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Environmental influences on the expression of aggressive behaviour in English Cocker Spaniels

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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.
... Several authors concluded that the owner's attitude towards the dog, as well as the amount and the quality of time they spend with the dog or the place where they acquired the dog, may have an effect on the occurrence of aggressive behaviours (e.g. [8][9][10]). ...
... In line with our findings, several authors have also found that less aggressive dogs obey more readily (e.g. [8,43,44]), and they concluded that this was linked to the characteristics of the dog-owner relationship. In this sense, although obedience and aggressive behaviour are qualitatively different aspects of behaviour, under certain circumstances they can indicate the quality of the dog-owner relationship. ...
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Excessive aggression is a common behaviour problem in dogs that can have various destructive effects on the affected people and the implicated dog. Aggressive behaviour directed towards the owner or other family members is one of the most frequently occurring aggressive phenotypes. Here, we examine the reliability of a short questionnaire assessing aggressive behaviours by two, contextually different behavioural tests: ‘take away bone’ and ‘roll over’. Based on dogs’ behaviour in the tests, we sorted dogs (N=93) in two groups for each test, namely a less and a more disobedient/resistant group. The two principal components obtained in our questionnaire- ‘obedient’ and ‘aggressive towards owner’-showed significant differences between the behaviour groups. While dogs in the less disobedient/resistant groups had significantly higher ‘obedient’ and significantly lower ‘aggressive towards owner’ scores, dogs in the more disobedient/resistant groups had significantly higher ‘aggressive towards owner’ and significantly lower ‘obedient’ scores. Dogs’ age, sex and neuter/spay status expressed their effect through interactions. Males, young dogs and intact dogs were less ‘obedient’ than older ones, while resistant spayed/neutered dogs were more aggressive towards the owner. The questionnaire used is a safe, easy to deploy and time-efficient tool to reliably assess certain owner-directed aggressive tendencies of family dogs.
... Nevertheless, the topic of aggression is very complex, as it should always be noted that there are different types of aggression (like, e.g., defensive or status-related aggression) [26][27][28][29][32][33][34][35]. However, it is not just hormones that play a decisive role in the occurrence of certain forms of aggression. ...
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This study investigates the behavioural differences between neutered and intact dogs. A total of 230 questionnaires of neutered (n = 115) and intact (n = 115) mixed-breed male dogs were collected. Small, medium, large, and giant dogs were analysed to investigate a possible influence of body size. The results showed neuters were significantly more stressed than intacts (multinomial logistic regression, p = 0.001). In terms of stress by influences (such as separation anxiety and anxiety at car rides), neutered small, medium, and large dogs were more stressed than giant dogs (multinomial logistic regression, p = 0.05). Neuters were also found to be more aggressive in general (multinomial logistic regression, p = 0.04) and more aggressive on the walk (multinomial logistic regression, p = 0.02). In addition, personality questionnaires revealed significant differences in all characteristics. Neuters were less emotionally calm (multiple ordinal regression, p = 0.03), less trainable and less sociable (each multiple ordinal regression, p < 0.001). They also scored lower on extraversion (multiple ordinal regression, p = 0.04). These findings highlight the importance of further research into the behavioural effects of neutering dogs, as well as the need for evidence-based guidelines for neutering practices.
... Especially these agile dogs like Huskies and Akitas seem not to be very secure on a short leash and in some cases their aggressive behaviour could also be an expression of their insecurity or, in case of poor bond with the dog owner, their defence of owner [50,53]. Furthermore, the individual personality and handling by the owner have a significant effect on the dog's behaviour and can promote aggression under certain circumstances [54]. According to an American study [55] more neutered than intact dogs tend to behave aggressively and to attack or bite other dogs. ...
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Neutering dogs is a widespread method and is carried out for various behavioural and husbandry reasons. This study’s main objective is to investigate the behavioural correlations between neutering and the breed of male dogs. In order to possibly find breed-dependent differences in the behaviour of intact and castrated dogs, a differentiation between two clades - the “Huskies“(chow chow, shar pei, akita/shiba inu, alaskan malamute, siberian/alaskan husky) and the “Bulldogs” (german boxer, english/french bulldog, old english mastiff, boston terrier, english bull terrier, staffordshire bull terrier, american staffordshire terrier), based on Parker et al. [1], was made. Using an online questionnaire,, 31 neutered and 37 intact male dogs from the clade “Huskies“ and 30 neutered and 38 intact male dogs from the clade “Bulldogs”, participated in the study (N = 136).The survey included detailed questions on the dogs’ personality and any associated issues as well as a behavioural anamnesis. Further questions relating to four of the “big five” personality dimensions based on the “Budapest questionnaire” by Turcsán et al. from 2011 [2] were also added. The results show, that neutered males from both breed clades more frequently displayed aggression toward humans than intact males (multinomial logistic regression, p = 0.002). When it came to aggression towards other dogs, it was the “Huskies” that differed significantly from the “Bulldogs“(multinomial logistic regression, p = 0.04) with being more aggressive. There were also significant differences in stress-related behaviour depending on castration status and breed (multinomial logistic regression, p < 0.001; Cramer’s V = 0.33) and only the castration status had an impact on the significance (multinomial logistic regression, p < 0.001). The analysis also revealed significance for stress-indicating behaviour with dependence on neutering status (multinomial logistic regression, p < 0.001) and showed that stress as well as uncertainty are significantly more common in neutered dogs depending on breed and neutering status (multinomial logistic regression, p < 0.001; Cramer’s V = 0.42), in that only neutered “Bulldogs“ were stressed, but more “Huskies“ overall. According to the Budapest questionnaire data, the “Bulldog” clade had considerably greater extraversion scores overall (ordinal regression, p < 0.001) than the “Huskies“. Our findings highlight the risks and potential negative effects of neutering. Gonadectomy in no way substitutes for the dog receiving the necessary socialization, training, or bonding. Although in some circumstances it might have a favourable impact on the dog’s behaviour, it should not be seen as a panacea for unwanted behaviour. Given that not all behaviours are influenced by sex hormones, every castration decision must be weighed up individually.
