Create a Puppy With the Best Traits For Your Family

For those dog lovers out there, have you ever adopted or purchased a puppy, only to get it home and realize that it has a few less desirable traits? Maybe it barks too much, sheds way more than you expected, or tends to be aggressive with other animals. It’s a common occurrence and one that lends itself well to teaching your students about inherited traits!

This year, we’re excited to help you teach your students about inherited traits by introducing them to our Create-a-Puppy Project, an exciting simulation of selective breeding.

Selective Breeding for Positive Dog Personality Traits

This printable inherited traits activity introduces students to the concept of selective breeding for optimal animal traits. In this project, students will…

• Investigate and analyze personality graphs of a variety of common dog breeds, including those with both positive and negative personality traits.
• Use the information in the graphs to determine which dog breeds would make the best parents to produce a puppy with the desired traits the owner needs.
• Create a new puppy breed by choosing its parents based on their preferences and determining its personality traits, physical features, and more!

This resource includes 16 dog breed cards, graphs depicting their personality and genetic traits, and two printable worksheets. Worksheets included have students.

• Create-a-Puppy – Scenario Worksheet
• The Perfect Puppy for Me Worksheet

Download Your Designer Dog Breed – Inherited Traits Project

This resource is available as an easy-to-use editable Google Slides or printable PDF file. To get your copy, click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select your preferred file format. 

This resource was created by Brittany Kellogg, a teacher in Ohio and Teach Starter Collaborator.

More Printable Inherited and Acquired Traits Activities

Before you go, take advantage of a world of educational possibilities! Explore our related resources to enhance your teaching toolkit.

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Help your students uncover the different inherited and acquired traits of plants with a research project!