When we were kids, I used to make my sister – my younger sister – ask the librarian for the book I wanted because I just couldn’t do it. In the almost three years since we’ve lived in this town, we’ve ordered sushi, pizza, or Chinese once a week. Yet, I have never once made the call.
Anything I can order online, I do. Due to the invention of drive-thru Starbucks, I never have to wait for my latte standing in a crowded coffee shop. It’s not that I don’t like people. Of course I do. It’s just overwhelming for me to stand in a big long line, waiting to order my drink, fearing that the guy in front of me will start in on some small talk.
My extroverted husband and my wildly, crazily extroverted sister will never understand this. In fact, introverts are able to empathize with extroverts, but the reverse is not true. I think this article, “Caring for Your Introvert,” should be required reading for all extroverts.
Anyway, I started thinking today… Could this be true about dogs? Are dogs considered introverts or extroverts?
Those of us who have loved dogs know that their personalities vary widely. I have three sleeping in the office with me right now who are all completely different from one another, much like my siblings and I are entirely different.
Emmett loves meeting new people and he loves bossing around new dogs. If anyone is in his vicinity, he wants to meet them. Right. Now. He wants to introduce himself, lay his head on their knee, collect treats and scratches. Classic extrovert.
Lucas, on the other hand, seems standoffish around new people. He hangs back. Sometimes he hides. He will meet and greet when he feels comfortable. After a busy day – say we have a cookout at our house – he will crawl into his bed and sleep off the overwhelm. Classic introvert.
Curious, I conducted exhaustive research* into the topic. There is a ton of research out there into the types of pets introverts vs. extroverts choose. Turns out, studies show introverts gravitate toward cats. Huh.
But I wasn’t able to find much about introversion or extroversion in dogs. I’m still curious, though, so I may have to poke around next time I’m at the library.
Then I’ll make John ask the librarian for the books I want.
What do you think? Do you think your dogs are introverted or extroverted? How does that compare to how you describe yourself?
*tapped a couple keywords into Google
Fantastic post! Being a classic introvert myself I find most of the social “pleasantries” to be exhausting and need time to recuperate. Marilyn said it best: “I restore myself when I’m alone.”
My dog is very much my mirror and isn’t the classic “friendly” canine most are used to. He was a stray I bailed out of puppy prison and takes a long while to warm up to new people. Many people are outright insulted when I tell them to ignore him and DO NOT pet him when he goes in for the sniff. He will eventually take treats and allow some petting, but he’s not the kind of dog you can just run up to wildly screaming “hey buddy” while trying to touch him.
I am definitely an introvert and chose a dog that was also an introvert. She really doesn’t like it when her nice quiet home becomes interrupted with guests and will hide under covers most of the time and be completely anti-social. And any variation on her nice quiet life definitely leads to one tired puppy. But then Joe and Jackson came into my life and Jackson is definitely an extrovert. He gets unabashedly excited whenever a new person comes around or a new adventure is presented (‘we’re going on ANOTHER walk today! omg! I love it!’) Luckily I find that both dogs, if taken out around people, help me as the introvert work the crowd. I always have something to talk about and if there is a lull in the conversation (scary to me) I can use the dogs to get out of it. Brilliant.
I absolutely think that dogs can be either introverted or extroverted. We have a lot of dogs here in the office and they are so different – some will come out to meet each and every passer-by, others will lay in their bed most of the day and observe everything from a distance. I love the differences in dogs! You should definitely publish a research paper on this. 🙂
I make a game out of figuring out if a dog is an “innie” or “”outie.” Like people, some are easy to identify and others fall more in the middle of the scale. Keeping Myers-Briggs in mind, I also try to classify thinkers and feelers. Hmm. Wonder if this introverted pet sitter needs to get out more? 🙂
Interesting topic! I would say I’m an introvert (I absolutely hate making phone calls too!) but Miss M is an extreme extrovert. I feel like we make a good team because she compensates. I don’t like to start conversations, so she goes ahead and wiggles and I can just let her do the “talking”. This was extremely helpful when I was a single girl and she not only helped me get dates, but I brought her on the dates so there wouldn’t be lulls.
I’m an introvert with occasional extrovert tendencies, and I think maybe my dog is the same way. Social situations with lots of people stress me out, making small talk with people I don’t know stresses me out. I do occasionally crave social interaction, but more along the lines of hanging out with people I already know and like than meeting new people.
