Some dogs snarl and snap at anyone—familiar people, even their owners. Other dogs display aggression more selectively, directing it toward strangers, people, or dogs that happen to be unfamiliar. Curiously, the snarlier dogs and the relatively subdued dogs tend to be genetically distinct. Approximately one dozen genes have variants that are associated with sociability, or with fear and aggression.
The gene variants were uncovered by researchers based at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. According to these researchers, reduced-fear gene variants may have been involved in the domestication process. The researchers also assert that their findings are relevant not only to dog behavioral problems, but also to human anxiety disorders.
