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Environmental influences on the expression of aggressive behaviour in English Cocker Spaniels
Abstract
A group of ‘low’ (n = 217) and ‘high’ (n = 218) aggression purebred English Cocker Spaniels were compared in relation to demographics and owner interactions. Owners of ‘low’ aggression dogs were more likely to be: older (65 years +; χ2 = 18.753, P < 0.01) and more attached to their dogs (U = 20346, P < 0.001). Dogs in the ‘high’ aggression group were: significantly more likely to be of a solid colour (χ2 = 38.13, P < 0.001); more likely to have been chosen for pet purposes only (χ2 = 25.161, P < 0.001); more likely to have suffered an illness during the first 16 weeks of life (χ2 = 14.899, P < 0.001); groomed less often (t = 2.252, P < 0.05); given less time for walks/exercise (t = 2.618, P < 0.01); slow in obeying commands (U = 17967.5, P < 0.001), more likely to pull on the lead (U = 16663, P < 0.001); and more likely to react to loud or high-pitched noises (χ2 = 14.142, P < 0.001). Factors often quoted to be important in the development of dominance-related aggression, such as feeding the dog before the owner eats, a lack of obedience training, and playing competitive games with the dog, were not found to be significantly different between the two groups. Determining the importance of various factors in the development of canine aggression will enable us to better advise owners in the rearing of their dogs.
... Aggressive behavior can be attributed to the specific character traits of ancient dog breeds and their close genetic relationship to wolves [31], but it could also point to the lack of proper socialization and training. Obedience training is often recommended for preventing and eliminating aggression in dogs [39]. ...
... Compulsive and aggressive behaviors in dogs can also be genetically conditioned [40][41][42][43][44]. Aggression has been linked with sex, origin and relationship with owners [39,[45][46][47][48]. In this study, females tended to be more aggressive than males, whereas Borchelt [36] and Wright and Nesselrote [7] reported higher levels of aggression in males than in females. ...
Abnormal repetitive behaviors often pose problems for dog owners. Such behaviors are considered undesirable if they pose a nuisance or a danger to humans. Ancient dog breeds are intelligent, sociable, active, boisterous and need regular outdoor exercise, but are also independent and reluctant to follow commands. This study aimed to identify factors (breed, sex, origin, housing conditions) and situations that contribute to undesirable behaviors, such as aggression towards humans and other dogs/animals, separation anxiety, excessive vocalization, and oral and locomotion behaviors in Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Basenji, Samoyed and Siberian husky. Undesirable behaviors in dogs were analyzed based on the results of 897 questionnaires. Breed influenced aggressive behavior towards other dogs/animals, aggression towards humans, undesirable oral and locomotion behaviors, and excessive vocalization. Aggressive behaviors were more prevalent in females than in males. Housing conditions were linked with aggression towards other dogs/animals, aggression at mealtime, and excessive vocalization. Undesirable behaviors were most frequently reported in Akitas, Siberian huskies and Samoyeds, and they were more prevalent in males than in females and dogs living indoors with or without access to a backyard. Aggressive behaviors towards other dogs and animals, excessive vocalization and undesirable motor activities posed the greatest problems in ancient dog breeds.
... The influence of training on dog behavior has been studied by several authors [55][56][57], who found a negative influence of training methods on the behavior of trained dogs, leading to behavioral problems and obeying commands with less behavioral problems. The dogs with aggression toward owners respond less to the commands of their trainer [57,58]. Podberscek and Serpell [58] found a link between the type of training method and the appearance of undesirable behavior in dogs. ...
... The dogs with aggression toward owners respond less to the commands of their trainer [57,58]. Podberscek and Serpell [58] found a link between the type of training method and the appearance of undesirable behavior in dogs. Blackwell et al. [57] and Arhant et al. [59] found a negative correlation between training and unfriendly behavior toward both familiar and unfamiliar persons. ...
Objective:
This study was carried out to study the influence of gender, neuter status, and training method on police dog narcotics olfaction performance, behavior, and welfare.
Materials and methods:
A total of 120 German Shepherds aged 1-3 years were used for this study. The dogs were separated into two experiments. The first experiment (32 dogs and 28 bitches) was used to study the influence of gender on olfaction and smell to narcotics in police dog performance and training methods with behavioral problems and welfare. The second experiment (30 dogs and 30 bitches) was used to study the influence of sexual status (entire or neutered) on the smelling of narcotics in police dog performance by comparing with intact dogs and bitches.
