Al. Podberscek et Ja. Serpell, ENVIRONMENTAL-INFLUENCES ON THE EXPRESSION OF AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR IN ENGLISH COCKER-SPANIELS, Applied animal behaviour science, 52(3-4), 1997, pp. 215-227
A group of 'low' (n=217) and 'high' (n=218) aggression purebred Englis
h Cocker Spaniels were compared in relation to demographics and owner
interactions. Owners of 'low' aggression dogs were more likely to be:
older (65 years +; chi(2)=18.753, P<0.01) and more attached to their d
ogs (U=20346, P<0.001). Dogs in the 'high' aggression group were: sign
ificantly more likely to be of a solid colour (chi(2)=38.13, P<0.001);
more likely to have been chosen for pet purposes only (chi(2)=25.161,
P<0.001); more likely to have suffered an illness during the first 16
weeks of life (chi(2)=14.899, P<0.001); groomed less often (t=2.252,
P<0.05); given less time for walks/exercise (t=2.618, P<0.01); slow in
obeying commands (U=17967.5, P<0.001), more likely to pull on the lea
d (U=16663, P<0.001); and more likely to react to loud or high-pitched
noises (chi(2)=14.142, P<0.001). Factors often quoted to be important
in the development of dominance-related aggression, such as feeding t
he dog before the owner eats, a lack of obedience training, and playin
g competitive games with the dog, were not found to be significantly d
ifferent between the two groups. Determining the importance of various
factors in the development of canine aggression will enable us to bet
ter advise owners in the rearing of their dogs. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scie
nce B.V.