Analysis of 1040 cases of canine aggression in a referral practice in Spain
A retrospective study was designed to assess the prevalence and clinical presentation of canine aggression problems in a referral practice in Spain. One thousand forty canine aggression cases seen at the Animal Behavior Clinic (Barcelona School of Veterinary Medicine) were analyzed. Each aggression problem was characterized according to 7 predefined diagnostic categories. Breed and sex-related risk factors were calculated by comparing the aggressive dogs to a control population. Aggression problems were the most common behavior complaint (52.28% of all canine behavior cases). Owner-directed aggression was the most frequent of the aggression complaints (38.55%), followed by aggression towards other dogs (34.85%) and unfamiliar people (21.95%). A mean of 1.4 diagnoses of aggression per dog were established. Social conflict aggression towards family members was the most common diagnostic category (35.34%). Sixty nine per cent of aggressive dogs were males and 31% were females, from which only 11 and 12 percent were neutered respectively. Two breeds, the English cocker spaniel and the Catalan sheepdog, presented a particularly high risk for aggression in the studied population.
Introduction
Canine aggression is the most important behavior problem in dogs in terms of frequency and consequences for people and animal welfare. Dog bites are considered an issue in all countries where data are available and canine aggression is the behavior problem more consistently associated with relinquishment of dogs to animal shelters (Wells 1996, Sacks et al 2000, Keuster et al 2006).
The prevalence and characteristics of dog aggression can be assessed from 4 different sources of information: reported dog bites, surveys of dog owners, surveys of general veterinary practitioners and databases from small animal behaviorists (Anderson and Vacalopoulus 1987, Borchelt and Voith 1996, Bamberger and Houpt 2006, Fatjó et al 2006, Schalamon et al 2006).
Although not commonly mentioned as a problem by dog owners, aggression is one of the most frequent canine behavior concerns seen by veterinary general practitioners, and it is the most common concern in veterinary behavior referral practices (Landsberg 1991, Fatjó et al 2006). Aggression towards people is the main presentation of canine aggression reported to veterinary behaviorists, involving 54%-67% of all aggression cases (Beaver, 1999).
With respect to making a diagnosis we need to remember that aggression is a very complex behavior that can be divided into a number of categories. Each of these categories results from the interplay between many different factors. It is particularly difficult to make accurate comparisons between different studies because of the large terminological and methodological differences that exist among authors working in the field of behavioral medicine (Landsberg 1991, Overall and Burghardt 2006). For some authors, a variety of clusters of symptoms exist, and each cluster suggests an underlying disorder associated with some aspect of behavioral pathology (Pageat 1998, Overall 2005). For others, most behavior problems - at least in the beginning - involve normal, functional behavior and so there is a lesser concern about a fixed diagnostic characterization (Mills, 2003). As a result, each author follows almost his/her own classification of aggression, ranging from 3 to 15 different diagnostic categories (Beaver, 1999).
Breed and sex are two of the main factors analyzed in the literature on dog aggression and are often considered basic criteria when selecting dogs for adoption (Hart and Hart 1985, Landsberg 1991, Roll and Unshelm 1997, Bamberger and Houpt 2006). From an epidemiological point of view, breed and sex-related factors can be affected by geographic and cross-cultural differences, such as the percentage of dogs that are neutered or the distribution of preferred breeds (Landsberg 1991, Bamberger and Houpt 2006).
Animal behaviorists’ databases consistently show that male dogs are more frequently presented for aggression (Beaver 1999, APBC Annual Review of Cases 2005, Bamberger and Houpt 2006). Although the influence of sexual hormones in the arousal component of aggression is still controversial, neutering is currently recommended in many countries as a humane way to avoid unwanted reproduction and also to prevent behavior problems (Borchelt 1983, Podberscek and Serpell 1996). However, the percentage of dogs neutered can vary within and across countries, and so influence the prevalence of different behavior problems. For instance, the rate of neutered dogs in the APBC annual report of cases has increased from 36% in 1996 to 62.6% in 2005 (APBC Annual Review of Cases 1996, APBC Annual Review of Cases 2005).
The effect of breed on behavior, and particularly on the expression of canine aggression, has been suggested by many different studies (Scott and Fuller 1965, Takeuchi and Houpt 2003). The association between breed and aggression might be due to genetic factors, maternal influences, and the attitudes of people with respect to each particular breed (Takeuchi and Houpt 2003, Strandberg et al 2005). Whatever the reason, certain forms of aggression appear to be particularly common in some canine breeds (Van der Velden et al 1976, Reisner et al 2005). Nevertheless, it should be noted that a high level of genetic heterogeneity can exist in some canine breeds (Van den Berg et al., 2005). In order to estimate breed-related risk factors, the presence of each particular breed in the canine population should be known (Overall and Love, 2001). Consequently, results from studies done in one particular area may not generalize to anywhere else.
To the best of the authors’ knowledge there are no published data about the prevalence and characteristics of canine aggression problems from the animal behaviorist’s perspective in Spain. A retrospective study was designed to estimate the prevalence of canine aggression in a referral practice in our country, with a special emphasis on risk factors associated with breed and sex.
Authors: Jaume Fatjo, Marta Amat, Valentina M. Mariotti, Jose Luis Ruiz de la Torre, Xavier Manteca
Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/
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