All dog breeds have undesirable behaviors such as noise sensitivity, aggressiveness and separation anxiety, but differences in frequency between breeds are large. Several undesirable behavioral traits often occur simultaneously, as shown by a study recently completed by the research group of Professor Hannes Lohi of the University of Helsinki.
Unwanted behavior occurs in many dogs.
“In the dataset of nearly 14,000 dogs that we compiled, one of the largest in the world, unwanted behaviors occurred in 73% of dogs. One such behavioral trait is noise sensitivity, found in a third of dogs,” Professor Says Hannes Lohi.
Lohi's research group examined the prevalence of seven undesirable behavioral traits:sound sensitivity, including thunder, fireworks and gunshots; fear of people, other dogs, and unfamiliar locations; fear of surfaces and heights; inattention and impulsivity; compulsive behavior; aggressiveness; and separation anxiety. In addition to sound sensitivity, anxiety and fear of surfaces and heights were common traits.
As with dogs, so with people
The study also examined the relationship between individual characteristics. As observed in previous studies, anxiety and aggressive behavior often coexist. Some findings were new and surprising.
“We discovered an interesting link between impulsivity, compulsive behavior and separation anxiety. In humans, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often co-occurs with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but this is the first time the same has been observed in dogs," says PhD student Milla Salonen.
The behavioral research conducted by the group has a different goal:to understand what causes human mental health problems. Physiologically and behaviorally, dogs are similar to humans. In addition, unwanted behavior is natural in dogs that also share the same complex social environment with humans.
Breed specific and significant behavioral differences
The prevalence of undesirable behavioral traits was compared among the 15 races with the most responses received in the related survey, with significant differences identified between races.
“The problems seem to be quite breed specific. For example, in Border Collies we observed more compulsive staring and light/shadow chasing, behaviors that were rarer in all other breeds,” says Lohi.
Differences in the prevalence of behavioral traits between individual races were multiple.
“One of the biggest differences between the breeds was identified in fear of unknown people, in which there was an 18-fold difference between the most timid breed and the bravest breed, the Spanish Water Dog and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier,” explains Salonen. /P>
Behavioral research aims to increase the well-being of dogs. Many unwanted behavioral traits, such as anxiety and noise sensitivity, can cause intense stress in dogs. Behavioral problems can cause the owner to give up on the dog.
“Our findings indicate that undesirable behavior appears to be inherited, meaning that, through careful breeding that relies on appropriate behavioral indicators, the prevalence of such behavioral traits could be reduced. This would improve the quality of life of not only the dogs, but also their owners,” explains Professor Lohi.
