Research by the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has added to growing concerns that many owners who acquired a puppy during the height of the Covid pandemic were struggling with their dog's behaviour as they reached 21 months.
Among other findings, a fifth of owners surveyed reported at that age that their dog had eight or more problem behaviours, such as pulling on the lead or clinginess, while 33% of owners found training harder than expected- something more common among first-time owners.
Dr Rowena Packer, a lecturer in companion animal behaviour and welfare science at the RVC who is the study's lead author, said many people did not do enough research and were unaware of the level of responsibility involved in training.
She said: "I think a lot of new owners go in with very high hopes [of] their dog's behaviour and then when they realise actually training is quite tough, that's where a third of them were really struggling."
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