Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age
Dog behaviour that owners perceive as undesirable can compromise dog welfare, impact the owner and human–animal bond, and may result in relinquishment or euthanasia. This longitudinal study explored the type and percentage of owner-perceived undesirable behaviours in 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18-month-old do...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1163 |
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| author | Rachel H. Kinsman Rachel A. Casey Séverine Tasker Ben Cooper Kassandra Giragosian Naomi D. Harvey Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka Lauren Samet Jane K. Murray |
| author_facet | Rachel H. Kinsman Rachel A. Casey Séverine Tasker Ben Cooper Kassandra Giragosian Naomi D. Harvey Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka Lauren Samet Jane K. Murray |
| author_sort | Rachel H. Kinsman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Dog behaviour that owners perceive as undesirable can compromise dog welfare, impact the owner and human–animal bond, and may result in relinquishment or euthanasia. This longitudinal study explored the type and percentage of owner-perceived undesirable behaviours in 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18-month-old dogs, and examined differences in the prevalence of four commonly reported behaviours across these timepoints. Owners reported their dog’s undesirable behaviours via free-text answers in self-administered surveys. Of the five timepoints studied, the highest percentage of dogs reported by their owners to display one or more undesirable behaviours was in the 12-month survey (42.1%, 513/1219). Barking, jumping up, pulling on the lead and recall issues were the most commonly reported behaviours across all timepoints. Binomial mixed-effects models revealed a significant difference in prevalence of barking, pulling on the lead and recall issues between the timepoints, but no significant difference in the occurrence of jumping up at people. With many dogs in this study being reported to display undesirable behaviour, it is crucial that stakeholders inform dog owners, especially first-time owners, about the behaviours they may experience from young dogs and where to seek appropriate training/behaviour advice to potentially reduce the risk of relinquishment related to behaviour. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2f08e9c66c1244a2804f09784c3f0a01 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-2f08e9c66c1244a2804f09784c3f0a012025-08-20T02:28:38ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-04-01158116310.3390/ani15081163Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with AgeRachel H. Kinsman0Rachel A. Casey1Séverine Tasker2Ben Cooper3Kassandra Giragosian4Naomi D. Harvey5Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka6Lauren Samet7Jane K. Murray8Dogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKBristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol BS40 5DU, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDogs Trust, London EC1V 7RQ, UKDog behaviour that owners perceive as undesirable can compromise dog welfare, impact the owner and human–animal bond, and may result in relinquishment or euthanasia. This longitudinal study explored the type and percentage of owner-perceived undesirable behaviours in 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18-month-old dogs, and examined differences in the prevalence of four commonly reported behaviours across these timepoints. Owners reported their dog’s undesirable behaviours via free-text answers in self-administered surveys. Of the five timepoints studied, the highest percentage of dogs reported by their owners to display one or more undesirable behaviours was in the 12-month survey (42.1%, 513/1219). Barking, jumping up, pulling on the lead and recall issues were the most commonly reported behaviours across all timepoints. Binomial mixed-effects models revealed a significant difference in prevalence of barking, pulling on the lead and recall issues between the timepoints, but no significant difference in the occurrence of jumping up at people. With many dogs in this study being reported to display undesirable behaviour, it is crucial that stakeholders inform dog owners, especially first-time owners, about the behaviours they may experience from young dogs and where to seek appropriate training/behaviour advice to potentially reduce the risk of relinquishment related to behaviour.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1163dogpuppyundesirable behaviourbehaviour problemsbehaviourwelfare |
| spellingShingle | Rachel H. Kinsman Rachel A. Casey Séverine Tasker Ben Cooper Kassandra Giragosian Naomi D. Harvey Sara C. Owczarczak-Garstecka Lauren Samet Jane K. Murray Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age Animals dog puppy undesirable behaviour behaviour problems behaviour welfare |
| title | Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age |
| title_full | Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age |
| title_fullStr | Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age |
| title_short | Owner-Perceived Undesirable Behaviours in Young Dogs and Changes with Age |
| title_sort | owner perceived undesirable behaviours in young dogs and changes with age |
| topic | dog puppy undesirable behaviour behaviour problems behaviour welfare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/8/1163 |
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