Life

The 5 most common bad behaviour traits of dogs in Northern Ireland

One in four dog owners never let their dog off the lead, 
One in four dog owners never let their dog off the lead,  One in four dog owners never let their dog off the lead, 

Dogs with problem behaviours cost the average Northern Irish dog owner £538.68 a year, equating to £6,464.16 over the average dog’s lifetime, according to research released by Dogs Trust.

This equates to an average total cost in damages of £3billion across the UK.

When going out, one in four dog owners never let their dog off the lead, and almost 60% of dogs do not always return when called by their owners.

In 2016, the Dogs Trust in Ballymena said it received 306 calls from members of the public looking to rehome their dogs for behavioural reasons

Yet more than 91% of Northern Irish dog owners have not sought professional help.

Most common problem behaviour traits of dogs in Northern Ireland:

Barking at people coming to the door (60 per cent)


Barking at other dogs (49 per cent)


Jumping up at members of the household (44 per cent)


Begging for food (38 per cent)


Pulling when on the lead (35 per cent)

Places dog owners from Northern Ireland don’t like to go with their dog in case he or she doesn’t behave well

Restaurant (22 per cent)


Pub (21 per cent)


Crowded event (21 per cent)


Holiday in the UK (21 per cent)


Shop (19 per cent)

Lisa Doyle, Dog School Head Coach for Dog School Northern Ireland, said:

“Behaviour problems are a massive welfare issue for dogs: they are the most common reason for dogs to be relinquished to Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres, in Northern Ireland alone we had 306 calls in 2016 from dog owners looking to hand their dogs to Dogs Trust Ballymena. Dogs Trust Dog School was set up to deal with this problem at the source. We want to give owners the right information and skills to be able to live happy and fulfilling lives with their dogs.