Published in Veterinary World, the study by Worakan Boonhoh and colleagues utilized the Thai-translated Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) to gather responses from 1,827 dog owners across the country. The data revealed that the most common reported behaviors included excitability, attachment- and attention-seeking, and chasing.
Conversely, behaviors such as owner-directed aggression scored lowest. Notably, the highly desirable trait of trainability also scored high, suggesting a generally positive interaction between many Thai owners and their pets.
Behavior patterns were linked to multiple variables, including the owner’s age, type of housing (e.g., apartment vs. house), number of dogs in the household, presence of other animal species, the dog’s training experience, diet type, and the number of meals per day. For example, higher trainability was often associated with more frequent training sessions and regular meal schedules.
The study also found that owner-directed aggression was more common in certain dog genders and sizes, and was influenced by similar environmental and training variables. The findings provide critical baseline knowledge for future research and advocacy to improve the dog-human relationship in Thailand, with the ultimate goal of reducing dog relinquishment and improving community welfare.
Source: Boonhoh, W., Wongtawan, T., Sriphavatsarakom, P., Waran, N., & Boonkaewwan, C. (2023). Factors associated with pet dog behavior in Thailand. Veterinary World, 16, 957–964. https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2023.957-964
