Temperament Theory - Extroverts

This category is also part of the temperament, but in normal circumstances of training, it is not quite as important as the categories of Bold, Shy, Upbeat, and Wary.

DEFINITION: Energized by being with others.

"What was Patsy Cline really like? She was brassy, bossy, and bitchy!" Anonymous.

TYPE STORY: We named one of our rescued BCs Patsy after Patsy Cline. This little gal was incredibly outgoing and confident. She knew, with every cell in her being, that everybody loved having her be the center of attention in every situation. I placed her at a country club where she chases away the geese and charms the golfers, then goes home each night to entertain the golf course supervisor's children. She's absolutely adorable and full of energy.

THRILL: Party time!

ANXIETY: Isolation. Being put on a chain in someone's back yard and rarely getting any positive attention is sheer torture to an extroverted dog.

SHADOW: Introvert. An extroverted dog needs to learn how to be alone in very short practice sessions with loads and loads of attention as a reward for coping with the isolation.

SHADOW STORY: A family brought a little female Border Collie to rescue for evaluation. She was a grouchy, miserable little gal. I had to watch the family interact with her for awhile to figure out what the problem was. Here she was a playful, outgoing female (very much like Patsy), but the family had been training her to become a quiet, dignified German Shepherd Dog. She just didn't have it in her.

TRAINING RECOMMENDATIONS: Let them enjoy life and give them the opportunity to meet people and other animals. Teach them how to cope with small doses of isolation. If an extroverted dog is to spend several hours a day at home alone, think about getting a companion animal to ease this dog's discomfort of isolation.

Here Chip demonstrates how extroverts initiate play. Photo by Pat Reynolds.

TRAINING EQUIPMENT: A Promise or Gentle Leader in small doses to get the dog to pay attention to you as this Type of dog will be too busy greeting the world to hear you at times. A twenty foot line to practice, practice, practice recalls.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT: Let this dog know you are enjoying social situations almost as much as s/he is. Delighted laughter is a great acknowledgment.

PROBLEM PREVENTIONS: Teach this dog how to cope with small doses of isolation. Teach them to tone things down a bit around children and other dogs as they can get obnoxiously boisterous at times.

AGGRESSION: Some extroverted dogs will start fights with other dogs for the sheer excitement of creating a scene.

HUG: Extroverted dogs become wiggle-worms during hug therapy. They can really hurt you as they struggle to escape from hug therapy. They will have to be held firmer than other dogs just to keep them in place. Hug therapy helps teach the extrovert how to cope with a bit of quiet time and that learning how to keep their bodies still for short amounts of time is actually beneficial, no matter what they think about their goals to replace the Energizer Bunny as a perpetual-motion machine!

DRUG: Except in extreme cases of abuse, no drugs are necessary to aid an extroverted dog. However, an introverted person attached to an extroverted dog may need vitamin supplements to keep up with this dog!

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BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS: A TEMPERAMENT THEORY Extroverts

by Val Maurer

BORDER COLLIE BEHAVIORS:
A TEMPERAMENT THEORY
Extroverts