All dog lovers know that pets at older ages are not the same as before, but owners often cannot accurately determine personality changes over time.

A study published Wednesday in Scientific Reports attempted to map out these changes and found that there are certain personality traits - such as attraction to new experiences, a desire to explore and a desire to run - that seem to change for most dogs with increasing age.

"Similar to humans, the dog's personality is stable and pliable," said study lead author Borbála Turcsán, a researcher at Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest, Hungary. "Dogs that are active and curious when they are young will remain active and curious as they get older, but only compared to other dogs. The personality of a dog changes over time, and, on average, each dog becomes less active. and less curious as he gets older. ”

When the researchers compared the dogs, they found that those most active and inquisitive in the first test were still more active and inquisitive four years later, but that individually they were less active and curious than they had been before.

Burimet: NBC News, Scientific Reports