The process of habituation as a test of interindividual (typological) differences in behavior of dogs.

The main results obtained from investigation of individual differences in exploratory activity of dogs placed in a new environment (empty room) are presented in this paper. Using correlation-analysis it could be demonstrated that the selected indicators of individual excitability levels (frequency of exploratory reactions per unit of time), as well as indicators of the strength of inhibitory processes (the rate of habituation) proved to be interindividually stable at least during one year. In German Shepherd dogs an inverted U-shape curve was observed in the dependence of the degree of efficiency for guard-service (tested in adulthood) upon the excitability level (tested in early ontogeny at the age of 2 and 4 months). The rate of "interrupted" and "uninterrupted" habituation was on the average higher in those puppies that later proved to be more successful. These results suggest the possibility of predicting the efficiency of adult guard dogs from individual habituation characteristics tested in early ontogeny.