Your dog's genes, but not necessarily its breed, play a big role in its behavior

Your dog's breed may not dictate its behavior, though genes do play a role, a study of the genomes of 4,000 purebred, mixed-breed and wild dogs has revealed. In comparing the DNA data of so many animals, researchers found that genetic variations appeared in clusters around different types of dogs. These clusters contained dog breeds that all had one thing in common: the role their ancestors played in human history. "Humans have employed dogs for thousands of years to perform tasks such as herding livestock, killing vermin, hunting, pulling loads, guarding, and companionship," the study authors wrote in their paper. "To produce dogs that will [perform these roles] reliably, humans have selectively bred toward a variety of behavioral ideals."