Clustering of behavioural problems in dogs aged 3–6 months reflect underlying emotional commonalities

Abstract

Problem behaviour tends to be conceptualized using either a “behavioral approach”, which emphasizes the contingency between observable events and behaviour; a “medical approach”, which emphasizes physical changes which give rise to some form of disorder or a “psychobiological approach”, which emphasizes the importance of normal emotional control systems. The psychobiological approach predicts that different problem behaviours will cluster together due to a common emotional network influencing the probability of their expression. To explore this, we analysed owner reported severity of puppy behavioural problems with a view to exploring their direct associations and associated clustering structure. A cross-sectional survey of dog owners was performed asking about the severity (4-point Likert scale) of 21 common puppy behaviour problems. In puppies aged from 3 to 6 months of age, we performed exploratory graph analysis to estimate the conditional dependency network and associated clustering structure. Four clusters were identified which could be interpreted as reflecting different emotional networks: incentive seeking (DESIRE/SEEKING), aversion avoidance (FEAR), frustration (RAGE), and attachment (PANIC/GRIEF) (sensu Panksepp 1998). These results demonstrate a potential common emotional basis to diverse behaviour problems and provide empirical support for managing and modifying behaviour by focussing on addressing emotional control systems over individual behaviours.