Exploring behavioural differences between sighthound and non-sighthound breeds of dogs (Canis lupus familiaris).

Dogs have been associated with humans for centuries and are commonly kept as pets in the present world. However, nowadays people rarely acquire dogs for any working purposes. On the contrary, hunting capabilities were rated as extremely unimportant characteristics by people describing their ideal dog. The process of choosing the dog is different for every person - it can be a long, multifactorial process or an impulsive act. In any case, there is a chance that people do not fully understand the challenges of owning a dog in general or, even more so, a specific breed, which can result in a high relinquishment rate, as well as compromised welfare of the pet. There are 356 dog breeds recognised by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), and although the issue is complex, there is scientific evidence that there are significant differences in everyday behaviour between various breeds and breed groups. This study is part of a bigger project which aims to investigate in which areas different types of dogs (especially sighthounds) differ from dogs of other breeds, and to further investigate the reasons for such differences. The data about the behaviour was collected through an anonymous online questionnaire surveying dog owners worldwide. A total of 1489 answers were extracted for this study, 821 of which were from owners of sighthounds. Results showed that the type of the dog (sighthound vs non-sighthound) was associated with a significant difference in score for most of the C-BARQ questions individually. No clear clusters for items related to aggression and attachment were found from unsupervised clustering methods, except for items associated with “chasing”. The results of this study can help to design more focused studies with the long-term aim of providing reliable information to potential dog owners about the behaviour of different breeds and the factors affecting it.