How the pandemic changed dog behavior over 3 years

Dogs live with us, watch us, and often reflect our lives back at us. When routines shift, they shift. When stress builds, they sense it.

Scientists wanted to know just how much these changes affect dogs, particularly during the upheaval of the pandemic. That curiosity led to one of the largest studies ever on canine behavior.

Tracking dog behavior and health

Researchers at Virginia Tech and the University of Washington studied over 47,000 dogs between 2020 and 2023.

The work was conducted as part of the Dog Aging Project, a massive effort that tracks the lives and health of dogs across the United States.

“Most importantly, with these data, we’re excited to now have a starting point from which we can continue to follow changes in the behaviors of tens of thousands of dogs as they age, which will ultimately help us understand how behavior and health are linked,” said Courtney Sexton, lead researcher from Virginia Tech.

Detecting changes in dogs

Behavior in dogs is more than personality. A sudden change can point to illness, pain, or stress. Small shifts in aggression, fear, or trainability can signal bigger problems.

By establishing a baseline, researchers now have a way to spot meaningful changes across time.

The team relied on a widely used survey known as C-BARQ, in which owners reported on 14 aspects of their dogs’ behavior – from aggression to trainability.

Researchers then organized these traits into four broad categories: Fear, Attention and Excitability, Aggression, and Trainability. This framework allowed them to track and compare behavior patterns over time.

Strength of the data

The dataset was huge. It included dogs from every region of the United States. Nearly half of the dogs were mixed breeds, while the rest were single breeds. Ages ranged from puppies to seniors.

“When you have a data set this big, you really do have power in numbers,” Sexton explained. “While we can’t understand all the factors, when we find statistical significance, there is likely something there worth thinking about in its real-world context.”

Dog behavior during the pandemic

The original goal was clear. Researchers wanted to see how the pandemic shaped dog behavior. People spent more time at home. Many adopted new pets, and social interactions declined.

Routines changed overnight. Did dogs change too? Scientists hoped to uncover whether these new conditions led to lasting behavioral shifts, from training challenges to changes in aggression or fear. They wanted to know if dogs adapted or struggled alongside humans.

The data showed that dogs remained surprisingly consistent from 2020 through 2023. “We saw that certain factors, such as a dog’s life stage, sex, and size had some influence on their behavior,” Sexton said.

“Interestingly, we found that throughout the COVID-19 pandemic time period, there were not substantial changes in dogs’ overall behavioral profiles from year to year despite what we might have expected given the changes in environment and routines that many were experiencing at that time.”

Pandemic puppy struggles

One behavior did shift: trainability. Dogs enrolled in 2020 scored higher than those added in later years. Scores dropped in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Researchers think the dip reflects “pandemic puppy” struggles. New owners often lacked time or access to training. Dogs had fewer chances to socialize. Stress in households added to the mix.

By 2023, trainability scores started to climb back toward earlier levels. That rebound suggests that as people regained stable routines, dogs did too.

The role of gender, breed, and size

The study also revealed differences tied to breed and body size. Mixed-breed dogs scored higher on fear, attention-seeking, and aggression than purebred dogs. Shelter backgrounds and early trauma may play a role.

Small dogs were more fearful, more aggressive, and less trainable than larger dogs.

Puppies needed more attention, were less fearful and less aggressive, but also harder to train. Males were more aggressive and less trainable than females.

Dogs and owners bounced back

Owners in 2020 reported more aggression than those in 2023. That drop may reflect less household stress and more opportunities for dogs to interact as restrictions lifted.

“What was interesting was that the difference in reported trainability between the first year and the last year was the smallest of any in the averages,” Sexton noted.

“It’s a small statistical significance but could show that dogs, or their owners, are bouncing back.”

Future research on dog behavior

This is only the beginning. The Dog Aging Project will keep tracking these dogs as they grow older. Researchers want to see how location, health, and age shape behavior over time.

The ultimate goal is to connect behavior with health so owners can better care for their pets.

Dogs adapted through the pandemic. They struggled in some ways, especially with training, but showed remarkable resilience. Their story mirrors ours.

As life changed, dogs adjusted, and as routines returned, they found steadier ground. This study now offers the first large-scale baseline of canine behavior – a reference point that will guide both researchers and dog owners for years to come.

The study is published in the journal PLOS One.

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