Owczarczak-Garstecka Sara C, Da Costa Rosa E P, Harvey Naomi D, Giragosian Kassandra, Kinsman Rachel H, Casey Rachel A, Tasker Séverine, Murray Jane K
Dogs Trust, Canine Behaviour and Research Department, 17 Wakely Street, London EC1V 7RQ, UK.
Linnaeus Veterinary Limited, 1011 Stratford Road, Solihull B90 4BN, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jun 3;13(11):1863. doi: 10.3390/ani13111863.
Owners' understanding of dog behaviour influences dog welfare. This study aimed to investigate owners' experiences of living with dogs and perceptions of dog behaviour/behaviour change. Data from an ongoing UK/ROI longitudinal study of dogs were used. Open-ended survey data ( = 3577 comments, = 1808 dogs) when dogs were 12/16 weeks (data combined), 6, 12, 18 and 24 months were analysed to cover the dog's puppyhood/adolescence. To evaluate the usefulness of open-ended survey questions, both quantitative textual and qualitative thematic analyses were employed. Textual analysis identified an overall positive sentiment at all timepoints; the proportion of positive: negative sentiments increased with the dog's age. Words related to 'love' were the most frequent descriptors at all but the first timepoint, when 'bite' was the most frequent descriptor. Qualitative analysis helped to identify that owners attribute dog behaviour to 'Dog's biology', 'Personality/deliberate action' and 'External influences'. Analysis of open-ended survey responses helped to identify changes in perception over time. When dogs were young, owners described problematic behaviours as 'mischievous', unintentional and context-specific. Similar behaviours shown by older dogs were seen as 'deliberate'. Both positive and negative experiences of dog ownership were identified. However, as not all respondents answered open-ended questions, the generalisability of our findings is limited.
主人对犬类行为的理解会影响犬类的福利。本研究旨在调查主人与犬类共同生活的经历以及对犬类行为/行为变化的看法。研究使用了来自英国/爱尔兰共和国一项正在进行的犬类纵向研究的数据。对犬龄为12/16周（数据合并）、6个月、12个月、18个月和24个月时的开放式调查数据（n = 3577条评论，n = 1808只犬）进行了分析，以涵盖犬类的幼犬期/青春期。为了评估开放式调查问题的有效性，采用了定量文本分析和定性主题分析。文本分析确定在所有时间点总体情绪都是积极的；积极情绪与消极情绪的比例随着犬龄的增长而增加。除了第一个时间点“咬”是最常见的描述词外，在其他所有时间点与“爱”相关的词都是最常见的描述词。定性分析有助于确定主人将犬类行为归因于“犬类生物学”“个性/故意行为”和“外部影响”。对开放式调查回复的分析有助于确定看法随时间的变化。当犬类年幼时，主人将问题行为描述为“调皮捣蛋”、无意的且与特定情境有关。年长犬类表现出的类似行为则被视为“故意的”。研究确定了养犬的积极和消极体验。然而，由于并非所有受访者都回答了开放式问题，我们研究结果的普遍性有限。