Results:
We found that there were significant differences in sex in training to detect narcotics. Male German Shepherds were found to be significantly more trainable than females. Neutering causes a difference in trainability in male and female dogs. Gonadectomy had adverse effects on training. The intact male and female German Shepherds were found to be significantly more trainable than the neutered ones, and the reward-based method was found to be significantly more trainable than punishment. Dog training methods incorporated by punishment result in pain, suffering, emotional instability, symptoms of depression, aggression, unwanted barking, growling at other people, not under control all time, less trainability, increased problematic behavior, and decreased dog welfare.
Conclusion:
Reward-based method is associated with lower lousy behavior and dogs with good behavior, such as, attachment attention behavior, dogs under the control of handler all times, higher trainability, less problematic behavior, and increased dog welfare.
... Studies on human personality have shown that individuals with high scores in the psychoticism scale tend to pair with a dog whose breed is considered "aggressive" (Wells & Hepper, 2012). Similarly, those scoring low on the dimensions of Agreeableness, Emotional stability, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness tend to be paired with dogs that have higher scores in C-BARQ subscales associated with aggression (Dodman et al., 2018;Podberscek & Serpell, 1997). In the same way as the C-BARQ, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised (EPQ-R) is used to evaluate the three fundamental human personality dimensions: Neuroticism, Extraversion, and Psychoticism and includes a Lie/social desirability scale (Almiro, Marques-Costa, & Simões, 2014). ...
... This study found that in dysfunctional dyads owners had lower lie/social desirability scores. Previous studies have suggested that owners with characteristics associated with this personality trait have dogs that show aggression toward both owner and stranger (Dodman et al., 2018;Podberscek & Serpell, 1997;Ragatz, Fremouw, Thomas, & McCoy, 2009). Since one of the parameters used in our study to classify dysfunctional dyads was the presence of various kinds of aggressive canine behavior, these findings are not surprising. ...
Human–dog dyads represent a mutually beneficial partner- ship with a 16,000-year-old history. However, when this relationship becomes dysfunctional the consequences for the human, dog, and society at large can be severe. Canine members of dysfunctional dyads often display problem behaviors, such as aggression, and are frequently allowed to roam, becoming a public health concern. The cause of this dysfunction is multifactorial and includes human and canine personality factors as well as husbandry choices. By using our knowledge of these factors, there is a possibility of early identification of such pairings so that they can be corrected or even prevented. This study evaluated the factors that can contribute to the existence of dysfunctional human–dog dyads. Dog owners were asked to fill out questionnaires regarding their dog (general characteristics and the Canine Behavioral Assessment & Research Questionnaire) and themselves (general characteristics, education, family make-up, husbandry choices, and the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire-Revised). A total of 255 responses were obtained and differences between the two dyad types were found in hus- bandry choices and in both human and dog personalities. Using these factors, logistic regression was performed, and two models were obtained that could allow for the early identification of dysfunctional dyads. These models could be used to develop targeted educational programs, to better match dogs to new owners within the context of shelter medicine and help better tailor patient care in a clinical context.
... Dolichocephalic dogs tend not to engage in object play, especially with unfamiliar humans. However, this longfaced dog is not easily startled and recovers more quickly when startled (van der Borg, 2015) and Podberscek and Serpell (1997) stated that environmental influences on the expression of aggressive behaviour and Tami et al. (2008) argues that relationship between management factors and dog behavior. ...
The Balinese believe that body size (the ratio of body length to snout length) in dogs is related to behavior, therefore body size is used to predict dog character. How to predict by measuring body size is a local wisdom that is still trusted for choosing a good dog. This belief has been running for a long time from their ancestors and has become a culture. Dog behavior according to local wisdom in Bali in general and in Sukawana Village, Kintamani District, Bangli Regency in particular, is categorized as: guna, jaya, forced, tek and kyul. Guna is a dog with an obedient character, useful and suitable as a hunting dog. Jaya is a dog with good character, attractive, energetic, tends to be hyperactive, this type of dog is also good for hunting. Force is a dog that is difficult to manage, requiring special handling, suitable for keeping the house. Tek is a dog with dirty behavior and difficult to train or manage and Kyul is a dog with a lazy character. A total of 66 Kintamani dogs were used as experimental animals. The research design used a cross-sectional study design. Body size observation data was then compared with clinical observations in the same dog. The results show that there is a relationship between behavior and body size (ratio of body length to snout length). It was concluded that body size (body length to snout length ratio) can be implemented to predict behavior.
