A new study of puppies purchased during the pandemic period has found that as many as 97% of them have displayed one or more behavioural problem.
The study, carried out by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and funded by Battersea and part of the ongoing RVC Pandemic Puppies project, followed a cohort of puppies purchased during the covid pandemic in 2020 under the age of 16 weeks. More than 1,000 UK owners were asked to identify problem behaviours they saw in their young dogs from a list of 24 including control behaviours (such as pulling on their lead), attention-seeking behaviours (jumping up, clinginess) aggressive behaviours (towards other dogs, people and guarding food), and fear/avoidance behaviours (anxiety/fear around other dogs, people, loud noises).
Almost all owners (97%) reported their dog displayed at least one problem behaviour from the list. The average number of owner-reported problem behaviours at 21 months was five, while 20% of owners reported eight or more. The three most common behaviours that owners considered a problem were pulling on the lead (67%), jumping up at people (57%) and not coming back when called (52%).
Almost two fifths (39%) of owners in the study had not previously owned a dog, and problem behaviours were more likely where the owners used aversive training techniques, according to RVC. When asked about the dog training methods they used in the first 21 months of ownership, 96% of owners reported verbally praising their dogs as a training method. However, 80% also reported using one or more aversive methods or aids – with 39% of participants admitting to using two or more aversive training aids.
Dr Rowena Packer, lecturer in companion animal behaviour and welfare science at the RVC, and lead author of the study, said: “Problem behaviours in dogs are a major welfare challenge, not just for affected dogs but also for their caregivers, causing stress and lifestyle changes for many owners. Our findings indicate that problem behaviours are extremely common in Pandemic Puppies, and in many cases, are potentially being exacerbated by owners using punishment-based training techniques.
“Although we understand these problem behaviours can be very frustrating for owners, they are often a sign a dog is struggling to cope or that they haven’t been taught an appropriate response in a situation, rather than dogs intentionally behaving ‘badly’. Punishing problem behaviours can lead to dogs becoming anxious and fearful, going on to develop further problem behaviours, including aggression.
“A key piece of guidance arising from our study is that attending puppy classes is a vital way to support owners in using the best training techniques available. We appreciate many pandemic puppy owners missed these opportunities due to lockdown restrictions, but thankfully, there are also many science-based behaviour professionals available running adult classes and consultations who can support owners and dogs using effective, humane training techniques, who we would encourage all owners troubled by their dog’s behaviour to reach out to.”
Robert Bays, Battersea’s senior animal behaviour manager, said: “At Battersea we have seen a significant increase in the number of dogs coming to our centres with certain behavioural issues, such as separation anxiety, which can often be linked to the pandemic and the training challenges this unusual time presented.”
