The dog breeds that really ARE man’s best friend – so is YOURS on the list? 

Often described as man’s best friend, they have been loyal pets for 40,000 years.

But a new study suggests that when it comes to getting along with people, not all dog breeds are created equal.

Researchers at the University of Helsinki have revealed the dog breeds with the highest and lowest levels of human sociability.

Their findings suggest that bull-type terriers, teacup dogs and golden retrievers are officially “man’s best friends.”

Herding dogs, Asiatic primitive breeds and primitive greyhounds, on the other hand, are the least enamored of our company.

Herding dogs, such as Border Collies (pictured), Asian primitive breeds and primitive sighthounds are the least liked in our company

In the study, the team looked for the personality differences between dog breeds.

“The breed of the dog is the most important determinant of personality differences,” said Dr Milla Salonen, lead author of the study.

“All dogs are individuals and all breeds have different traits, but breeds differ in what kind of personality most dogs within each breed have.”

The team collected a huge dataset of behavioral studies with information on 11,000 dogs from 300 different breeds.

These were then divided into 52 groups.

The data revealed a strong link between race and seven personality traits.

These were insecurity, training focus, aggressiveness/dominance, energy, canine sociability, human sociability and perseverance.’

In terms of human sociability, bull-type terriers topped the list, followed by teacup dogs, golden retrievers, jack russell terriers, and dachshunds.

At the other end of the scale, herding dogs, Asian primitive breeds, primitive sighthounds, and northern hunting spitzes were found to be the least social with humans.

In terms of human sociability, bull-type terriers topped the list, followed by teacup dogs, golden retrievers (pictured), Jack Russell terriers, and dachshunds.

At the other end of the scale, guard dogs, Asian primitive breeds such as the Chow Chow (pictured), primitive sighthounds and northern hunting spitzes were found to be the least social with humans

Aside from breed, several other factors have also been found to influence a dog’s sociability with humans.

Female dogs were found to score higher than males, while human sociability declined with age.

Based on the findings, the researchers suggest that dog owners, regardless of breed, should try to familiarize their pets with humans from an early age.

‘Our findings indicate that new owners should familiarize their puppies with unfamiliar people, places and animals as much as possible,’ said Dr Salonen.

“Of course, the socialization should always be done on the pup’s terms, that is, the pup shouldn’t be forced into frightening situations.”

The study comes shortly after research is revealed that owners who have a good relationship with their dog actually have the same personality as them.

These loving dog parents match their pup’s warmth, enjoyment of outdoor activities, and selflessness with possessions.

Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History in Germany reviewed 29 published papers on the dog-owner relationship.

This showed that strong bonds were also fostered when the dog was actually more open, agreeable and neurotic than its human.