Happy National Hug Your Dog Day! Now there are cat people and there are dog people – and those who are dog owners really identify with their poochies. A recent article tried to answer the question of why people start to look like their puppy-pals. The answer? “Mere Exposure Effect” which is the idea that a person might choose to get a dog who looks similar to themselves because of a preference for the familiar. Could that be equitable to behavior and personality traits, too? Can Man’s Best Friend be chosen similarly to the way we choose human friends and companions? Let’s take a look.
Dogs for D’s
Your D-Personality Doggie is a self-confident, independent – and sometimes forceful companion. If you are a D, you are also direct and decisive. You thrive on setting and enforcing limits and your doggie D is responsive, intelligent, and smart! Some great examples of a D-Dog are Rottweiler, Akita, and German Shepherd. Go Get ‘em Hooch!
Ideal Companions for I’s
Your “I”deal “I” companion is fun-loving, extroverted, and extremely social. Like their I-owners, these
“I” creatures are good communicators, love to be the center of attention, and thrive on new and exciting adventures (Keep the walk around the same block at the same time for our “S” friends!). If you’re an “I” you want a pooch that entertains and wants to be entertained – oh, and discipline? See “D” above for discipline! Some “I”mpressive matches are Dachshunds, English & French Bulldogs, and Bichon Frises. Fetch Blue!
Loyal friends for S’s
Turning our attention to the S’s among us – the patient, loyal, and family-oriented furry friends – it’s easy to see the match up with these steady and reliable friends. Our S companions are easily trained because they are patient and they thrive on routine. Our S doggos are calm, relaxed, and will yield to stronger-willed breeds. They aren’t protectors – but could be if you want it that way (but that’s best left to our Ds.) They aren’t high-energy attention seekers like the “I” pals among us – but would rise to the occasion if asked. They are the Collies, Retrievers, and Labs among us. Sit Ubu Sit. Good Dog.
Reliable “C”ompanions
Our organized, perfectionistic, and detail-oriented “C”ompanions that fall into the “C” behavior style are rule followers who are methodical and reliable. The “Cs” among us prefer their houndies to be obedient, smart, and self-sufficient. They’re not discouraged by a challenge to train/get trained, because they’ve already evaluated the outcomes, and understand that they possess the ability to achieve. The best C-Buddies are Beagles, Poodles, and Boston Terriers. “C” owners prefer not to be surprised or criticized, and their 4-legged pals expect the same respect in return – which is why Charlie Brown often asks, when referring to his famous beagle, “Why can’t I have a normal dog like everyone else?” – Snoopy is not a typical, ‘normal’ C-Beagle — but we love him anyway, don’t we?
Each of us has our own unique communication style, our natural preference for how we prefer to communicate. This phenomenon is expressed through the DISC model. In this series of posts, we take characters from popular culture (television, movies, history, etc.) and analyze where we think they fall on the DISC spectrum. We hope these posts will help you better understand the DISC model.
But don’t just take our word for it. Feel free to share and comment on our social media channels with your own interpretations as well as suggestions for other cultural icons we can look at through the DISC lens.
