Introduction

Commercial breeding establishments (CBEs, also commonly referred to as "puppy farms" or "puppy mills") are large-scale facilities where dogs are confined in small enclosures for their entire reproductive lives for the sole purpose of mass-producing puppies to be sold through retail pet stores.

Objectives

To characterize the psychobehavioral differences in 2 groups of CBE dogs - former breeding dogs and dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores - as compared to dogs with no CBE history.

Methods

Data collection was by online questionnaires completed by the dogs' caregivers. Data from the subject dogs were compared to findings from a large sample of typical pet dogs (for Study 1) and of dogs from noncommercial breeders (for Study 2).

Results

Study 1: 1,169 dogs formerly kept for breeding purposes in CBEs showed, as compared to controls: significantly elevated fears, repetitive behaviors, house-soiling, and touch sensitivity.

Study 2: 413 adult dogs that were purchased as puppies from pet stores showed, as compared to controls: significantly greater aggression toward humans and dogs; greater fears; and greater separation-related problems and house-soiling.

Conclusions

Overall, the evidence from the two studies showed conclusively that large-scale, mass-production breeding facilities are highly injurious to both groups of dogs, resulting in severe, extensive, and long-term harm to the animals' behavioral and psychological well-being. Study 2 showed that as compared to dogs obtained as puppies from NCBs, obtaining dogs from pet stores represents a significant risk factor for the development of a wide range of undesirable behavioral characteristics.