Diamond is generally pretty unsure when she meets new people. She’ll wag and tentatively approach, but often chickens out and hides before getting to them. And she usually hides out in the bedroom when we have people over. But, once she warms up to someone, she will happily sit at their feet and cover them in puppy kisses.
I love this post. And I definitely think dogs can be introverts or extroverts.
I like the definition of introversion and extroversion that distinguishes us by where we get our energy. Introverts may be very friendly to others or seemingly outgoing but if they need to pull away from people to get their energy, they’re showing their true tendencies.
I have shy tendencies (I hate phone calls and can be nervous going somewhere I don’t know anyone) but I’m definitely an extrovert. I become more energized around people not less.
I think the way you could test dogs is by how excited they are to meet new people (or dogs) over and over again before they pull away for a bit of solitude. Perhaps by viewing tapes at a doggy day care facility.
My dog Honey is certainly an extrovert. She gets “jazzed” every time a new person or dog comes and along and doesn’t seem to ever need a break.
This is such a great post! I love how so many bloggers have the same quirks I do. It took me years to get over my phone phobia. Now I have (almost) no problems calling anyone to ask for almost anything – a job as a fundraising assistant will do that. But face-to-face I pretty much always fall apart. Job interviews are pretty much my biggest nightmare, right next to a giant room filled with people I don’t know. Ick. My shoulders have tensed just typing that.
Anyway, I really liked Pamela’s suggestions. Of course dogs can be introverted or extroverted, I’ve seen examples of that all the time. I don’t know how I would classify Shiva, though. By Pamela’s definition she sounds more introverted but at the same time, she is definitely not shy with other dogs. Pushy is more the term I would use. People are another matter. It takes her a long time to warm up. It would definitely be a fascinating study!
Thanks for the link to that article. I’m going to have to take a look at it.
You could probably guess, but Holly is an extreme extrovert. Wants to meet every new person and every new dog. Gets beside herself with excitement at the thought. This usually leads to me apologizing to someone (after Holly has flung herself 5 feet into the air to “meet” them). Maybe it’s Holly’s way of training me to be more comfortable in awkward social situations…
I believe that, just as with people, it depends on the individual dog. I have met dogs of both types.
Great post. When I think of this more like unsocialized (introverted) or well socialized (extroverted) I have these thoughts on the matter:
I am an extrovert (outspoken), and quickly engage in conversation (not confrontation), and respond to say; the Walmart greeter at the drop of a hat. I have 5 dogs of which only one I would consider extroverted. Two of the five are quite shy of people, one of which isn’t with other dogs though, the other both. The other two of the five are extroverted in the home but quick to give a startlingly loud bark if anyone outside the home reaches to pet them.
Great topic and worth more research.
I think dogs can show extrovert and introvert tendencies.
I’ve fostered and owned several dogs threw out my life and each is a bit different.
Currently I own a Labrador… I wouldn’t exactly call him introverted, more like extremely shy and very nervous. He gets frightened by even his own shadow, and refuses to have anything to do with my other dogs. The only person in this house he doesn’t act afraid of besides me is the cat, and it was only recently that he gained confidence around my kitty.
I also own a bully/great Dane mix who loves everyone and anyone… And it seems everyone loves him back at first glance. He would definitely be called an extrovert if he where human. By himself or just with me and he tends to mope around whining… Put him in a large group and suddenly he is bouncing around and enthusiastically greeting everyone.
I also have an old pointer mix, who’s been cranky since he was only a few days old. He tends to lay around and watch everything from a distance. He doesn’t go up to people willingly, but he does not care if someone comes up to pet him. He is tolerant of other dogs, but he won’t play with them and rarely aknowledges they are there.
He is what I would call a perfect excample of an introvert. Not exactly nervous or shy around people, doesnt care too much for some mild interactions, but he does prefer to be by himself and to observe what’s going on from a distance.
Then I foster this husky, who is so much like me it’s scary.
When it comes to people, she eagerly greets everyone, loves “talking”, and is an all around people’s dog… She Pretty much treats people like I treat other dogs.
But when it comes to other dogs however, she suddenly withdraws. She is fine meeting one or two at a time, but any more and she gets nervous and snappy. She is fine going to big events with other dogs if she stay only a few minutes, otherwise she starts getting snappy. It’s the same with me, but instead of dogs, I get cranky towards people.
When she starts getting upset, all I have to do is take her away, let her rest in her kennel d
I am an INFP, and I say my dog, Tiki (who looks a lot like Emmett) is an ENFP. Fits her personality well.
I know you can’t accurately type dogs in the same way you can humans, but she just acts like an ENFP.