I know, I know, the patient is supposed to be on the couch, and the psychologist is supposed to be in the arm chair. But I couldn’t find a patient. Where are those Labrador Retrievers when you need them?

You may have read that there’s a new book that helps people figure out, if they were a dog, which dog would they be? Here’s a link to the article. The book is called, “Which Dog Are You?”

There are also some sites where a person can take an on-line test to see which dog they are. Here’s an example at www.ivillage.com.

Well, if people can have a “which dog are you?” book, I decided my doggie friends should have a “which person are you?” book. So I decided to start writing it, and I thought I’d use myself as an example for the first chapter. You can see it here.

This time, we’re going to talk about Labrador Retrievers and see which person they are likely to be like.

According to the AKC, Labrador Retrievers are kindly, outgoing and of a tractable nature. (Can’t you just hear the guy at the dog shows reading this stuff?) They are also supposed to be easy to please, gentle, intelligent and adaptable.

By my doggie psychology calculations, lots of Labrador Retrievers are “ESTPs.” This means they see a world “outside themselves.” Like a lot of dogs, they are very oriented toward their highly efficient senses. They are “sensors” more than they are “intuitors.” Their intelligence often makes them “Thinkers” (as opposed to “feelers”) Their action orientation gives them a tendency in the direction of “perceiving,” as opposed to “judging.” So, Labrador Retrievers are often ESTPs.

There’s a joke titled, “How Many Dogs Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?” You can see it by clicking on this link. There’s an answer for lots of breeds. But the answer for the Labrador Retriever is very revealing of their personality: “Oh, me, me!!! Pleeeeeeeze let me change the light bulb! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Huh? Can I?” If that’s not an ESTP, I’ve never seen one. (Although I suppose a few could slip over into ESFP.)

According to my Dr. Doggie text books (my doggie friends, you can learn a lot about this stuff at www.personalitypage.com), ESTPs are generally action oriented, flexible and adaptable, fun to be around, and good natured. Does that not sound like every Labrador Retriever you ever met?

So, dear Labrador Retriever, if you want to know what kind of people-job you might have, your qualities would make you an excellent sales representative. Your strong sensory processing, your outgoing nature, and your enthusiasm all come into play here.

Your qualities also make you an excellent candidate for police or detective work. Duh! No wonder so many of our friends are already employed this way. You could also be a paramedic. (Not sure they allow doggie wound-licking)

Finally, you, dear Labrador Retriever, should be very comfortable as an entrepreneur. Again, your outside-world view, your sensory abilities, your intelligence, and your action-orientation all make this a good path for you.

Who knows, maybe someday you’ll write a blog, like me.

Bye for now,

Dr. Callie, Golden Retriever

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 4:48 pm and is filed under Callie, Dog Communication, Dog Talk, Relationships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.