A study at the University of Lincoln hopes to establish a genetic link to impulsive aggression in dogs.

Project aims to develop method for identifying high risk dogs

A DNA study is to be carried out to see if there are genetic causes for impulsive aggressive behaviour in some dogs.

Life Sciences PhD student Fernanda Fadel from The University of Lincoln is carrying out the research.

She says some dogs may be predisposed to act aggressively with little warning, which can lead to people being injured and the dogs being rejected and euthanised.

Fernanda hopes to identify the genetic risk factors of dog aggression.

“While aggressive behaviour is a normal part of every animal’s make up, it is important to identify individuals who represent a higher risk, in order to manage this risk effectively," she said.

“A central theme to this work is the recognition that we all have the same core traits; we just tend to express them to a greater or lesser degree as individuals. Thus anyone can be aggressive, but some may be more likely to show this in a given circumstance than another.”

The project aims to develop a method for identifying at-risk dogs, who can then be treated to reduce the risk to others. 

For the study, Fernanda is recruiting dogs based on components of their personality, measured using a questionnaire developed at the University of Lincoln called the Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale (DIAS).

She will then collect DNA samples by taking a saliva swab from those dogs that match a certain profile, either as lower risk or higher risk subjects. Fernanda will then compare the genomes of both the low and high risk dogs.

When the relevant genes have been identified, researchers aim to develop a genetic test to identify dogs with a tendency towards aggressive behaviour.

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If you are looking for help with managing your dog’s behaviour, you can contact the university’s Animal Behaviour Clinic.