... The same observations were made in another study in which neutering had an effect on all behavioral problems related to aggression except aggressive behavior toward strangers (6). In contrast, other studies suggest no discernible pattern of changes in aggression (7,8). Some studies note that gonadectomized dogs of both sexes are significantly more likely than intact dogs to bark, growl, lunge, snap, open their eyes wide, and raise or curl their lips when approached by an unknown human or dog (9,10). ...
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In male dogs, long-acting gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs are widely accepted as an alternative to surgical castration but are also used to sup-press and induce estrus in bitches (off label). Behavioral changes reported in bitches in association with the use of long-acting GnRH analogs have included male-like behav-ior associated with triggered estrus, increased food intake, enlargement of mammary glands and milk production, pseudopregnancy, and urinary incontinence. In male dogs, intra-species and rarely inter-species aggression may occur during the flare-up effect. However, at the time of downregulation, this behavior should no longer occur if it is tes-tosterone dependent. An intact, three-year-old female cocker spaniel with Addison’s disease was admitted to our clinic for consultation on spaying options because of pseudopregnancies followed by mastitis, which had to be treated with antibiotics, after her heat cycles. The owners were hesitant about surgical sterilization and therefore, deslorelin implant was inserted. Approximately one month after implantation, owners observed the onset of aggressive behavior, including incessant barking, extreme irritability, and aggression toward other dogs and towards family members. The behavior problems started to escalate and the owners were not able to handle her anymore. After removal of the implant, the observed aggression ceased, and the bitch returned to normal behavior. Although aggressive behavior toward other dogs and sometimes even toward owners has been observed after neutering or insertion of a deslorelin implant, this is the first report of extremely aggressive behavior toward owners and other dogs in a female dog after insertion of a 4.7 mg deslorelin implant. Agresivno vedenje psice po vstavitvi implantata deslorelina Izvleček: V veterinarski praksi so dolgo delujoči analogi gonadotropin-sproščujočega hormona (GnRH) široko sprejeta alternativa kirurški kastraciji psov. Uporabljajo se tudi pri psicah bodisi za supresijo ali indukcijo estrusa, pri čemer gre za neoznačeno uporabo zdravila. Pri uporabi dolgo delujočih analogov GnRH so pri psicah opazili vedenjske spremembe, kot so moško obnašanje, povečan apetit, rast mlečnih žlez, laktacija, navidezna brejost in urinska inkontinenca. Pri pasjih samcih pa se lahko v začetnem obdobju, ko implantat spodbudi izločanje testosterona, pojavlja agresivnost do drugih psov ali redko drugih živali. Na naši kliniki smo obravnavali nesterilizirano, tri leta staro psico pasme koker španjel z diagnosticirano Addisonovo boleznijo. Lastniki so želeli nasvet glede možnosti kontracepcije, saj je pri psici v preteklih ciklusih prihajalo do navidezne brejosti in posledičnega mastitisa, ki je zahteval antibiotično zdravljenje. Lastniki so bili zadržani do kirurške sterilizaci-je, zato so se odločili za vstavitev deslorelinskega implantata. Približno mesec dni kasneje so pri psici opazili začetek agresivnega vedenja, ki je vključevalo stalno lajanje, izjemno razdražljivost in agresijo do drugih psov ter do družinskih članov. Neželeno vedenje se je stopnjevalo do te mere, da lastniki niso mogli več obvladovati svoje psice. Po odstranitvi implantata je opažena agresija umirila, in psica se je vrnila v normalno stanje. Čeprav je agresivno vedenje do drugih psov in včasih tudi do lastnikov opisano po kirurški kastraciji ali vstavitvi deslo-relinskega implantata pri psih, je ta prispevek prvi, ki opisuje izjemno agresivno vedenje do psov in lastnikov pri psici po vstavitvi 4,7 mg deslorelinskega implantata. Ključne besede: psica; agresija; vedenje; deslorelinski implantat; dolgo delujoči GnRH
... 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. ...
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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. ...
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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.