December 15, 2024, 8:49 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Dog owners often have to work on minor problems with their pets – be it pulling too hard on the lead or howling when the owner leaves the house. According to a large study, virtually all dogs have one behavioral problem or another.
It is not always easy for owners to understand the sometimes seemingly strange behavior of animals. After all, many owners are initially unable to explain things that seem strange to us – such as dogs sniffing each other’s bottoms as a greeting or eating excrement. This is also shown by a study from the US “Dog Aging Project,” an extremely important long-term study for research. From the data collected, it has now been possible to deduce that there is virtually no dog that does not exhibit one or other behavioral problem.
99.74 Percent of All Dogs Exhibit Undesirable Behavior – According to Their Owners
Professor Bonnie Beaver from Texas A&M University devoted her study to the question of how much dog training is really useful. To this end, she analyzed data from 43,517 animals stored in the “Dog Aging Project” database. This amount of data had already yielded exciting scientific findings. For example, dogs with friends are healthier in old age, and pedigree dogs and mixed breeds are prone to the same common diseases.
The new study by Professor Beaver showed that almost all dog owners have a critical view of their pets. 99.74 percent of owners reported that their pets had moderate to severe problems. These included abnormalities in the area of separation and bonding behavior problems, anxiety or fear behavior, and problems with uncleanliness.
According to the Data, All Dogs in the US Have an Untreated Behavior Problem
Aggression-related questions included signs of hostility toward other dogs on walks or when owners removed toys and barking when a person walked by the house. Fear-related issues included fear of an unknown person approaching, bathing, and loud noises such as fireworks.
Cleanliness issues in the house included urination and defecation when dogs are left alone. Examples of separation and attachment issues included whining when left alone, chewing on objects not intended for the dog, and running in defiance of commands. 1
“Essentially all pet dogs in the United States have at least one moderate to severe behavior problem that is generally not treated by veterinarians,” Beaver writes in her post. She goes on to write that veterinarians rarely ask about dogs’ behavior problems. Owners also rarely share this information with the veterinarians treating them. Nevertheless, they find them annoying in everyday life but not in need of therapy.
Owners See Many Behavioral Problems in Their Dogs – but Are They Really Problems?
There can be many reasons for this, starting with the cost of behavioral therapy, the availability of such services, or even the realization that treatment is necessary. The age of the animals also ranges from young to old, and many were acquired before the pandemic. The fact that the owners were able to answer these questions anonymously also most likely made them more honest.
However, Beaver was surprised by the percentage of respondents, she writes. There is, however, still one major drawback to the results. The data is solid, as Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioral Science at the University of Lincoln, who was not involved in the study, told The Telegraph. However, some of the questions could lead to an overestimation.
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“I Would Question Whether That’s a Problem”
This is because some of the answer options are perceived by humans as behavioral problems in dogs – but represent completely normal behavior in social animals. For example, when dogs have a problem staying alone, they like to sit close to humans or follow them around. Also, disliking other dogs on walks and even eating feces are not necessarily pathological behavioral problems.
These behaviors “could not be considered problematic at all,” Professor Mills told The Telegraph. “That could explain the 85 percent prevalence of reported separation-related problems, and I would question whether that is a problem.”
It is also unclear to what extent the data is only applicable to the US and whether owners in other countries are more understanding of their dog’s natural behavior.