On social media, some describe their ultra-sociable friend as having a “golden retriever personality”: always up for it, cuddly, a little clingy… and sometimes anxious. For a long time, this parallel remained an internet meme-style joke. Behind the image of the perfect family dog, we imagined above all the effect of education, living environment, individual character. A team from the University of Cambridge and the University of Lincoln wanted to look at the DNA side, by cross-referencing the genetic profile and behavior of around 1,300 golden retrievers.
Surprising results
The scientists relied on the Golden Retriever Lifetime Studylarge American cohort. They analyzed 1,300 dogs aged 3 to 7 years, whose owners completed a standardized questionnaire of 73 items (C-BARQ) covering 14 traits: learning ability, energy, fear of strangers, fear of objects such as buses or vacuum cleaners, aggression towards other dogs, separation problems, sensitivity to touch, etc. At the same time, blood samples were taken to screen the entire genome of each animal.
Using a genome-wide association study (GWAS), the team identified 21 DNA regions linked to eight of these traits, 12 of which exceeded the threshold for statistical significance. Eighteen candidate genes were isolated and then compared to large human databases. Result: 12 of these genes are also associated, in humans, with psychiatric, temperamental or cognitive traits. “These results are truly striking: they provide strong evidence that humans and golden retrievers share common genetic roots in their behavior. The genes we identified frequently influence emotional states and behavior in both species“, says Dr Eleanor Raffan, a researcher in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, who led the study.
How do these genes influence behavior?
These genes do not program a specific gesture, but basic emotional states. In dogs that present a “non-social fear” (objects, noises), a identified gene influences irritability, sensitivity and anxiety in humans. The PTPN1 gene, associated with aggression towards other dogs in the golden retriever, is linked in humans to intelligence, school performance and depression. Another key example: ROMO1, involved in the “trainability” of dogs, is found associated in humans with cognitive performance, depression, irritability and high sensitivity emotional.
Other players revolve around these genes, such as ADD2, linked to the fear of strangers in dogs and to tendencies towards social withdrawal in humans, or even genes involved in serotonin and oxytocin, already known to play on mood and attachment. For the authors, these convergences are not a coincidence: “This suggests a shared evolutionary origin for certain psychological functions“, explains Enoch Alex, first author of the study. Wolves and humans would have started to coexist 20,000 to 40,000 years ago, giving time for common evolutionary pressures to shape a similar emotional biology.
Humans, not so far from the Golden Retriever
Seeing these behaviors through the prism of genes changes the way we look at the “fearful” or “reactive” dog. A golden who hides when guests arrive or panics over the vacuum cleaner is not simply poorly behaved; it can carry variations that make it more vulnerable to negative emotions, much like some people are more anxious than others.
“If your golden retriever hides behind the couch every time the doorbell rings, you might be able to be more empathetic knowing that he is genetically predisposed to feeling sensitive and anxious” said Dr Anna Morros-Nuevo, a researcher in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, who was also a researcher in the study.
Concretely, this work encourages simple reflexes among teachers:
- Favor positive education and rewards, especially with very sensitive dogs;
- Avoid brutal methods that amplify fear or frustration;
- In the event of chronic stress, discuss it with a veterinary behaviorist, who will be able to assess the benefit of medicinal support, as for human anxiety.
For researchers, the golden retriever also becomes a valuable model for understanding our own mental health. “Dogs who live with us share not only our physical environment, but also some of the psychological challenges of modern life“, explains Daniel Mills, specialist in behavioral problems in animals at the University of Lincoln, England, quoted by TrustMyScience. Our four-legged companions therefore share our sofas, our stresses… and some of the genes that shape the way we experience the world.