Not the smartest, can be sweet. Tolerates 8yo climbing on him pretty well, doesn'tsnap at him or anything, just tries to get away. My 15yo uses him as a pillow. Does fight with siblings from time to time, not always sure who instigates though. Will growl at others over food, and he does like to eat. He does bark more than we'd like, but it's the mom who generally starts the barking. He whines more than the others too.