The role of dogs is associated with owner management practices and characteristics, but not with perceived canine behaviour problems

Abstract

Abstract Owned dogs are often regarded as family members, best friends, or even as substitutes for children. These new roles and their effects on human well-being have received scientific attention, but little is known about how attributing such social functions to dogs might influence the caring behaviour of the owner, which in turn can impact canine welfare. Our online survey of Hungarian dog owners (N = 790) aimed to describe what owners appreciate the most and the least in their dogs and to investigate the relationship between the social and non-social functions of the dog, the characteristics of the owner and the dog, the management practices of the owner, as well as the dog’s behaviour, including behaviour problems. We found that most owners appreciated petting and physical contact with their dog (97.6%), followed by ‘unconditional love’ (93.7%), the dog’s beauty (88.4%), and walking with the dog (86.5%). The most frequently mentioned problems were socialisation issues (20.4%) and lack of time (15.9%). Regarding canine behaviour, jumping up (33.2%), chasing animals (28.5%), territoriality (26.7%), and overexcitement (20.9%) were common problems. Almost a quarter of owners rated their dogs as totally obedient and 30.6% as totally safe off-leash. We identified three profiles of dog owners based on the roles they attribute to their dogs. Dogs with both companionship and practical functions (31.1%) were perceived as more obedient and provided higher safety benefits to their owners than others. Dogs regarded as ‘companion animals’ (19.4%) spent less time with their owners and had older owners than others. Lastly, owners labelled as ‘dog parents’ (49.5%) were more likely to keep their dog indoors only than others. Importantly, the roles attributed to dogs were not associated with owner-reported canine behaviour problems. We concluded that while the functions humans attribute to dogs are multiple and appear to have direct implications for the dogs’ daily lives, these variations in management practices do not necessarily seem to compromise their welfare.