we tend to think we are the complex species, and we allow that even those of us who are ordinary have many personalities, but dogs are complex as well, and quite subtle. we were talking today, three dogs and three boys, about how dogs are attuned to the people they are with. depending on the person, they can be so altered in personality as to be almost a different dog. since the world is predicated on humans, of human construction, reflecting human patterns of movement and conduct, and since the dog is so attuned to and curious about the human, and since the dog's instinct is to please as well as to eat, the dog corresponds to how the human behaves. if a human acts strange or tense or afraid, the dog follows that pattern of behavior. this is just my observation, i'm no scientist or clinical animal behaviorist. i'm just commenting on what i think and see.