The Influence of Breed, Sex, Origin and Housing Conditions on Undesirable Behaviors in Ancient Dog Breeds
Department of Animal and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Animal Bioengineering, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, 5 Oczapowski Street, 10-719 Olsztyn, Poland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2021, 11(5), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051435
Received: 27 April 2021
/
Revised: 12 May 2021
/
Accepted: 14 May 2021
/
Published: 17 May 2021
(This article belongs to the Section Companion Animals)
Simple Summary
Abnormal, repetitive behaviors often pose a problem for dog owners. Such behaviors are considered undesirable if they pose a nuisance or a danger to humans. 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 the ancient dog breeds Akita, Alaskan Malamute, Basenji, Samoyed and Siberian husky. Undesirable behaviors were analyzed based on the results of a survey involving dog owners. 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.
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.
View Full-Text
Keywords:
ancient dogs; undesirable behaviors; breed; sex; origin; housing conditions
▼
Show Figures
Figure 1
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
- Supplementary File 1:
ZIP-Document (ZIP, 113 KiB)
MDPI and ACS Style
Wójcik, A.; Powierża, K. The Influence of Breed, Sex, Origin and Housing Conditions on Undesirable Behaviors in Ancient Dog Breeds. Animals 2021, 11, 1435. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051435
AMA Style
Wójcik A, Powierża K. The Influence of Breed, Sex, Origin and Housing Conditions on Undesirable Behaviors in Ancient Dog Breeds. Animals. 2021; 11(5):1435. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051435
Chicago/Turabian StyleWójcik, Anna, and Kinga Powierża. 2021. "The Influence of Breed, Sex, Origin and Housing Conditions on Undesirable Behaviors in Ancient Dog Breeds" Animals 11, no. 5: 1435. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051435
Find Other Styles
Note that from the first issue of 2016, MDPI journals use article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.
