Canine character

DOGS are often said to look like their owners, but now researchers say people choose animals that mirror their own personality. Agreeableness was the personality trait linked to people who own gun dogs.

Those with low emotional stability were more likely to choose a terrier breed like the Staffordshire Bull and Yorkshire, while those with high emotional stability preferred hound dogs like the Beagle and Afghan.

Owners of utility dogs like Dalmatians and Bulldogs tend to be conscientious, while those with pastoral breeds were the most extroverted.

Intelligence was linked to owners of toy and pastoral breeds with the former being more creative and the latter agreeable.