Unwanted behaviour common in dogs, varies between breeds: Study

Various unwanted behavior traits in dogs like fearfulness and aggressive behavior often occur simultaneously, depending on the breed, according to a study that may lead to early interventions for comorbid conditions in the canines. Researchers, including Hannes Lohi from the University of Helsinki in Finland, used an owner-reported survey to examine seven anxiety-like traits and problematic behaviors in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs. Their findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, suggested that noise sensitivity is the most common anxiety trait, followed by fear.

"We discovered an interesting connection between impulsivity, compulsive behavior, and separation anxiety. In humans, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) often occurs together with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but this is the first time the same has been seen in dogs," said Milla Salonen, study co-author from the University of Helsinki. The scientists found that 72.5 percent of the dogs showed problematic behaviors such as aggression and fearfulness. Noise sensitivity was the most common anxiety with 32 percent of dogs found to be fearful of at least one noise, and 26 percent of the canines being afraid of fireworks, specifically. The researchers added that fear was the second most common anxiety, found in 29 percent of dogs, including fear of other dogs (17 percent), fear of strangers (15 percent), and fear of new situations (11 percent). They said noise sensitivity -- especially fear of thunder -- increased with age, along with fear of heights and surfaces, such as walking on metal grids or shiny floors.

According to the study, younger dogs more often damaged or urinated on items when left alone, and were also more often inattentive, hyperactive, or impulsive and chased their tails more than older dogs. Male dogs, the study said, were more often aggressive and hyperactive or impulsive than female dogs, which were more often fearful. The scientists also reported differences between breeds. "Problems appear to be quite breed-specific. For example, in Border Collies we observed more compulsive staring and light or shadow chasing -- behaviors that occurred more rarely in all other breeds," Lohi said.

Lagotto Romano, Wheaten Terrier, and mixed breeds were the most noise-sensitive, according to the study, while Spanish Water Dogs, Shetland Dogs, and mixed breeds were the most fearful. About 11 percent of Miniature Schnauzers were aggressive towards strangers, compared to 0.4 percent of Labrador Retrievers, the scientists wrote in the study. "One of the biggest differences among the breeds was identified in fearfulness of unfamiliar people, in which there was an 18-fold difference between the timidest breed and the bravest breed, the Spanish Water Dog and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier," Salonen said.

Based on the findings, the researchers suggested that canine anxieties and behavior problems may be common across breeds. They said efforts must be taken to decrease the prevalence of these conditions via breeding policies and changes to the living environment. "Our findings indicate that unwanted behavior seems to be inherited, which means that, through careful breeding that relies on suitable behavior indicators, the prevalence of such behavior traits could be decreased," Lohi said. "This would improve the quality of life of not only the dogs but their owners too," he added.