Lasting lockdown love? Problem behaviour and pandemic and non-pandemic related risk factors influencing the owner-dog relationship in a UK cohort of dogs reaching early adulthood.

ABSTRACT: The owner-dog relationship is a critical component of sustained dog ownership. Increased understanding of risk factors for weak owner-dog relationships can identify owner-dog dyads at higher risk of poor welfare outcomes, including dog relinquishment and euthanasia. The internationally documented boom in puppy acquisition during the COVID-19 pandemic led to welfare concerns for this cohort of dogs, including impulsive purchasing of puppies to unsuitable homes, increased supply of puppies from poor-welfare sources, and deficits in early-life experiences for puppies. Combined, these changes were feared to lead to problem behaviours, weak owner-dog relationships and increased future relinquishment in this uniquely vulnerable generation. The Pandemic Puppies project longitudinally studied dogs

SUBMITTER: Merritt BL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11819559 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature