Demographic influences are the population-level associations between stable, measurable attributes of animals and their owners—breed, sex, neuter status, age, household composition, and owner age—and behavioural or welfare outcomes; effects are rarely uniform, since breed differences in canine trainability are large while sex and neuter effects occur only in particular breeds[1]. In dogs, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention are more pronounced in young males spending more time alone at home[2]. In cats, housing type, the number of cats kept, and owner animal preference predict personality scores, whereas breed, owner age, and neuter status do not[3]. Owner age also predicts the number of toys provided per cat, and owner behaviour correlates with cat play but not problem behaviour[4].
- demographic influences
- breed differences
- neuter status
- household composition
- owner characteristics
References
- James A. Serpell; Yuying A. Hsu; Effects of breed, sex, and neuter status on trainability in dogs. Anthrozoös 2005, 18, 196-207, 10.2752/089279305785594135.
- Sini Sulkama; Jenni Puurunen; Milla Salonen; Salla Mikkola; Emma Hakanen; César Araujo; Hannes Lohi; Canine hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention share similar demographic risk factors and behavioural comorbidities with human ADHD. Transl. Psychiatry 2021, 11, 1-9, 10.1038/s41398-021-01626-x.
- Laura E. Leech; Richard Preziosi; Rosica Stoycheva; Giovanni Quintavalle Pastorino; The effects of owner and domestic cat (Felis catus) demographics on cat personality traits. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2022, 248, 105570, 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105570.
- Ines Windschnurer; Andrea Häusler; Susanne Waiblinger; Grahame J. Coleman; Relationships between owner and household characteristics and enrichment and cat behaviour. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2022, 247, 105562, 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105562.