An active lifestyle reduces fearfulness in dogs - differences between
breeds are great

Date:
August 20, 2020
Source:
University of Helsinki
Summary:
The more dogs are engaged in activities and the more diverse
experiences and canine friends they have, the less fearful they are
in new situations and environments. Genes also play an important
part.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Noise sensitivity, fear of novel situations and, for example, fear of
slippery surfaces and heights are common behavioural problems among
dogs. According to a behavioural survey of nearly 14,000 dogs conducted
at the University of Helsinki, these non-social fears are associated
with factors related to the dogs' living environment, lifestyle and breed.


==========================================================================
Dogs that were engaged in activities the most and were actively trained
were found to be the least fearful.

"Physical exercise has been shown to have a positive effect on the mood
in both dogs and humans. As social animals, dogs enjoy doing things with
their owners.

At the same time, people do not necessarily wish to subject fearful dogs
to training situations that are stressful for them. This can also make
owners less inclined to train with their dog," says doctoral student
Emma Hakanen from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki.

The survey indicates that insufficient socialisation of puppies to
various situations and new environments in particular has a strong
link with fearfulness related to novel situations, loud noises as well
as different walking surfaces, such as slippery surfaces, transparent
stairs or metal grilles. On the other hand, the company of other dogs
reduced the occurrence of non-social fear.

Fear of fireworks and surfaces was more prevalent among the dogs of
first-time dog owners, while differences were also seen between rural
and urban dogs.

"Our prior research on the environmental effects of social fear observed
the same phenomena where urban dogs were more fearful than their rural counterparts. Indeed, it is interesting that human mental health problems
too occur more frequently in the city than in rural areas. The ways in
which our environment shapes us and our best friend is definitely an interesting topic for further research," says Professor Hannes Lohi from
the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Faculty of Medicine, University
of Helsinki.

Furthermore, as suggested by prior research, the study demonstrated that
non- social fearfulness also is more common in sterilised females and
small dogs.

Being fearful of slippery or otherwise unfamiliar surfaces was also
associated with a generally fearful disposition in dogs.

Significant differences between breeds were identified in the study,
with Cairn Terriers among the most fearful breeds and Chinese Crested
Dogs among the least fearful.

However, variance was seen between different non-social fears in
the fearfulness of individual breeds. For instance, Welsh Corgi
Pembrokes expressed a lot of noise sensitivity but little fearfulness
of surfaces. At the same time, the latter was common among Lapponian
Herders, Miniature Schnauzers, Chihuahuas and Labrador Retrievers,
while noise sensitivity was less so.

"The breed-specific differences support the idea that fearfulness is
inherited.

In other words, breeding choices matter, even without knowing the exact mechanisms of inheritance. However, this study offers dog owners tools
and support for previous notions related to improving the wellbeing of
their dogs.

Diverse socialisation in puppyhood and an active lifestyle can
significantly reduce social and non-social fearfulness," Lohi sums up.

The study is part of Professor Lohi's wider Academy of Finland project,
which investigates the epidemiology of canine behaviour, as well as
related environmental and genetic factors and metabolic changes.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Helsinki. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Emma Hakanen, Salla Mikkola, Milla Salonen, Jenni Puurunen,
Sini Sulkama,
Ce'sar Araujo, Hannes Lohi. Active and social life is associated
with lower non-social fearfulness in pet dogs. Scientific Reports,
2020; 10 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-70722-7 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200820102409.htm

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