... The aggression may occur due to misbehave to dog from owner or family member. Observed that during lockdown time in 2020 many owners misbehave with their pets as sort of thinking that COVID is spreading by them, and abandoned their pets on highways or forests and extra petting and care don't make dog more demanding they have their own needs too like as humans and there is no behavioural issue either getting dog from breeder and from shelter [17]. It was observed that before and after feeding to their master doesn't lead to their anger, but noticed that they see owner while eating hoping that owner will share his food to his pet no aggression is seen in 2 years of study. ...
Behaviour of a street dogs and it can be easily domesticated as compare to breeds dogs, physical and emotional factors play a very important role in their behaviour, indie dogs also known to be street dogs are seeming as menace in society and a threat due to few unfortunate events of dog bites are sufficient to turn people against stray dogs and perceive them all viciously. In all probability, a dog does not bite unless provoked by someone, sick or in pain. In 1758 Carl Linnaeus gives nomenclature for dogs is Canis, they come from grey wolf species, in 1999 found that domestic dogs evolve from grey wolf, and they were the first species which has been domesticated by humans. They both easily adapted each other behaviour to live with best human-canine bond, because of best companionship they are known as man's best friend. Benefits of owning a dog in both physical and mental cases are beneficiary to humans. The life of street dogs is miserable and people seems them a dirty creature in society. Different locations have been chosen to observe their behavior, food habits, reproductive rate, survival rate, death rate and diseases from they are suffering all has been observed in study. As the study reveals that they are not harmful for society and easily domesticated in the environment we used to live.
... The extent of between-study variation for studies, comparing behaviour between neutered and entire female dogs becomes apparent when considering, perhaps, one of the most well-studied behaviours in relation to neutering; aggression. Aggressive behaviours in female dogs have been reported to be unaffected by neutering by some authors (20,23,25,26), whereas others report increased aggressive behaviour in neutered dogs (17,21,(27)(28)(29)(30), or conversely beneficial effects of neutering on aggression are also reported (18,31,32). ...
There are few studies that investigate the effect of neutering bitches before or after puberty. The majority of current literature examining the impact of the timing of neutering on health and behaviour has used age rather than the onset of puberty as the key variable. The aim of this prospective cohort study was to investigate the effects of timing of neutering in relation to puberty on behaviour in female dogs reared and trained in an assistance dog programme. The study examined data for bitches neutered before or after puberty to compare scores for six behavioural factors (training and obedience, aggression, fear and anxiety, excitability, attachment and attention-seeking, and social behaviour) measured at 1 and 3 years of age. Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches were neutered before (n = 155) or after (n = 151) puberty. Neutering before or after puberty had no impact on mean scores for the six behavioural factors at 1 or 3 years of age. When examining the change in behavioural factor scores between 1 and 3 years of age, only aggression behavioural factor scores were influenced by neutering before or after puberty. Bitches neutered after puberty were less likely to have aggression factor scores that increased between 1 and 3 years of age (OR = 0.959, 90% CI = 0.924 to 0.995, p = 0.06). However, the majority of bitches scored “0” for aggression at both time points (indicating no aggression behaviours were observed), and the number of bitches for which scores increased between 1 and 3 years of age was low (before puberty = 20, after puberty = 9). This is consistent with very mild aggressive behaviours being observed in a small number of animals and is, therefore, of questionable concern. The results suggest that, for Labrador and Golden Retriever crossbreed bitches, neutering before or after puberty has little to no effect on future behaviour. It is recommended that decisions about the timing of neutering are not informed solely by impacts on behaviour, but that they also consider evidence relating to the impacts on bitch health and well-being.
... The current study found no relationship with tug games and biting behavior, consistent with previous correlational studies (Klausz et al., 2014;Podberscek & Serpell, 1997), although in contrast to one study (Guy et al., 2001). However, these are the first data assessing correlations between tug games and mouthing. ...
