Thoughtful Breeding. Calm Foundations. Lifelong Connection.
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Breeding for
Temperament
A dog’s temperament is shaped by genetics, development and experience and understood only by looking at the whole dog over time.
At Lovelocks, generations of experience within our foundation lines help us understand, preserve and build on the temperament qualities we value.
The qualities we value in our breeding dogs
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Human Connection
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Emotional Regulation
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Trainability
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Confidence & Recovery
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Social Intuition
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Adaptability
No single trait defines a dog. The profile matters.
The Traits Behind Temperament
Temperament is made up of many behavioural tendencies, how a dog responds to people, novelty, movement, frustration, challenge and recovery. We consider these traits individually, in combination and across development, because it is the overall behavioural profile, not any single characteristic, that shapes the dog we ultimately live with.
Energy Level
The dog’s underlying need for movement and physical activity. Energy level is not the same as arousal; an active dog may still have excellent self-regulation.
Ability to Settle
The capacity to disengage from stimulation and rest when nothing is required. A strong ability to settle is an important part of everyday emotional regulation.
Recovery
How quickly and completely the dog returns to normal behaviour after surprise, uncertainty or mild stress. Good recovery reflects resilience rather than an absence of reaction.
Environmental Sensitivity
How readily the dog notices sounds, movement, changes in surroundings and other environmental detail. Sensitivity can be valuable when paired with confidence and recovery.
Social Intuition
The ability to notice and respond to human behaviour, emotion and social context while remaining emotionally stable rather than becoming overwhelmed by it.
Persistence
How long the dog continues working, exploring or attempting to solve a problem when success is not immediate.
Prey / Chase Drive
The tendency to orient toward, stalk, chase or capture moving stimuli. Some drive can support play and training, while very high chase motivation may be less suitable for some roles.
Social Assertiveness
How the dog negotiates space, resources and interaction with other dogs. We are interested in socially appropriate communication rather than simplistic ideas of dominance or “pack rank.”
Independence
The ability to explore, rest and function without continual human reassurance while still maintaining a healthy social connection.
Arousal
How quickly and intensely the dog becomes emotionally activated by play, food, people, movement or novelty, and how readily it can return to a calmer state.
Startle Response
The immediate reaction to an unexpected sound, movement, object or event. Startling is normal; the size of the response and what happens next are often more informative.
Environmental Confidence
The willingness to investigate, move through and function comfortably in unfamiliar environments, surfaces and situations without excessive avoidance or dependence.
Human Affiliation
The dog’s natural tendency to seek, enjoy and maintain social interaction with people, including checking in, making eye contact and choosing human company.
Biddability
The willingness to cooperate with, take direction from and work alongside people. Biddability is related to trainability but is not the same as intelligence.
Frustration Tolerance
How the dog responds when access to something it wants is delayed, prevented or unavailable. We value the ability to remain thoughtful rather than escalating rapidly.
Toy / Retrieve Drive
The motivation to chase, carry, retrieve and interact with toys or objects. This can be a valuable source of engagement and reinforcement in training.
Dog Sociability
The dog’s interest in and comfort around other dogs. High sociability is not always necessary; for some roles, calm neutrality is more desirable.
Resilience
The broader capacity to cope with challenge, adapt, recover and continue functioning without prolonged emotional disruption.
A Developing Prospect
Is Just That - A Prospect
Not every puppy we retain will ultimately become a breeding dog.
Our Developing Prospects are given time to mature while we evaluate temperament, health, structure, movement and overall suitability. A beautiful pedigree or promising puppy temperament does not guarantee a future place in the breeding program.
Some dogs will be approved. Others will simply become much-loved pets.
The dog still has to prove that breeding it adds value to the program.
Genetics, Development & Experience
Temperament has a genetic foundation, but it is not genetically predetermined. Behavioural traits are complex and influenced by many genes, development, learning and environment working together.
Research in dogs has identified heritable components in traits such as trainability, chasing, attachment, fearfulness and social behaviour, but genetics explains only part of the variation we see between individual dogs.
Early experience, socialisation, learning and development all influence how inherited tendencies are expressed.
We can select for the foundations. We cannot manufacture temperament.
Temperament Is Observed Over Time
We do not believe temperament can be fully understood through a single puppy test.
From birth through puppyhood and into adulthood, we observe how our dogs:
The longer we live with and observe our lines, the more information we have to guide future breeding decisions.
connect with people
respond to new environments
recover after uncertainty
learn and problem-solve
cope with frustration
settle after activity
interact with other dogs
behave within family life
mature emotionally over time
Learning From Generations
The greatest value in a breeding program comes from knowing your dogs across generations.
Over time we see which traits consistently appear in daughters, sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren — confidence from one line, sensitivity and connection from another, trainability, ease of living, structure or particular strengths.
That information allows us to make more thoughtful pairings than simply choosing two individually attractive dogs.
Martha
Foundation
Etta
Daughter
Nellie
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Granddaughter
Saffy
Great - granddaughter
Health, Structure & Temperament Before Colour
Temperament comes first, but it cannot stand alone.
Dogs entering the Lovelocks breeding program must also meet our standards for health, structure and overall suitability, including genetic testing, hips and elbows, cardiac assessment, general health and appropriate conformation.
Our aim is not simply to breed a sweet or beautiful dog. We are looking for a healthy, structurally sound, emotionally balanced Australian Cobberdog with a genuine desire to connect with people.
Colour and pattern are the fun part. We love exploring the genetics behind caramel, red, phantom, roan, parti and other beautiful variations, but these are considered only after the qualities that make a wonderful companion are in place.
We choose the dog first. Colour comes afterwards.
A beautiful dog is not enough. A dog must demonstrate the qualities we want to carry forward into future generations.
