Table 1.

Categorisation of a list of commonly reported problem behaviours in dogs presented to owners, in addition to those derived from the free text via qualitative content analysis, into problem behaviour groups as per Blackwell et al. (2008) [4]. * Additional behaviour, which was only displayed in the presence of the owner and not the absence, was ascertained from the separation-related behaviour questions (see Section 2.4.2) and used in the categorisation of behaviours, but not in the “total number of owner-reported problem behaviours” metric. † New option derived from qualitative content analysis of free text to the response “Other” (Section 2.6) used in categorisation of behaviours, but not in the “total number of owner-reported problem behaviours” metric.

Problem Behaviour Group	Individual Behaviour Options
Control behaviours	Pulling on their lead
	Not coming back when called
	Chasing (e.g., cats, wildlife, traffic)
Attention-seeking behaviours	Jumping up at people
	Clinginess (e.g., following you, sitting close)
	Mouthing
	Mounting/humping other dogs, people, or objects
	* Destructive behaviour (e.g., chewing and causing damage to household items such as furniture, not including their own toys/treats)
Aggressive behaviours	Aggression towards other dogs
	Aggression towards people in your household (including you)
	Aggression towards unfamiliar people
	Guarding of food, toys, or other items
Fear/avoidance behaviours	Anxiety/fear around other dogs
	Anxiety/fear around people in your household (including you)
	Anxiety/fear around unfamiliar people
	Fear of loud noises (e.g., fireworks, thunderstorms) † Anxiety/fear of unfamiliar situations
Reaction to familiar people	Aggression towards people in your household (including you)
	Anxiety/fear around people in your household (including you)
Reaction to unfamiliar people	Aggression towards unfamiliar people
	Anxiety/fear around unfamiliar people
Reaction to other dogs	Aggression towards other dogs
	Anxiety/fear around other dogs
Not categorised	Barking at other dogs
	Barking or howling
	Being destructive
	Toileting (weeing or pooing) indoors
	Eating their or other dogs’ faeces
	† Frustration/overstimulation in certain situations
	† Problems sleeping overnight