What Your Dog’s Breed Secretly Reveals About Your Dating Personality
How much effect does your dog have over your love life?
Norbert Kundrak | Unsplash Just when you thought it couldn't get any worse than people judging you by your shoes, another study finds that the type of dog you have can also elicit harsh judgment ... and ruin your dating life.
I dated a guy once who owned a Husky, and he was undoubtedly the weirdest man I've ever dated, and I've no idea if his owning a Husky is any correlation, but it could be, and now I judge all Husky owners.
Thanks to an app called Kloof, 1,000 users, both gay and straight, were asked in 2012 to match personality traits to people based on the type of dog they own. In a nutshell:
What your dog’s breed secretly reveals about your dating personality
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People with large dogs were perceived as trustworthy and relationship material. Whereas people with, say, a Chihuahua, were viewed as not only "dumb," but a mere one-night stand.
I've never been scared of big dogs, but I can't count the number of times I've had to run from the jaws of a tiny dog going straight for my ankles. When it came to people with medium-sized dogs, things got a bit more complicated. Apparently, if you're a guy with a French bulldog, you're perceived as "fussy and particular;" women with poodles also fall into this category.
Men with larger dogs were considered more attractive. And a man who owns a German shepherd — well, he's more of a "take care of business" type of guy.
Overall, the most desirable dogs for men to have, according to women, were Labradors and Golden Retrievers, for their sweet and loyal disposition.
Sure, they may not be able to protect you from an intruder because they're more liable to lick, rather than bite, the criminal to death, but they're known to be loyal, which women prefer to all other traits.
As for how men viewed women and their canine companions, although Beagle owners were most commonly associated with "exactly what men want in a good woman," dogs like Golden Retrievers were the top choice, once again.
Based on these findings, should Chihuahua owners trade in their miniature pooches for bigger dogs to appear less "dumb" and easy? I don't have the answer.
But I do know that I'd date a man with a Golden Retriever over a poodle or Chihuahua owner any day. If he can't handle a "real" dog, then I'll pass. I'm glad this survey proves I'm not alone.
Amanda Chatel has been a wellness and relationship journalist for over a decade. Her work has been featured in Glamour, Shape, Self, and other outlets.
