Owner and animal factors predict the incidence of, and owner reaction toward, problematic behaviors in companion dogs

We designed an online survey eliciting information about owners, their dogs, their relationship with their dogs, and whether the animals exhibited any of 15 potentially problematic behaviors. The largest proportion of respondents (65%) reported that their dogs exhibited undesirable, but not problematic, behaviors and were not interested in their modification. Only 32% of the respondents considered the behavior to be both undesirable and problematic and wished to change it. The owners' perception of a problem was associated with reports of fear- and anxiety-related behaviors. The owner's gender, marital status, and attitude toward the dog as his/her child as well as the dog's age, size, age at acquisition, and breed emerged as robust predictors. Compared with all other behavioral categories, reported aggressive canine behaviors were 3 times more likely to elicit an owner's wish to address them. This study revealed that the behaviors of dogs may be perceived differently by their owners, and the type of perception may influence the owner's actual willingness to change those behaviors. Moreover, we identified the most robust set of factors that, either individually or combined, would help predict a dog's potential problematic behaviors and an owner's attitude toward them, which will be useful in improving rational prevention and treatment strategies.