Finally see your dog clearly.
You love your dog. You'd still admit there are moments you can't quite read: the sudden freeze, the thing that always sets them off, the look you're never sure how to take. Nobody ever taught you what to watch for. Pawfile turns what you already notice into a clear, honest picture of your dog's patterns, and gives you a playbook for the dog you actually live with.
Free to build. Works for any dog: purebred, mix, or a rescue whose past is a mystery.
Breed explains less than 10% of how a dog actually behaves. The rest is the dog in front of you.
(Darwin's Ark behavioural-genetics study, 2022.) Pawfile reads that other 90%, the part that's actually your dog, by turning your everyday observations into a structured, honest profile.
Meet Maple.
A Border Collie. The tick is what her breed predicts; the bar is what her owner actually saw. The gaps are where it gets interesting.
How a Pawfile comes together.
Set up
Tell us the basics: name, age, breed (or your best guess), and a little history. Not sure what they are? No problem. We'll lean on what you actually see.
Start with breed instinct
Every breed comes with tendencies bred in over generations. We use those as a starting guess about your dog, clearly marked as a guess, never the final word.
Answer easy questions
Plain questions about everyday moments: walks, the doorbell, strangers, the vet. No quizzes, no jargon. Your answers shape what we ask next.
Get your Pawfile + Playbook
A warm portrait of your dog, an at-a-glance map of who they are, practical advice for daily life, and a card you can hand to a sitter, walker, or friend.
What a Pawfile reads.
Every dog has the same nine sides: what drives them, who they trust, what sets them off, how they settle. What's different is how each one shows up in your dog. Breed gives us a first guess; what you actually see settles it. Knowing what to look for is the whole point.
What they're wired to do
The built-in urges (chasing, herding, digging, guarding, retrieving) that pull at your dog whether you taught them or not.
Who they trust
Who your dog bonds to, and the role they try to play with each person and animal in the house.
What feels safe, what feels like a threat
What your dog reads as fine and what reads as danger, and how much has to pile up before they tip over the edge.
What they're telling you
The body language and sounds your dog uses to communicate, and how being on a leash can change what they mean.
How they wind up and calm down
How easily your dog gets worked up, what tips them over, how they settle, and how much you can help them get there.
What they'll work for
What your dog will cross a room for: food, play, praise, a real job, affection, or a good long sniff.
What sets them off
The specific triggers and situations that are worth managing or avoiding for this dog.
What's true of only them
The quirks, rituals, and history that make your dog uniquely themselves, not just a breed.
Life stage & history
Puppy, adult, or senior; rescue or rough past; health that shapes behaviour, and how sure we can honestly be about the rest.
What Pawfile is not.
- Not a vet. A sudden change in behaviour can be medical. Pawfile flags it and tells you to see your vet.
- Not a behaviourist. Aggression, biting, or serious anxiety get a clear “please see a professional” flag.
- Not a diagnosis. It's your working picture of your dog, built from what you actually observe, not a verdict on who they are.
- It tells you how sure it is. For each part, Pawfile says how confident it is. “We're not certain yet” is a feature, not a bug.