People love their new shelter dogs despite their often strange and aggressive behavior, reveals a new study.
Every year two million dogs are adopted by US shelters alone, but little research has been done on how the new pets behave.
The vast majority of rescue pups were increasingly aggressive towards strangers after they had been adopted, according to the Ohio State University study.
But, by the end of the study, every single owner said their pet was “extremely or moderately well” adjusted to their new environment.
At 10 days post-adoption 62 percent of dogs were reportedly displaying aggression towards unfamiliar people, rising to 77 perent during the last review at 180 days.
The research team suggested it could be because dogs became more comfortable in their homes, upping their protective and territorial instincts.
New owners increasingly noted their dogs were more excitable, sensitive to touch, harder to train, and chased more objects than the average pooch.
Despite the aggression, by the final check-up 94 percent said their dog was well or excellently behaved, six percent said it was fair, and no owner reported poor or terrible habits.
Around 75 percent said they felt their pet’s manner had improved over time, according to the findings published in the journal PLOS One,
The dogs also became less needy, displaying less separation and anxiety and attention seeking behaviors, and the team put this down to the dog learning their owners would consistently return home.
Dr. Kyle Bohland, of Ohio State University, said: “This is one of the most comprehensive studies, using multiple timepoints, to investigate post-adoption behavior in dogs.
“The findings help shelters counsel new dog guardians with more accurate information on what behavior changes to expect after adoption.”
He added: “This information will hopefully allow people to get help sooner for their dog’s behavior problems and keep more dogs in their adoptive homes.”
By the close of the six month study, seven had returned their dog.
Experts surveyed 99 dogs adopted from five Ohio shelters from October 2020 to May 2021.
They checked in with owners seven, 30, 90 and 180 days after adoption.
In return for a gift voucher, each owner was asked to score their dog on a scale from zero to four in: excitability, stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, dog-directed aggression, and familiar dog aggression.
They were also asked to rank their pup’s stranger-directed fear, non-social fear, dog-directed fear, touch sensitivity, separation-related behavior, attachment and attention-seeking, training difficulty, chasing, and energy levels.
On top of that, participants were quizzed on their overall satisfaction with their pet’s behavior, how their household may have changed following the adoption, and if they still owned the dog.
The first questionnaire asked about basic demographic information, and whether the dog had a previous owner.
Produced in association with SWNS Talker