Problem behavior in companion animals can result in reduced quality or length of life for the animal, as well as stress for the human owners. In particular, mouthing is commonly described by dog owners as problematic (Shabelansky & Dowling-Guyer, 2016). However, there is a paucity of both descriptive and inferential data on the frequency or predictors of the behavior. The purpose of this study was to provide population-level data on mouthing behavior in companion dogs in the United States. Although there is known disagreement about the definitions of biting and mouthing behavior, mouthing was defined for this study as behavior where the dog's teeth or inner lips touch human skin or clothing. Data collected via surveys from dog owners indicated that a high percentage of the dog population engages in mouthing and that many owners find the behavior to be undesirable. Analyses indicated that the prevalence of this behavior is significantly correlated with age, although many dogs continue mouthing into adulthood. Additionally, the frequency and severity were also negatively correlated with age and owner desire to reduce the behavior. Future research should address disagreement on the labels and definitions of mouthing versus biting and experimentally assess efficacious interventions to reduce mouthing in young dogs and avoid mouthing in adult dogs.
... Breed and limited time spent at home by the owner often influence the expression of these UB categories [13]. Additionally, there may be causal interactions between an animal's behaviour and its owner's personality and level of attachment [2], some of which predispose to inadequate socialisation and a tendency towards aggressive assertiveness towards their dog [57]. The importance of both learning and genetic influences on behaviour cannot be overstated [18], as reflected in both owner breed selection and subsequent steps taken to ensure adequate socialisation after acquisition of a new dog. ...
There is increasing evidence that undesirable behaviours (UBs) in dogs can compromise
the welfare of both canine companions and their carers. Veterinarians are regularly consulted about affected animals and may be asked to euthanase the more severely affected individuals. A recent study of veterinary records showed that UBs were the predominant cause of mortality in young dogs in the UK. This companion study from Australia reports the proportion of mortality due to UBs among dogs aged three years and under that attended veterinary practices from 2013 to 2018. Deidentified patient records were extracted from the VetCompass Australia database and manually assessed to reveal the prevalence and type of UBs reported. The results reveal that 29.7% of the 4341 dogs that died at three years of age or under had deaths ascribed to at least one UB, and that the most commonly reported UB was aggression. Neutered dogs had 2.5� the odds of death due to an UB compared to intact dogs, and crossbred dogs were found to have 1.43� the odds of a UB related death compared to purebred dogs. The breeds at highest risk were Australian cattle dogs (odds ratio (OR) 4.77) and American Staffordshire terriers (OR 4.69). The attending veterinarian referred behaviour cases to a behaviourist or dog trainer in 11.0% of all UB cases, and attempted pharmacological therapy in 5.9% of cases. The results reveal how often UBs affect dogs and their owners in Australia, and infer the beneficial impact that educating dog owners and veterinary professionals in modifying and managing UBs may have.
... Previous evidence indicates that crowded spaces can act as a barrier to walking for some dog owners, as they feel it impedes their walking with their dog off-lead [62][63][64]. In addition, factors linked with the behaviour of an individual's own dog(s) may also contribute to the experi-ence and likelihood of a dog being walked, e.g., dogs with behavioural problems being walked less often [23,65,66]. In our study, owners of dogs with pre-existing behavioural problems that are challenging outside of the house, such as reactivity to other dogs or people, reported mixed walking experiences. ...
On 23 March 2020, the UK Government imposed a nationwide lockdown as part of efforts to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. This study aimed to explore how the experience of dog ownership in the UK was impacted during this lockdown. Data for this research came from open-ended survey questions and an electronic diary completed by members of the general public and participants involved in “Generation Pup”, an ongoing longitudinal cohort study of dogs. A total of 10,510 free-text entries were analysed. Three major themes emerged: spending time at home with dog(s), walking practices, and behaviour and training. Owners valued having more time than usual with their dog(s) but also recognised that spending extra time with their dog(s) may negatively impact on the dog’s future ability to cope when left alone. However, very few owners provided alone time for their dog(s) during the lockdown. The opportunity to walk their dog(s) as part of their permitted daily exercise was regarded positively, but walks under the lockdown guidelines were not always felt to be adequate with respect to providing sufficient exercise and opportunities for interaction with other dogs. Owners reported observing new undesirable behaviours in their dog(s) during the lockdown, including barking and dogs being “clingy” or vocalising when briefly left alone. Based on these findings, we suggest intervention strategies to best support dog welfare that include helping dog owners to teach dogs to cope with being alone, even if owners do not need to leave their dogs alone.
