Ongoing behavioural issues facing pandemic puppies’ owners indicate more may need to be done to promote responsible ownership pre-acquisition, vets and academics have warned.

RVC analysis has indicated owners who acquired puppies because of the COVID-19 crisis now see them as a greater burden than others who planned for a pet before the virus arrived almost five years ago.

The conclusion follows the analysis of data from nearly 800 dog owners for a paper in the PLOS One journal released last night (12 February).

‘Problem behaviours’

Lead author Bree Merritt said: “Problem behaviours have the biggest influence on the burden of dog ownership felt by our pandemic puppy owners.

“This is after pandemic-related factors such as lack of training and socialisation opportunities were taken into account, so problem behaviours are likely to be a much wider concern beyond just those dogs who were brought home during the pandemic.”

The study also indicated that owners who primarily used reward-based training methods felt emotionally closer to their dogs than others who relied on punishment-based methods.

Displays of multiple types of aggression were further linked to a reduction in emotional ties between owners and their pets.

‘Compulsory courses’

The study’s publication is likely to provoke renewed debate on how to promote responsible dog ownership, following the establishment by the previous Conservative government of a working group to examine the issue.

Senior author Rowena Packer said: “UK campaigns have long encouraged owners to consider their ability to care for a dog for the duration of its lifetime at acquisition.

“However, if the efficacy of these messages remains limited, greater interventions may be needed to emphasise the responsibilities of dog ownership, ideally prior to purchase.

“As seen in some European countries, this could include compulsory courses as a deterrent to impulsive and uninformed acquisitions, which could also act as a vehicle to increase awareness of the legal obligations of dog ownership.”