论文标题：Prevalence, comorbidity, and breed differences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs
期刊：Scientific Reports
作者： Milla Salonen, Sini Sulkama et.al
发表时间：2020/03/05
数字识别码：10.1038/s41598-020-59837-z
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根据《科学报告》发表的一项研究Prevalence, comorbidity, and breeddifferences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs，不同品种的狗可能普遍存在焦虑和行为问题。研究发现，最常见的焦虑特征是对噪声敏感，其次是恐惧。
特征（a）和亚特征（b）在264个品种的13715只狗中的普遍性。来源：Salonen, M., Sulkama, S., Mikkola, S. et al.
摘要：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.
