A new study reveals that young dog owners tend to cope well when their beloved dog misbehaves

A new study published in the journal Human-animal interactions He reveals that young dog owners tend to cope well when their beloved dog misbehaves.

Previous studies indicate that about 90% of dogs exhibit undesirable behaviors such as aggression and disobedience, but little is known about the effect this has on young adults’ experiences and the accompanying emotions.

A team of scientists interviewed young dog owners in Canada, ages 17 to 26, to determine their experiences with their pets and their strategies for dealing with bad behavior. This included barking, occasional and persistent barking, and in extreme cases, aggression towards other dogs and people.

Renata Rome, lead author and research assistant at Brock University, Ontario, Canada, and colleagues found that young adults in general prefer proactive coping methods when dealing with unwanted behavior in their dogs.

They discovered that the severity of the dogs’ behavioral problems was linked to the strength of their emotions in response. For example, more severe behavioral problems seem to trigger more intense feelings.

Researchers argue that increasing our understanding of coping mechanisms in response to perceived pet misbehavior is important for a number of reasons. This includes an exploration of how young people deal with stressful situations with their dogs which may help clarify whether any of the coping styles that young people adopt can reduce the likelihood of experiencing persistent stress in their interactions with their dogs.

One participant accepted the dog’s bad behavior and tried to live with it while another gave up trying to change his pet after three trainers and a variety of strategies aimed at solving aggressive behavioral problems.

“There is a lack of qualitative studies on the potential applications of coping-style theories in the context of dog ownership,” Rome and colleagues said. An unanswered question is whether there is a continuum in coping styles with people who are emotionally close and their dogs. .

“This study addresses the gap in the literature by examining the links and similarities between young people’s coping styles toward their dogs and toward people who are emotionally close to them. Using a qualitative lens, this study also aimed to understand how young people deal with challenging and stressful situations involving interactions with their dogs.”

Roma and her colleagues also found that young adults differed in their emotional reactions and perceptions of the severity of their dogs’ behavioral problems. No study participants described behavioral problems their dogs displayed towards them, but they did note that their dogs displayed severe behavioral issues toward other people or dogs.

While most dog owners indicated moderate discomfort with their dog’s behavioral issues, only one person highlighted severe discomfort, in this case the dog exhibited severe behavioral issues including persistent aggressive behaviour.

The researchers added: “It is possible that none of the participants in this study disclosed extreme discomfort with their dogs’ behavioral problems because they learned new strategies over time. Therefore, future studies could explore whether the amount of time spent with a dog affects young adults’ ability to Dealing with difficult situations with their dogs.”