The prevalence of behavior problems in dogs in the United States

Abstract

Numerous studies have reported the prevalence of various behavior problems in dogs and cats around the world. The actual number of animals included in each varies but is typically less than 1000. The reported prevalence of the behavior problem also varies considerably. It was thought that data from 43,517 dogs enrolled in the Dog Aging Project (DAP), entered by their owners, might provide a more realistic picture of canine behavior problems in the United States. All behavior questions included in the DAP were taken from the C-BARQ and mini C-BARQ questionnaires and included four multi-question categories (i.e., aggression, separation and attachment behaviors, fear and anxiety behaviors, and housesoiling) and seven behaviors asked as single questions. Except for two yes/no questions, all were rated by the owner between 0 (no problem), 2 (moderate) and 4 (serious). Data was analyzed to determine the number of dogs showing moderate (2) to serious (4) levels of behavior appropriate for the question. Overall, 99.12% of dogs showed at least one problem of moderately serious (3) to serious (4) intensity or at least two problems of moderate to serious (2−4) intensity. Within the four multi-question categories, the prevalence of dogs showing moderate (2) to serious (4) behaviors at least twice with the category was 55.6% for aggression, 85.9% for separation and attachment behaviors, 49.9% for fear and anxiety behaviors, and 4.1% for housesoiling.