Dogs are a valued part of our society. Canine behaviour is a major factor in the success or failure of the human-dog partnership. Understanding and being able to predict behaviour in individual dogs would aid in the effective selection of dogs for roles within our communities. Several animal species have been found to have stable behavioural tendencies or behavioural individual differences (BIDs) which show remarkable similarity to the construct of personality in people. An overview of animal studies found that while personality factors can be reliably identified in animals there has been a tendency for researchers to rely on human personality descriptors. Few attempts have been made to ascertain if dog personalities fall into the same dimensions as human personalities. A model of canine personality and a questionnaire for assessing individuals was developed using the methodology used to develop the Big Five Model of human personality. People knowledgeable about dogs created a list of personality adjectives applicable to dogs. Three independent groups of dog owners (n=92, n=1016, n=455) were instructed to rate how well each word described their dog using a 6-point scale Factor analysis and structural equation modeling identified five dimensions labeled: Extraversion, Motivation, Training Focus, Amicability and Neuroticism. Validation studies with 455 dogs revealed no effect of dog factors, for example breed and sex, or owner factors, for example gender, education or dog ownership, on the ratings. An inter-rater reliability study with 65 dogs each with two owners showed the dimensions to have significant Intra-class correlations between 0.73 (Training Focus) and 0.86 (Extraversion). A test-retest reliability study with 50 dogs showed significant Intra-class correlations between 0.93 (Motivation) and 0.79 (Neuroticism). These two studies show the MCPQ-R to be a valid and reliable instrument for describing canine personality using the CFFM.