... The most commonly reported undesirable behaviors among clinical samples of dogs include aggression, destructiveness, fearfulness, excessive barking, and inappropriate elimination (Vacalopoulos and Anderson, 1993;Wells and Hepper, 2000;Landsberg et al., 2003;Kim et al., 2009). These behavioral issues in dogs may depend on a number of their characteristics (e.g., age, sex, breed, size, and neuter status), as well as some environmental factors including owners' characteristics (e.g., age, sex, level of experience and education, extent of interaction with dogs, diet, personality, and area of residence), and time and dog source of adoption (Podberscek and Serpell, 1997;Landsberg et al., 2003;Overall, 2005;Yalcin and Batmaz, 2007;Messam et al., 2008;Perez-Guisado and Munoz-Serrano, 2009;Khoshnegah et al., 2011;Martinez et al., 2011;Col et al., 2016;Cannas et al., 2018). Owing to the importance of problematic behaviors in dogs, numerous articles and research findings have been published worldwide including Iran; however, no similar research has been already conducted on the prevalence and relationships of such behavioral issues in the southwest of Iran (Beaver, 1994;Bradshaw et al., 2002;Hsu and Serpell, 2003;Bowen, 2008;Khoshnegah et al., 2011;Mashhadi Rafiei et al., 2011;Menor-Campos et al., 2011;Tamimi et al., 2013). ...
Canine problematic behaviors are one of the most prevalent reasons given for referrals to small animal hospitals worldwide. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and possible variables related to 13 common problematic behaviors in 401 companion dogs referred to the Veterinary Hospital of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran. The results showed that 345 dogs (86%) had at least one problematic behavior. The main problematic behaviors reported for 345 dogs were excessive activity (38.7%), fearfulness (27.9%), destructiveness (27.2%), aggression toward unfamiliar people (23.7%) and roaming (22.4%). Small sized dogs were found to have higher fearfulness (P<0.001) and mounting and humping (P=0.005) than large sized ones. Fearfulness (P=0.008), withdrawal (P<0.001), aggression toward: unfamiliar people (P=0.003), dogs (P<0.001), and familiar people (P=0.01), respectively, and mounting and humping (P<0.001) were higher in the adult dogs than the puppies. Moreover, the female dogs were found to have higher fearfulness (P<0.001) and withdrawal (P=0.005) than the males. House soiling was significantly higher in dogs born in summer (P=0.005) and winter (P=0.008) than spring. Higher destructiveness (P=0.02) and house soiling (P<0.001) were found in dogs with a duration of ownership less than 6 months than those with more than 6 months. In the same vein, the outdoors dogs were found to have higher excessive activity (P<0.001) and aggression toward unfamiliar people (P=0.001) and dogs (P=0.005), whereas the higher fearfulness (P<0.001), withdrawal (P=0.02) and mounting and humping (P<0.001) were found in indoor dogs. Single dogs were found to have higher fearfulness (P=0.001) and mouthing and humping (P=0.004) than dogs from multi-dog homes. It is noteworthy that the higher mounting and humping was found more commonly in dogs owned by owners with academic degrees than those whose owners did not have any academic degrees (P=0.001). The findings proved the high prevalence of problematic behaviors in the studied companion dogs in the southwest of Iran. Veterinarians are expected to determine if there are any medical factors contributing to any behavior change in dogs, and decide whether their behavior change is typical, atypical, or pathological. However, dog owners should also be trained by veterinarians to know how to deal with problematic behaviors in dogs.
