The prevalence of behavior problems in owned companion dogs survey is designed to identify and quantify the different types of behavior problems that owners experience with their dogs. We will solicit input from interested dog owners by outreach though social media platforms, bloggers, journalists and, of course, the Center’s own members emailing their dog-owning friends.
Owners of dogs that do and do not have behavior problems will be encouraged to participate so that we can evaluate the incidence of canine problems as a whole. Previous studies have found the incidence of perceived canine behavior problems to be between 42 and 90 percent. We would like to pin down the overall percentage more accurately in this carefully designed controlled study.
Within the behavior problem group, we will be able to establish with precision the current prevalence of behavior problems, including the various types of aggression, fears and phobias, compulsive behaviors and other troubling behaviors. Data from this study will be helpful to us and other- canine behavior researchers in identifying target populations and prioritizing future interventional studies.