Who Are You, Dog? presents a structured and practical model for understanding canine behavior through individual personality structure.
At the heart of the book is CDPEM, the Canine Dynamic Personality and Element Model, a framework developed from over 40 years of hands-on work with thousands of dogs. The model defines canine personality as a dynamic system built from identifiable behavioral and physiological elements.
The book maps 116 distinct elements, organized into element types, and explains how they interact, balance and shape behavior over time. Rather than categorizing dogs into general types, each dog is understood as a unique personality configuration with its own internal dynamics.
A core principle of the book is that training, communication, and daily interaction must be adapted to the individual dog. Because no two dogs share the same combination of intensity of elements, effective work requires approaches that align with each dog's sensitivities, limits and strengths.
Who Are You, Dog? explores personality development, including early exposure, critical development periods, inherited predispositions and acquired behaviors. It clarifies what can be shaped through training and what represents stable personality features that must be understood and worked with, not forced to change.
Written for trainers, behavior professionals, veterinarians, researchers and serious dog owners, the book provides practical tools, assessment frameworks and a clear system for engaging with dogs as individuals rather than generic cases.
