Acta Vet. Brno 2026, 95: 273-281
Comparison of selected subscales of the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire with behaviour observed during a brief separation test in companion dogs in the Czech Republic
Separation-related problems represent one of the most prevalent behavioural conditions in companion dogs, with major implications for animal welfare and the dog-owner relationship. Owner-completed questionnaires such as the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) are widely used to assess canine behaviour, but their correspondence with directly observed separation responses remains unclear, particularly when applied in new language settings. The aim of this study was to examine whether scores from selected subscales of a Czech language version of C-BARQ are associated with behavioural responses observed during a standardised brief separation test in companion dogs. A total of 40 companion dogs of various breeds aged 1–10 years (median 4.0 years, IQR 5.5) were recruited from private households. Prior to testing, owners completed the C-BARQ translated into Czech, and analyses focused on the separation-related behaviour and attachment, and attention-seeking subscales. Each dog subsequently underwent a 10-min standardised separation test, during which behaviour was continuously recorded. At the subscale level, separation-related scores were positively associated with door proximity (ρ = 0.36, P = 0.021) and negatively associated with panting (ρ = −0.40, P = 0.011), whereas the attachment and attention-seeking subscale showed a positive association with yawning (ρ = 0.34, P = 0.031). At the item level, the strongest correlation was found between yawning and the attachment item concerning agitation towards affection shown to others (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.004). Overall, the results indicate partial correspondence between owner-reported questionnaire scores and behaviour observed during a brief separation test in companion dogs in the Czech Republic.
Keywords
Animal welfare, acute stress, owner report, behavioural coding.
Funding
This study was supported by the Internal Creative Agency of the University of Veterinary Sciences Brno (Project No. 2025ITA25). The authors thank Octavio Emmanuel Hernandez-Alvarez for technical assistance with data processing and all owners who voluntarily participated in this study.
