Measuring personality in companion animals

Research into companion animal personality has increased in the last few decades with researchers investigating animal characteristics to match them to suitable owners, identify potentially dangerous behavioural patterns and also in comparative studies with other species. Dogs are the most commonly studied companion animal in this field, leaving a gap in understanding of the personality domains that may exist in other species and a lack of robust tools to assess personality in other species. Common methods used to assess personality include subjective ratings and behavioural observations in home and novel environments. It has been highlighted by others that there are currently issues with interpretation of terminology used, with several terms being used interchangeably. Additionally, methodologies differ greatly from one study to the next, making comparisons between studies challenging. From this review a case is presented for a bottom-up approach for attempting to measure personality domains in companion rabbits