Mary Allen
Using data from 6,000 dogs and their owners, Finnish researchers claim that city dogs are more fearful than four-legged friends that live outside of metropolitan areas.
Research at the University of Helsinki Faculty of Veterinary Medicine suggests that “city dogs” tend to be more afraid of strange dogs and people.
Possible Causes of Fear
Even if the team led by Hannes Lohi was not able to name the specific causes for this circumstance, possible connections were first published in the journal Scientific Reports.
The most important parameter is poor socialization, specifically: little contact with other dogs between the ages of seven and 16 weeks. The authors of the study also assume that there is a connection between anxiety and a lack of activity. Dogs that rarely participated in activities and training were significantly more likely to be anxious. On the other hand, anxiety was significantly lower in dogs that participated in activities and training occasionally or weekly.
Anxiety as a Breed Characteristic
Also interesting are the differences between different dog breeds recorded by the researchers, which are probably due to various genetic factors. For example, according to their owners, Spanish Water Dogs and Shetland Sheepdogs had the highest levels of fear.
It was also noted that large dogs tend to be less anxious than their relatively small counterparts. According to study results, neutered four-legged friends tend to be more anxious than unneutered ones.
Study director Lohi himself sees a further contribution in the results “to improve the well-being of our best friend” and in the official broadcast he once again pointed out the importance of “diverse socialization in puppy age, an active life and careful breeding selection” for the health of four-legged friends.