Demographics and comorbidity of behavior problems in dogs

Abstract

Periodic canine population studies establish essential frames of reference for analyzing trends in demographics and the prevalence of problematic behaviors. An understanding of the correlations between individual behavior problems can shed light on the pathogenesis and comorbidity of various conditions. It is our hope that the results of this substantial study will help to confirm those of previous studies, provide new data about behavior problems, and, by association, help establish their etiology. In this study, we hosted a public, online questionnaire to capture up-to-date demographic and behavior problem metrics. Surveyed problematic behaviors include fear/anxiety, aggression, jumping, excessive barking, coprophagia, obsessive-compulsive/compulsive behaviors, house soiling, rolling in repulsive materials, overactivity/hyperactivity, destructive behavior, running away/escaping, and mounting/humping. The study sample consisted of 4114 dogs, spanning mixed and pure breeds, submitted by 2480 dog owners. Male and female dogs were equally represented, a majority of which were neutered. The prevalence of canine behavior problems was 85%. We found sex, neuter status, origin, and lineage to have a notable effect on the prevalence of behavior problems. We also found age, neutered status, origin, and lineage to have a notable effect on the number of behavior problems per dog. Owners were asked to provide details of any behavior problem they reported such as intensity, frequency, and situation in which the behavior problem occurred. We examined the problematic behaviors in terms of their overall prevalence, and characteristics, and computed correlations between the various behavior problems. The findings from our study provide insight into the magnitude of owner-reported canine behavior problems encountered by owners and hopefully will encourage veterinarians to further incorporate aspects of behavior problem management into their daily work.