Despite the popular idea that dog owners are often responsible in some way for their animals' behaviour problems, the scientific evidence is scarce and contradictory. Some studies have failed to detect any links between the quality of the owner-dog relationship and the occurrence of behaviour problems, while others suggest that some behaviour problems may be associated with certain aspects of owner personality, attitudes and/or behaviour.Using retrospective data from a sample of 737 dogs, the present study investigated the association between the prevalence of different behaviour problems and various aspects of either owner behaviour or owner-dog interactions. A number of statistically significant associations were detected: (a) between obedience training and reduced prevalence of competitive aggression (P < 0.02), separation-related problems (P < 0.001), and escaping and roaming (P < 0.05); (b) between the timing of the dogs' meal times and the occurrence of territorial-type aggression (P < 0.01); (c) between sleeping close to the owner and increased prevalence of competitive aggression (P < 0.01) and separation-related problems (P < 0.01); (d) between first-time ownership and the prevalence of dominance-type aggression (P < 0.001), separation-related problems (P < 0.05), fear of loud noises (P < 0.001), and various manifestations of overexcitability (P < 0.001); (e) between owners' initial reasons for acquiring a dog and the prevalence of dominance-type (P < 0.001), competitive (P < 0.01) and territorial aggression (P < 0.01). The possible practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Two thousand questionnaires were distributed randomly via the Kennel Club (UK) to owners of purebred English Cocker Spaniels (ECSs). Owners were asked to give details about the ECSs they owned: age, sex, neuter status, coat colour. They were also asked to indicate whether their dog showed aggression (on a 1–5 scale; 1, never or almost never; 5, always or almost always) in any of 13 situations. These were: aggression towards strange dogs (A1), towards strangers approaching the dog (A2), towards persons approaching/visiting the home (A3), towards persons approaching the owner away from home (A4), towards children in the household (A5), towards other dogs in the household (A6), when the owner gives attention to other person or animal (A7), toward owner or member of owner's family (A8), when disciplined (A9), when reached for or handled (A10), when in restricted spaces (A11), at meal times/ defending food (A12) and, suddenly and without apparent reason (A13).
We assessed the effects of obedience training and canine behaviour counselling upon the human-canine relationship. Thirty adult participants provided perceptions of their dog's behaviour and were then randomly assigned to one of three groups: the Obedience group, which received obedience training and canine behaviour counselling; the Time Instructed group, which was asked to spend 20 min a day interacting with their dog; the No Instruction group, which did not receive any instructions.After assignment, the Obedience group completed an 8-week obedience and canine behaviour counselling class where all the participants again provided information about their dog's behaviour. In addition, all participants were also asked to keep daily logs of the time spent with their dogs in training, play, exercise and other activities. A video-camera was used to obtain pretest and posttest measures of obedience behaviour, proximity, tactile behaviour and separation anxiety exhibited by each dog.Results indicated that the Obedience group showed the most improved obedience behaviour and the highest improvement in the human-canine relationship. The Obedience group also showed lower separation anxiety than the No Instruction group. Contrary to expectation, the Time Instructed group also displayed improvement in obedience behaviour and improvement in the relationship. The Time Instructed group showed lower separation anxiety than the No Instruction group. The No Instruction group revealed higher separation anxiety, no improvement in obedience and no change in the relationship. Results were interpreted in terms of positive interaction and quality time.
In 223 cases of dogs presented to a specialist behavioural clinic in Brisbane, Australia, 87 (39%) were for severe aggression. The classes of aggression included dominance (31.6%), territorial (29%), predatory (12.3%), intermale (12.3%), sibling rivalry (7.9%), fear biting (6%) and idiopathic rage (0.9%). The breeds most represented which attacked humans were the Bull Terrier (16%), German Shepherd and crosses (15%), Cattle dog breeds (Blue Heeler and crosses, 9.2%), Terrier breeds (9.2%), Labrador (8%), Poodle and Cocker Spaniel (both 5.7%) and Rottweiler (4.6%). The dangerous dog list put out by the local Brisbane City Council includes the first three breeds mentioned and the Rottweiler as the top four breeds causing aggression problems.Hospital records in Victoria and Queensland confirm that most damage is caused to humans by Bull Terriers and German Shepherds. Many breeds similar to those in our study are also represented in American data on aggressive breeds.Treatments included obedience training only, restraint only, obedience and restraint, synthetic progestins and obedience, castration, progestins and obedience, castration and obedience, use of chlorpromazine and as a last resort, euthanasia (12.6%). Entire males formed the largest group (44%), followed by castrated males and females (both 21%) and spayed females (15%).Several breeds (Boxer, Briand, Samoyed and St. Bernard) only attacked other animals and birds.This study reinforces evidence that social disruption is caused by aggressive dogs, but it also indicates that many responsible clients seek advice on how to deal with this behavioural problem.
