeds as well. I will
try to answer the question of how we influence our dogs behaviors. There has been significant
research linking human beings personality types with the type of dog breed they own. There is
said to be certain personalities that gravitate towards aggressive breeds. I am aiming towards

Mayhew 2

figuring out why certain personality types choose the breeds they do. I intend to propose a
solution to the problem by testing the information for myself, and configuring a way to stop
these harmful personalities from owning any aggressive breed, thus hopefully eliminating a
majority of the aggression in these breeds that will eventually lead to the breed restriction laws
being dissolved. Im proposing prerequisite testing of potential dog owners before being allowed
to own aggressive breeds. There should be a governing body created to oversee the program
and law those that do not comply.
I am going to develop a survey that includes a series of questions to help me identify
specific personality types of which I will group together in more general categories. Based on the
information gathered and my research of which personality types fit best with which breeds, I
will sufficiently confirm what research has already been done and propose a way to keep the
harmful personality types from obtaining such aggressive breeds. I will limit my focus in just
those areas, after gaining a vast general knowledge on both aggressive breeds, the restrictions
placed on them, and human personality types. I will structure my research as follows: What are
aggressive dog breeds?, What are the stipulations that surround them?", What are the
general personality types of dog owners?, What personality types own aggressive breeds?,
Are owners or their dogs the problem?, and conclude by proposing my theory to end
unmatched personality dog ownerships.

Mayhew 3

My response to changes from Draft 1

After reviewing my peers suggestions and developing a thorough double entry journal, I
was able to add more concrete topics and answers to these topics, to my proposal. My peer asked
the question, How will you break down your research? I added my proposed structure as to
exactly what questions I will focusing my research on and the order to which I will be answering
them. Overall, I was to add specifics to my previously broad proposal, to give my reader a
clearer understanding of why this topic is important to me and how I propose a solution.

Mayhew 4

Works Cited
Wells, Deborah L., and Peter G. Hepper. "The Personality of aggressive and non-aggressive
Dog Owners." Personality and Individual Differences 53.6 (2012): 770-73. Academic
Search Complete. Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
Duffy, Deborah L., Yuying Hsu, and James A. Serpell. "Breed Differences In Canine
Aggression." Applied Animal Behaviour Science114.3/4 (2008): 441-460. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.
Campbell, Dana M. "Pit Bull Bans: The State Of Breed-Specific Legislation." Gpsolo 26.5
(2009): 36-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Sept. 2014.