Using an owner-based questionnaire to phenotype dogs with separation-related distress: Do owners know what their dogs do when they are absent?

Rooy, Diane van; Arnott, Elizabeth; Thomson, Peter; McGreevy, Paul D.; Wade, Claire M.

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2017.10.009

Cited by 17 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…However, even though most other post-adoption assessments of the prevalence of behaviour problems were also made via owner questionnaires, direct comparison is difficult as separation-related problems were reported in different ways in different studies (for example, listing different separation-related behaviours or having a single reporting category for separation anxiety). However, other researchers have shown that video footage of dog’s behaviour when left alone correlates well with owner reports of separation-related problems [ 33 , 34 ] and also that owner reports of fear related behaviour corresponded well to physical behavioural tests in dogs [ 29 ], indicating that owner reporting of behaviours are potentially a relatively accurate measurement. Additionally, in the current study, the dogs’ problem behaviours were owner-reported through simple survey questions, which do not provide sufficiently detailed and verified information to make an accurate behavioural diagnosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Adoption Problem Behaviours in Adolescent and Adult Dogs Rehomed through a New Zealand Animal Shelter

Gates

Zito

Thomas³

et al. 2018

Animals

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Simple SummaryProblem behaviours in dogs rehomed through animal shelters can jeopardise the long-term success of adoptions if not correctly managed. Data from 61 adolescent and adult dog adoptions that occurred through an animal shelter in Auckland, New Zealand, was analysed to identify the most common problem behaviours affecting adopted dogs and how concerned the new owners were about these problem behaviours. The majority of dogs had at least one reported problem behaviour; the most frequently reported problem behaviours were poor manners, destruction of household items, and excessively high energy. Very few dogs showed territorial aggression when objects or food items were removed, but aggression toward people or other dogs were both reported in nearly a fifth of dogs. The majority (87%) of adopters whose dog had some problem behaviours were not concerned at all or were a little concerned, and only three adopters were very concerned. Based on our interpretation of these findings, post-adoption support programmes targeted toward teaching adopters how to correctly train their dogs may be beneficial to increasing adoption satisfaction.AbstractProblem behaviours in dogs rehomed through animal shelters can jeopardise the long-term success of adoptions. In this study, data from 61 adolescent and adult dog adoptions that occurred through an animal shelter in Auckland, New Zealand, from 1 November 2015 to 31 July 2016 were analysed to describe the frequency of problem behaviours and level of adopter concern at different time points post-adoption. Amongst the 57 dogs with behavioural information available, 40 (70%) had at least one reported problem behaviour, and the most frequently reported problem behaviours were poor manners (46%), destruction of household items (30%), and excessively high energy (28%). Very few dogs showed territorial aggression when objects or food items were removed (2% and 4%, respectively). However, aggression toward people or other dogs was frequently reported (19% and 19%, respectively). Of the 54 adopters that provided a response about their level of concern over their dog’s problem behaviours, 24 (44%) were not concerned at all, 23 (43%) were a little concerned, 4 (7%) were moderately concerned, and 3 (6%) were very concerned. Based on our interpretation of these findings, post-adoption support programmes targeted toward teaching adopters how to correctly train their dogs may be beneficial to increasing adoption satisfaction.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Post-Adoption Problem Behaviours in Adolescent and Adult Dogs Rehomed through a New Zealand Animal Shelter

Gates

Zito

Thomas³

et al. 2018

Animals

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“…This methodological limitation is difficult to overcome in a questionnaire survey, since the unequivocal view of the cat body language during owners' absence could only be obtained by regular video monitoring of the cats when left alone, which has a low feasibility. A study conducted with dogs addressed the shortcomings of the methodologies based on owners reports to assess separation behaviors [58], whereby a separation-related behavioral score based on owners reports was correlated with dogs behaviors based on video footage of the dogs during the first 25 minutes after they were left alone in the house [58]. Thus, it is reasonable to infer that the respondents of our study had different ways to gather evidence about their cats' behaviors during the owners' absence.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

et al. 2020

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Identifying and preventing the occurrence of separation-related problems (SRP) in companion animals are relevant to animal welfare and the quality of human-pet interactions. The SRP are defined as a set of behaviors and physiological signs displayed by the animal when separated from its attachment person. In cats, SRP has been insufficiently studied. Thus, the objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire for cat owners which identifies behaviors that may indicate SRP, as well as relates the occurrence of SRP to the management practices applied in the sampled cats. The associations of SRP with cats' characteristics, as well as owner, environmental, and management traits were investigated. The questionnaire was developed based on the scientific literature about separation anxiety syndrome in dogs and a few papers in cats, and it was completed by 130 owners of 223 cats. Analysis of owners' answers was done through categorization and acquisition of relative frequencies of each response category, followed by Fisher's exact test, chi-square tests in contingency table and Multiple Correspondence Analysis. Among the sampled animals, 13.45% (30 / 223) met at least one of the behavioral criteria we used to define SRP. Destructive behavior was the most frequently reported behavior (66.67%, 20 / 30), followed by excessive vocalization (63.33%, 19 / 30), urination in inappropriate places (60.00%, 18 / 30), depression-apathy (53.33%, 16 / 30), aggressiveness (36.67%, 11 / 30) and agitationanxiety (36.67%, 11 / 30) and, in lower frequency, defecation in inappropriate places (23.33%, 7 / 30). The occurrence of SRP was associated with the number of females living in the residence (P = 0.01), with not having access to toys (P = 0.04), and no other animal residing in the house (P = 0.04). Separation-related problems in domestic cats are difficult to identify due to the limited amount of knowledge regarding the issue. The questionnaire developed in this study supported identification of the main behaviors likely related to SRP in cats and could be used as a starting point for future research.

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“…Between 22.3-55% of the general dog population are believed to show these signs (4)(5)(6), and they make up between 14 and 40% of dog behavior referral cases (7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Although these cases are relatively easy to identify, there is some debate over the different forms of the problem, and these cases may be variously described as having "separation anxiety, " "separation related disorders" or "separation related problems" (4,7,(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). There is also undoubtedly inconsistency in the use of this terminology (22) since there is no "diagnostic" test that defines a specific underlying biological mechanism.…”

Section: Issues With Separation Related Problems In Dogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Where relevant, items had the option of a "Do not know" response, as it was recognized that many owners may be unsure about their dog's behavior in certain contexts and we wanted to encourage honest reporting, as far as possible (20).…”

Section: Subjects and Questionnairementioning

confidence: 99%

Developing Diagnostic Frameworks in Veterinary Behavioral Medicine: Disambiguating Separation Related Problems in Dogs

et al. 2020

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Using an owner-based questionnaire to phenotype dogs with separation-related distress: Do owners know what their dogs do when they are absent?

Cited by 17 publications

References 33 publications

Post-Adoption Problem Behaviours in Adolescent and Adult Dogs Rehomed through a New Zealand Animal Shelter

Post-Adoption Problem Behaviours in Adolescent and Adult Dogs Rehomed through a New Zealand Animal Shelter

Identification of separation-related problems in domestic cats: A questionnaire survey

Developing Diagnostic Frameworks in Veterinary Behavioral Medicine: Disambiguating Separation Related Problems in Dogs

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