Animal owners behavior problems in their dogs and approach to treatment alternatives

In this study, it was aimed to determine the knowledge levels of animal owners about behavioral problems in their dogs, the need for a professional trainer, the use of psychotherapeutic drugs when necessary, behavioral phytotherapy, medical treatment, behavioral abandonment and euthanasia approaches. The study material consisted of 82.5% Google Forms and 17.5% of the 1051 participants included in the study, and dog owners who came to Samsun Ondokuz Mayıs University Veterinary Faculty Animal Hospital Clinics and Amasya-Merzifon Kalkan Veterinary Clinic. It was determined that the participants preferred to own dogs between 1-2 months and 3-6 months, women were more inclined to own female and men were more likely to own male dogs, men were more willing to own pure breed dogs than women. The young people between the ages of 18-25 do not know enough about their dogs, on the contrary, participants between the ages of 26-55 are more knowledgeable, having a high school education is not enough to be knowledgeable about their dogs, being at least at the university level is more knowledgeable. it provides to obtain more information, the gender and the number of dogs owned do not affect whether they apply to a professional trainer for the training of their dogs. They listen to the advice from pet shops less, women are more willing to use natural products of herbal origin as an alternative to the psychotherapeutic drugs prescribed by the Veterinarian, compared to men, there may be differences in the decisions of families with children about their dogs, especially those with 3 or more children are against euthanasia, they can not use their dogs on the street or on the street. It has been determined that they are more likely to leave the shelter and are less willing to continue living with their dogs no matter what. As a result, in the study, important data were recorded regarding the knowledge levels of the dog owners about behavioral problems according to their demographic characteristics, the need for a professional trainer, the use of psychotherapeutic drugs when necessary, the behavioral phytotherapy approach, their approach to other options other than the medical treatment option in behavioral problems, and the euthanasia option. This study contains important data in order to provide up to date information to veterinary psychology and ethology and to be used as a guide in field studies.