Prevalence of some behavioural problems in two groups of rescue dogs: galgos from Spain and other dogs.

Abstract

Behavioural problems are often the cause of dog relinquishment and adoption failure. We investigated the prevalence of some possible behavioural problems in rescue galgos from Spain and other rescue dogs using a dedicated online questionnaire. Answers for a total of 410 dogs (198 galgos, 212 other dogs) were analysed. “Out of context fear of loud noises, fireworks, thunderstorms”, “Poor recall”, “Predatory behaviour toward cats”, “Predatory behaviour toward other animals” and “Shadowing the caretaker” were reported in more than one dog out of five for both galgos and other dogs. “Eating faeces” and “Out of context fear of non-co-habiting adult people” were reported in more than one dog out of five in galgos, but not in other dogs. “Excessive requests for attention” and “Inadequate behaviour when on the leash” were reported in more than one dog out of five in other dogs, but not in galgos. Galgos were more often reported as showing “Eating faeces” (p=0.002) and “Out of context fear of non-co-habiting adult people” (p=0.009) than other dogs, whereas dogs who had been longer with the family (i.e., longer adoption length) were more often reported as being afraid of loud noises, thunderstorms, and fireworks. These findings may contribute to increasing the knowledge available about the challenges experienced during the adoption of different types/breeds of dog and, thus, to facilitate targeted individualised interventions in order to mitigate behavioural problems.