Phenotyping of Aggressive Behavior in Golden Retriever Dogs with a Questionnaire

Abstract

Reliable and valid phenotyping is crucial for our study of genetic factors underlying aggression in Golden Retriever dogs. A mail questionnaire based on the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (CBARQ; Hsu and Serpell, 2003, JAVMA 223(9):1293–1300) was used to assess behavioral phenotypes. Owners of 228 Golden Retrievers completed the questionnaire. These dogs had been referred to our clinic for aggression problems several years earlier or they were related to aggressive dogs. In this paper, three sets of results are presented, which indicate that behavior scores from the CBARQ can be applied to genetic studies. First, factor analysis demonstrated that CBARQ items can be grouped into 10 behavioral traits, including three types of aggression: stranger-directed aggression, owner-directed aggression, and dog-directed aggression. The results were remarkably similar to those reported by Hsu and Serpell. The aggression scores showed considerable variation in our dog families, which is a prerequisite for genetic studies. Second, retrospective questions enabled us to study changes in the aggressive behavior of the dogs in the course of time. After an average time interval of 4.3 years, over 50% of the dogs had become less aggressive. Third, we analyzed data obtained with an aggression test of 83 dogs. Two out of the three CBARQ aggression factors were also found in the aggression test data.

Appendix

Appendix table: The canine behavioral assessment and research questionnaire (CBARQ)

Category		CBARQ item
Training and obedience	Dog	1	returns immediately when called when off leash
		2	obeys the “sit” command immediately
		3	obeys the “stay” command immediately
		4	seems to attend / listen closely to everything you say or do
		$5^{a}$	is slow to respond to correction or punishment (“thick-skinned”)
		$6^{a}$	is slow to learn new tricks or tasks
		$7^{a}$	is easily distracted by interesting sights, sounds, or smells
		8	will retrieve (or attempt to retrieve) sticks, balls, or objects
Aggression	Dog acts aggressively	9	when verbally corrected or punished (scolded, shouted at, etc) by you or a household member
		10b	when approached directly by an unfamiliar adult while being walked / exercised on a leash
		11	when approached directly by an unfamiliar child while being walked / exercised on a leash
		12	toward unfamiliar persons approaching the dog while s/he is in your car (at a parking lot for example)
		13	when toys, bones or other objects are taken away by a household member
		14	when bathed or groomed by a household member
		15	when an unfamiliar person approaches you or another member of your family at home
		16	when unfamiliar persons approach you or another member of your family away from your home
		17	when approached directly by a household member while s/he is eating
		18	when mailmen or other delivery workers approach your home
		19	when his/her food is taken away by a household member
		20	when strangers walk past your home while your dog is in the yard
		21c	when an unfamiliar person tries to touch or pet the dog
		22	when joggers or cyclists pass your home while your dog is in the yard
		23	when approached directly by an unfamiliar male dog while being walked or exercised on a leash
		24	when approached directly by an unfamiliar female dog while being walked or exercised on a leash
		25	when stared at directly by a member of the household
		26	toward unfamiliar dogs visiting your home
		27	toward cats or other animals entering your yard
		28	toward unfamiliar persons visiting your home
		29c	when barked, growled or lunged at by another (unfamiliar) dog
		30	when stepped over by a member of the household
		31	when you or a household member retrieves food or objects stolen by the dog
		32c	towards another (familiar) dog in your household
		33c	when approached at a favorite resting / sleeping place by another (familiar) household dog
		34c	when approached while eating by another (familiar) household dog
		35c	when approached while playing with / chewing a favorite toy, bone, object, etc., by another (familiar) household dog
Fear and anxiety	Dog acts anxious or fearful	36b	when approached directly by an unfamiliar adult while away from your home
		37	when approached directly by an unfamiliar child while away from your home
		38	in response to sudden or loud noises (e.g. vacuum cleaner, car backfire, road drills, objects being dropped, etc.)
		39	when unfamiliar persons visit your home
		40c	when an unfamiliar person tries to touch or pet the dog
		41	in heavy traffic
		42	in response to strange or unfamiliar objects on or near the sidewalk (e.g. plastic trash bags, leaves, litter, flags flapping, etc.)
		43	when examined or treated by a veterinarian
		44	during thunderstorms
		45	when approached directly by an unfamiliar dog of the same or larger size
		46	when approached directly by an unfamiliar dog of a smaller size
		47	when first exposed to unfamiliar situations (e.g. first car trip, first time in elevator, first visit to veterinarian, etc.)
		48	in response to wind or wind-blown objects
		49	when having claws clipped by a household member
		50	when groomed or bathed by a household member
		51c	when having his/her feet toweled by a member of the household
		52c	when unfamiliar dogs visit your home
		53c	when barked, growled or lunged at by another unfamiliar dog
Separation-related behavior	When left or about to be left on its own, the dog displays	54	shaking, shivering or trembling
		55	excessive salivation
		56	restlessness/agitation/pacing
		57	whining
		58	barking
		59	howling
		60	chewing/scratching at doors, floor, windows, curtains, etc
		61	loss of appetite
Excitability	Dog overreacts or is excitable	62	when you or other members of the household come home after a brief absence
		63	when playing with you or other members of your household
		64	when doorbell rings
		65	just before being taken for a walk
		66	just before being taken on a car trip
		67	when visitors arrive at your home
Attachment and attention seeking	Dog	68	displays a strong attachment for one particular member of the household
		69	tends to follow you (or other members of household) about the house, from room to room
		70	tends to sit close to, or in contact with, you (or others) when you are sitting down
		71	tends to nudge, nuzzle, or paw you (or others) for attention when you are sitting down
		72	becomes agitated (whines, jumps up, tries to intervene) when you (or others) show affection for another person
		73	becomes agitated (whines, jumps up, tries to intervene) when you (or others) show affection for another dog or animal
Miscellaneous	Dog chases	74	cats (given the chance)
		75	birds (given the chance)
		76	other animals (e.g. rabbits) (given the chance)

1. $^{a}$ Scores on this item were reversed, i.e. never = 4, seldom = 3, etc
2. ^bTwo items in the PennBARQ were fused to create this item. The PennBARQ is an earlier version of the CBARQ (Hsu and Serpell, 2003)
3. ^cItem was not present in the PennBARQ (Hsu and Serpell 2003)