Department of Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
Sci Rep. 2020 Mar 5;10(1):2962. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-59837-z.
Behaviour problems and anxieties in dogs decrease their quality of life and may lead to relinquishment or euthanasia. Considering the large number of pet dogs and the commonness of these problematic behaviours, a better understanding of the epidemiology and related molecular and environmental factors is needed. We have here studied the prevalence, comorbidity, and breed specificity of seven canine anxiety-like traits: noise sensitivity, fearfulness, fear of surfaces and heights, inattention/impulsivity, compulsion, separation related behaviour and aggression with an online behaviour questionnaire answered by dog owners. Our results show that noise sensitivity is the most common anxiety-related trait with a prevalence of 32% in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs. Due to the high prevalence of noise sensitivity and fear, they were the most common comorbidities. However, when comparing the relative risk, the largest risk ratios were seen between hyperactivity/inattention, separation related behaviour and compulsion, and between fear and aggression. Furthermore, dog breeds showed large differences in prevalence of all anxiety-related traits, suggesting a strong genetic contribution. As a result, selective breeding focusing on behaviour may reduce the prevalence of canine anxieties. Anxious animals may suffer from chronic stress and thus, modified breeding policies could improve the welfare of our companion dogs.
犬只的行为问题和焦虑会降低其生活质量，并可能导致其被遗弃或安乐死。考虑到宠物犬的数量众多，以及这些行为问题的普遍性，我们需要更好地了解其流行病学以及相关的分子和环境因素。在这里，我们通过一项在线行为问卷调查，研究了 7 种犬类焦虑样特征（对噪声敏感、恐惧、恐高、注意力不集中/冲动、强迫症、分离相关行为和攻击性）的流行率、共病和品种特异性，该问卷由犬主人回答。我们的研究结果表明，对噪声敏感是最常见的与焦虑相关的特征，在 13700 只芬兰宠物犬中，其流行率为 32%。由于对噪声敏感和恐惧的高流行率，它们是最常见的共病。然而，当比较相对风险时，多动/注意力不集中、分离相关行为和强迫症以及恐惧和攻击性之间的风险比最大。此外，不同犬种在所有与焦虑相关的特征的流行率上存在较大差异，这表明存在强烈的遗传因素。因此，专注于行为的选择性繁殖可能会降低犬类焦虑的流行率。焦虑的动物可能会遭受慢性压力，因此，修改繁殖政策可以改善我们伴侣犬的福利。
