Heritability of behavioural traits in domestic dogs: A meta-analysis

Hradecká, Lenka; Bartoš, Luděk; Svobodová, Ivona; Sales, J.

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2015.06.006

Cited by 18 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(84 reference statements)

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“…Around 20-25% of dogs show fearfulness of strangers, dogs or situations 15,16 and separation anxiety occurs in 14-20% of dogs 15,16,19 . Furthermore, comorbidity between noise sensitivity and separation anxiety has also been observed 15,20 .Behaviour has a major genetic component [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] and many traits are both phenotypically and genetically correlated 22 . For example, relatives of compulsive dogs are often also affected 28 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Prevalence, comorbidity, and breed differences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs

Salonen

Sulkama

Mikkola

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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Behaviour problems and anxieties in dogs decrease their quality of life and may lead to relinquishment or euthanasia. Considering the large number of pet dogs and the commonness of these problematic behaviours, a better understanding of the epidemiology and related molecular and environmental factors is needed. We have here studied the prevalence, comorbidity, and breed specificity of seven canine anxiety-like traits: noise sensitivity, fearfulness, fear of surfaces and heights, inattention/ impulsivity, compulsion, separation related behaviour and aggression with an online behaviour questionnaire answered by dog owners. Our results show that noise sensitivity is the most common anxiety-related trait with a prevalence of 32% in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs. Due to the high prevalence of noise sensitivity and fear, they were the most common comorbidities. However, when comparing the relative risk, the largest risk ratios were seen between hyperactivity/inattention, separation related behaviour and compulsion, and between fear and aggression. Furthermore, dog breeds showed large differences in prevalence of all anxiety-related traits, suggesting a strong genetic contribution. As a result, selective breeding focusing on behaviour may reduce the prevalence of canine anxieties. Anxious animals may suffer from chronic stress and thus, modified breeding policies could improve the welfare of our companion dogs.Problematic behaviours can be a threat to dog welfare. Anxious dogs may be more vulnerable to diseases and show decreased lifespan 1 . Satisfaction with the dog's behaviour may increase attachment to the dog 2 and problematic behaviours, especially aggressiveness, destructiveness, fearfulness and hyperactivity are a common reason for relinquishment to shelters 3,4 . Problematic behaviours can even lead to euthanasia at a young age 5,6 . Behaviour problems, especially aggressiveness, may be public health concerns 7 . Some of these behaviour problems have been suggested to be analogous, or possibly even homologous to human anxiety disorders 8 , and the study of these spontaneous behaviour problems arising in a shared environment with people may reveal important biological factors underlying many psychiatric conditions. For example, canine compulsive disorder resembles human OCD on both phenotypic and neurochemical level 8 .Behaviour problems are common in our companion canines 9 . The most common reported behaviour problems include excessive barking, inappropriate elimination, destructiveness, aggression and fearfulness 6,10-13 . The prevalence of noise sensitivity in previous studies has varied between 20% and 50% [14][15][16][17][18] . Around 20-25% of dogs show fearfulness of strangers, dogs or situations 15,16 and separation anxiety occurs in 14-20% of dogs 15,16,19 . Furthermore, comorbidity between noise sensitivity and separation anxiety has also been observed 15,20 .Behaviour has a major genetic component [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] and many traits are both phenotypically and genetically correlated 22 . For examp...

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confidence: 99%

“…Behaviour has a major genetic component [21][22][23][24][25][26][27] and many traits are both phenotypically and genetically correlated 22 . For example, relatives of compulsive dogs are often also affected 28 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence, comorbidity, and breed differences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs

Salonen

Sulkama

Mikkola

et al. 2020

Sci Rep

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“…Behavioral differences between dog breeds are widely known and well-documented [24] . Our behavioral analysis contributed to this body of knowledge by elucidating breed differences with respect to 'friendliness to humans' and 'tolerance to dogs' traits between GSs and LRs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic dissection of behavioral traits related to successful training in drug-detection dogs

Matsumoto¹,

Konno

Ishihara³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Drug detection dogs play integral roles in society; however, the interplay between their behaviors and genetic characteristics remains uninvestigated. To profile the genetic traits associated with various behaviors related to the successful training of drug detection dogs, we collected and analyzed more than 230,000 genetic variants from 326 dogs belonging to the German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever breeds. Behavioral breed differences were observed in ‘friendliness to humans’ and ‘tolerance to dogs’. A strong positive correlation was observed in the genomic heritability of behavioral traits between breeds (Pearson’s r = 0.964, P = 0.008), indicating a similar degree of genetic influence on the behavioral traits between breeds. A genome-wide association study identified 18 single nucleotide polymorphisms potentially associated with drug detection abilities and three behavioral traits (interest in the dummy, tolerance to dogs, and friendliness to humans) related to drug detection abilities. Among them, 61 protein coding genes, including those associated with anxiety-related or exploration behavior in mice, such as Atat1 and Pfn2, were located surrounding the candidate polymorphisms. These findings highlight genetic characteristics associated with behavioral traits that are important for the successful training of drug detection dogs, which might support improved breeding and training of these dogs.

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“…There is much known but also much more to learn about what else influences behavioral variation among dogs like weaning age, diet, and other conditions during development. A recent meta-analysis of the heritability of dog behavior concluded that not only are breed standards poorly aligned with the actual behaviors of the breeds they aim to define, but they describe behaviors with little genetic component in the first place (Hradecka et al 2015). While dog behavior does develop out of inherited (as well as environmental) influences, "breed standards are largely unsubstantiated, for most breeds that have been studied" (Mehrkam and Wynne 2014).…”

Section: "General Appearance: Known For Centuries Along Portugal's Comentioning

confidence: 99%

Human races are not like dog breeds: refuting a racist analogy

et al. 2019

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In 1956, evolutionary biologist J.B.S. Haldane posed a question to anthropologists: "Are the biological differences between human groups comparable with those between groups of domestic animals such as greyhounds and bulldogs…?" It reads as if it were posted on social media today. The analogy comparing human races to dog breeds is not only widespread in history and pop culture, but also sounds like scientific justification for eschewing the social construction of race, or for holding racist beliefs about human nature. Here we answer Haldane's question in an effort to improve the public understanding of human biological variation and "race"-two phenomena that are not synonymous. Speaking to everyone without expert levels of familiarity with this material, we investigate whether the dog breed analogy for human race stands up to biology. It does not. Groups of humans that are culturally labeled as "races" differ in population structure, genotype-phenotype relationships, and phenotypic diversity from breeds of dogs in unsurprising ways, given how artificial selection has shaped the evolution of dogs, not humans. Our demonstration complements the vast body of existing knowledge about how human "races" differ in fundamental sociocultural, historical, and political ways from categories of nonhuman animals. By the end of this paper, readers will understand how the assumption that human races are the same as dog breeds is a racist strategy for justifying social, political, and economic inequality.

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Heritability of behavioural traits in domestic dogs: A meta-analysis

Cited by 18 publications

References 46 publications

Prevalence, comorbidity, and breed differences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs

Prevalence, comorbidity, and breed differences in canine anxiety in 13,700 Finnish pet dogs

Genetic dissection of behavioral traits related to successful training in drug-detection dogs

Human races are not like dog breeds: refuting a racist analogy

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