Behavioral and psychological characteristics of canine victims of abuse.

Abuse is an intentional act that causes harm to an individual. Dogs (Canis familiaris) with a known or suspected history of abuse were solicited for the study. A panel of 5 experts in canine behavior and abuse selected the dogs judged as having a certain or near certain history of being abused for inclusion in the study.

Differences in behavioral characteristics between dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores and those obtained from noncommercial breeders.

Objective: To compare the owner-reported prevalence of behavioral characteristics in dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores with that of dogs obtained as puppies from noncommercial breeders.

Design: Cross-sectional study. Animals-Dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores (n = 413) and breeder-obtained dogs (5,657).