Researchers have found that the genes linked to certain behavioral traits in golden retrievers, such as trainability and fear of strangers, also influence human personality and mental health.
A new study from University of Cambridge researchers offers insight into the emotional lives of dogs and helps explain why golden retrievers can differ so much in fearfulness, energy, and aggression.
The work, published on November 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the first to demonstrate that genes influencing canine behavior are also connected to traits such as anxiety, depression, and intelligence in humans.
To investigate these links, the team examined the genetic data of 1,300 golden retrievers and compared it with detailed behavioral assessments gathered through an extensive owner questionnaire. This comparison identified genes associated with traits like trainability, activity levels, fear of unfamiliar people, and aggression toward other dogs.
When the researchers matched these canine findings with similar data from humans, they found that twelve of the genes present in golden retrievers also play roles in human behavior and emotional characteristics.
“The findings are really striking – they provide strong evidence that humans and golden retrievers have shared genetic roots for their behavior. The genes we identified frequently influence emotional states and behavior in both species,” said Dr. Eleanor Raffan, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who led the study.
One gene, PTPN1, was associated with aggression toward other dogs in golden retrievers and is also connected to intelligence and depression in humans.
Another genetic variant, identified in golden retrievers that are easily frightened by other dogs, is linked in humans to lingering worry after embarrassment and to high educational achievement.
According to the researchers, these findings may help owners better understand their dogs’ emotional needs and adapt training or care to support them.
“These results show that genetics govern behavior, making some dogs predisposed to finding the world stressful. If their life experiences compound this, they might act in ways we interpret as bad behavior, when really they’re distressed,” said Enoch Alex, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience and first author of the report.
Insights for better training and care
The study showed that ‘trainability’ in golden retrievers is associated with a gene, ROMO1, that in humans is linked to intelligence and emotional sensitivity. This means owners should appreciate that there’s an emotional component to training their dogs, say the researchers, in addition to rewarding desired behaviors.
The insights could also have implications for veterinary care: understanding that behavior like fearfulness in a golden retriever, for example, is driven by a gene linked with human anxiety means that a medicine to reduce anxiety could help.
How genes drive behavior and emotion
The dog genes identified by the team do not lead directly to any specific behavior or emotion – rather, they influence behavioral regulation or broader emotional states. For example, dogs showing ‘non-social fear’ – that is, being scared of things like buses and hoovers – have a gene that in humans drives irritability, sensitivity, and ‘seeing the doctor for nerves or anxiety.’
“If your golden retriever cowers behind the sofa every time the doorbell rings, perhaps you might have a bit more empathy if you know they’re genetically driven to feel sensitive and anxious,” said Dr. Anna Morros-Nuevo, a researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience who was also involved in the study.
“Dogs in our home share not only our physical environment, but may also share some of the psychological challenges associated with modern living. Our pets may be excellent models of some human psychiatric conditions associated with emotional disturbance,” said Professor Daniel Mills, a specialist in problem animal behavior at the University of Lincoln, who was also involved in the study.
Linking behavior to underlying genes
The team used data on the behavior of 1,300 dogs, aged between three and seven, involved in the Golden Retriever Lifetime Study, which has been run by the Morris Animal Foundation since 2012. Enrolled dog owners answer questionnaires about 73 different behaviors of their pet, which are then grouped to give scores in 14 categories that reliably predict various behavioral traits.
Using blood samples, the team searched the entire genome of each golden retriever for genetic markers that were more frequent in dogs with each of these 14 behavioral traits, compared to those without it. This allowed them to link specific regions of the genome with specific behavioral traits.
Reference: “GWAS for behavioral traits in golden retrievers identifies genes implicated in human temperament, mental health, and cognition” by Enoch Alex, Paul Gennotte, Anna Morros Nuevo, Yunzhu Yu, Benjamin Keep, Megan Sullivan, Daniel Mills, Varun Warrier and Eleanor Raffan, 24 November 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421757122
Funding: Morris Animal Foundation
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1 Comment
thanks for this