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What's happening? Dogs acquired during the pandemic show high rates of problem behaviors, a Royal Veterinary College study suggests.
The study estimates high rates of behaviors such as separation anxiety and aggression toward other dogs.
New owners are also more likely to use punishment in training, which risks making the behavior worse.
Why does it matter? Exposing puppies to people, other dogs and the world around them is very important for their long-term mental and emotional well-being, according to Dr. Rowena Packer, the study's author.
She added that puppy development is shaped only by the first months of their life.
The results: On average, owners said their dogs had five behaviors they considered problematic.
The most common were pulling on the leash (67%), jumping up at people (57%) and not coming when called (52%).
The study estimates that nearly a third of the dogs had separation anxiety at 21 months.
Context: After the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people decided to adopt dogs to cope with isolation and loneliness.
Shelter applications increased up to 10 times above normal during the early lockdowns.
Also, 48% of Puerto Rican households have pets.
Do you have a pandemic pup? How does it behave around people and other dogs?
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
