What is the C-BARQ?
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Recently, a study came out about poodle mixes (hereafter referred to as “doodles”) in which they used the C-BARQ to determine differences between doodles and their purebred counterparts. I won’t get into the full findings and limitations of the study in this blog post. No, today I want to discuss the C-BARQ. What is it? The C-BARQ (Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire) is an owner-reported assessment of dog behaviors. It has become an industry standard for measuring dog temperament and behavior in both working and non-working dog populations. The test was developed and validated in 2003, originally to assess the severity and prevalence of various behavior problems. It has since been used more broadly to study temperament, but it is important to note that its original purpose was to document behavioral problems. The official questionnaire, found through the University of Pennsylvania, asks the owner to score their dogs from 0-4 on either frequency or intensity of the behavior in question. It contains 14 subsections, called “factors” (groupings determined by statistical analysis), which organize the questions into categories to support easier processing and analysis.
The subsections are as follows:
Some studies adjust the factor structure– for example, combining the attachment and separation-related questions into a single factor rather than two. This may be done by the researchers conducting the study, or it may emerge from the structure of a given population’s responses. This can result in less detailed or specific findings and make it harder to compare results across studies.
Just like any diagnostic tool, there are limitations to consider. Firstly, since this is a questionnaire filled out by the dog’s caretaker, there will inevitably be some amount of self-report bias. It reflects the caretaker's perception of the behavior. Whether intentional or unintentional, it shapes how the behaviors are examined and reported. Another limitation is the broad definition of “aggression” described in the test. Barking behavior is associated with a moderate aggression score on some questions. What is considered “aggression” may differ depending on the caretaker. One may associate growling with aggression, while another does not. Their perception of the question being asked may alter their responses.
Lastly, it is important to remember that this is a proxy measure, a tool, NOT a behavioral test. The reliability and validity depend on the caretaker’s own experiences, their accuracy in reading dog behavior, and their ability to provide objective, unbiased responses. The test captures perceived behavioral tendencies over time- not real-time behavior in a specific context. Similarly, it does not inquire whether the caretaker believes the behavior to be a problem– only documents that it occurs. Nor does it account for other factors such as environment, training, and age that also impact behavior. I will touch on just one example to illustrate this: The doodle study I mentioned above appears to say that doodles have more behavioral problems than the purebreds. It does not, however, account for the boom in popularity that doodles have seen recently. When a breed becomes popular, the number of breeders typically increases as well. Some of these breeders, whether from inexperience or a preference for quantity over quality, forgo proper health and temperament testing — resulting in more poorly bred puppies entering the population.
So, should we dismiss the C-BARQ because of its limitations? Absolutely not. No research tool is perfect, and the C-BARQ's limitations are well-documented — which is exactly what makes it valuable. When researchers and readers alike understand what it measures and what it doesn't, the data can be interpreted responsibly. With over 50,000 dogs and 300+ breeds and crosses represented in the University of Pennsylvania database, it remains one of the most powerful tools we have for identifying behavioral tendencies across breeds. Understanding those tendencies — with appropriate nuance — helps breeders, owners, trainers, and researchers make better decisions for dogs.