Wright, J.C. and Nesselrote, M.S., 1987. Classification of behavior problems in dogs: distributions of age, breed, sex and reproductive status. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci., 19: 169-178. One hundred and seventy behavior problems were observed in 105 dogs referred for behavior- problem management by practicing veterinarians. Ninety percent of the observed behavior prob- lems were classified within three major categories: aggression; stimullis reactivity; separation- related. Aggression and stimulus reactivity problems were further sub-divided by their predomi- nant behavioral components, i.e. excessive approach or avoidance in relation to the target stimuli. The mean age for dogs presented for problem behavior was 3.4 years, which did not differ as a function of diagnostic category (P> 0.05) .The distributions of different types of aggression seen in dogs and the most frequent pair-wise combinations of different types of aggression in the sample were described. Significantly more intact males and neutered females were referred for aggressive and stimulus reactivity behavior problems (P < 0.001) , but dogs with sepAration-related problems did not differ (P> 0.05) .The value of identifying the predominant components of behavior prob- lems for clarifying the direction of behavior change was discussed.
The purpose of this study was to determine if dogs that were treated ‘like a person’ or that had not been obedience trained were more likely to exhibit owner-reported behavior problems than dogs not treated in those ways. A questionnaire, comprising 75 items, was available in the waiting room of the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania throughout 1981. Responses to 11 questions answered by 711 different respondents, each from a different household, were analyzed. Nine questions related to treating the dog ‘like a person’ (either spoiling the dog or viewing it anthropomorphically), and the other two asked whether or not the dog had had formal obedience training and whether or not the dog had engaged in a behavior that the owner considered a problem. Results of a series of chi-square analyses failed to reveal that problem behaviors were related to obedience training, ‘spoiling’, or anthropomorphic activities. Further, a discriminant analysis was unable to identify any variable (item), including obedience training, ‘spoiling’ activities, or anthropomorphic attitudes, that distinguished between dogs engaging and not engaging in problem behaviors. Eight variables were then factor analyzed, resulting in four factors which counted for 71.15% of the variance. The factors, which pertained to owners sharing food with their dog, taking the dog along on trips or errands, dog comfort or resting places, and anthropomorphic attitudes, were analyzed along with the obedience training and behavior problem variables in an ANOVA. The results showed that dogs whose owners interacted with them in an anthropomorphic manner, ‘spoiled’ them in certain ways, or did not provide obedience training were no more likely to engage in behaviors considered a problem by the owner than were dogs not viewed anthropomorphically, ‘spoiled’ by their owner, or given obedience training.
Aggression towards owners in a dominance context is a common behavioral problem in dogs. A review of 24 cases (21 males and 3 females) presented to the Veterinary Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania for dominance aggression revealed that it is a predominantly male trait, and pure-bred dogs (n=21) are presented more frequently than are mixed breeds (n=3). Each dog diagnosed as dominant aggressive manifested aggression in three or more of 17 circumstances involving physical manipulation, discipline, or guarding of food, objects or resting places. A combination of techniques including castration, use of synthetic progestins, and behavioral techniques were used to treat the dogs. Three to 15 months after the behavioral consultation, 19 owners were contacted by telephone and interviewed by a person identified as a neutral party unassociated with the service. The owners were asked a standardized set of questions. Twenty-one percent of the owners reported that their dogs were 90% or greater improved, 53% reported a 70% or greater improvement, and 79% reported a 50% or greater improvement. Although the frequency and intensity of aggressive behavior was reduced and the majority of persons were highly satisfied, the dominant aggressive tendencies of the majority of the dogs were not completely suppressed.
The first half of the text offers a solid introduction to statistics that allows the student to understand multiple-sample tests without first having to learn one-factor analysis of variance. The book progresses through an extensive analysis of two-factor designs and a preview of higher-order designs to analysis of covariance, regression analysis, and log-linear analysis. Norparametric and parametric models are presented on an equal footing.
The authors develop topics at a comfortable pace, easing the reader into each subject with conceptual, nonmathematical discussions. To underscore the purpose of each statistical tool, the authors introduce new concepts only after a need for them is established. . . . To keep the discussion of principles as conceptual as possible, heavily algebraic developments are placed in appendices.
Throughout the text, Marascuilo and Serlin stress the practical interpretation of results. They also show students how to think through their research questions thoroughly and how to choose intelligently from among the available statistical strategies. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)