Compliance with Veterinary Advice on Dog Walking Is Influenced by Owners’ Beliefs

Dog owners may not always comply with veterinary advice on walking their dogs. This study surveyed dog owners internationally to elucidate factors which may be driving owner decision-making and variations in compliance. Four hypothetical scenarios were presented where the veterinarian advised the owner to walk their dog less for a medical (arthritis/degenerative joint disease) or behavioural (fear/aggression to something commonly encountered on a walk) reason, or more for a medical (overweight) or behavioural (improving mental well-being) reason. Owners were significantly less likely to comply with veterinary advice to walk their dog less for a behavioural reason. Multivariate analysis produced a minimum adequate model with four significant variables to explain differences in compliance with advice for walking less for a medical versus a behavioural reason: I do NOT feel that my vet expects me to walk my dog; I believe that walking my dog is important for my dog’s physical health; Walking my dog gives me important “quality time” in nature; I do NOT feel that walking my dog is important for my dog’s social interactions with people. Owners’ beliefs around these factors were most influential in the prioritisation of physical over behavioural health. Awareness of owner beliefs, particularly those involving walking less for behavioural reasons, may enable veterinary teams to use appropriate counselling tools to bring about improvements in outcomes for patients.