Lunging behaviour at dog meetings : dog owner’s experience, training methods and relationship to the dog

Aggressive behavior at dog meetings is a common problem. Dog owners can feel stressed or fearful taking walks with their dog due to meeting other aggressive dogs and over the need to manage their own dog. The fact that the owners do not feel safe when they walk their dog is not sustainable, as owners are faced with stress, the welfare of the dog will be at risk so is the safety of others. Therefore, the purpose of this survey was to examine dog owners' opinions and acceptance when encountering dogs that bark and lunge. More specifically the following questions were addressed: how their dog reacted when meeting other dogs; what training technique/strategy the owners used; and if training and relationship quality affected how the dog reacted during dog meetings. The relationship with the dog was measured using the survey MDORS. It turned that nothing could be told about the acceptance, but those dog owners who had a dog that barked and/or lunged often/always experienced dog meetings more difficult when meeting another dog that reacted in a similar way. Furthermore, the dog owners who experienced a stronger emotional closeness with their dog more often used treats to divert the dogs at dog meetings. Also, dog owners of dogs that barked and lunged at other dogs sometimes and often/always more often walked further away from the meeting dog. Probably as it is easier to handle the dog, but also perhaps because it can cause less stress for their dog. How effective this method is needs to be investigated further. On the other hand, if dog owners perceived a higher cost for the dog, the dog seemed to bark and lunge more often during dog meetings. But, if dog owners to dogs that barked and lunged often/always had a strong interaction with the dog and perceived a less cost for the dog they tended to walk further away from the coming dog respectively used more treats. However, there was no relationship between having a good interaction with the dog and less aggressive behaviors during dog meetings. However, this needs to be investigated further as another study found this correlation. Also, in this study no correlation was found if any specific training method could decrease aggressive behaviors. Hence, several studies have found positive training methods can decrease behavior problems and stress in the dog. Therefore, knowledge about training techniques/strategies used by owners and the relationship to the dog is essential, especially now, as Covid-19 has resulted in more people buying dogs. There is a risk that the dog owners do not prepare themselves with enough of knowledge around dog keeping. Moreover, when they might not be able to work at home anymore, it might create problems to take care of the dog, e.g. If the dog is not trained to be left alone home. Furthermore, this might affect the relationship with the dog, which can cause more aggressive behaviors in the dog, both during walks and in other vulnerable situations