Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
High protein dry food linked to more aggression in Golden Retrievers
By Davis, Gina et al.·Published in Journal of the American Animal Hospital Association·2025·From the University of California Davis, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Association Between Protein Content in Dry Dog Food and Aggression in Golden Retriever Dogs.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A group of Golden Retrievers was studied to see if the protein content in their dry dog food affected their behavior, particularly aggression and separation anxiety. Dogs eating high-protein diets were found to be more likely to show signs of rivalry with other dogs, while those on low-protein diets were more prone to separation-related behaviors. This suggests that what your dog eats could influence their behavior, so it's important to discuss their diet with your veterinarian if you're noticing aggression or anxiety issues.
People also search for: Golden Retriever aggression diet · dog separation anxiety food · high protein dog food behavior
Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between protein content in commercially available dry food and behavioral scores collected via a validated behavior questionnaire. Health and lifestyle factors were obtained from owner-completed questionnaires for golden retrievers participating in a prospective canine health study, eating commercially available dry food as ≥80% of the daily intake. Diets were categorized as high (≥30%), medium (21-29%), or low (≤20%) protein levels. Ten behavioral outcomes from a validated survey were used as outcome measurements. The association of dietary protein level and behavior outcomes were estimated using logistic regression, adjusting for sex, reproductive status, and dog's primary lifestyle. Compared with dogs fed medium-protein diets, dogs fed high-protein diets were 1.3 times more likely to have dog rivalry (95% CI, 1.02-1.78). The dogs fed low-protein diets were 1.4 times more likely to have separation-related behavior (95% CI, 1.01-2.03). When assessing and treating aggression and separation related-behaviors, clinicians should evaluate and weigh the importance of several factors, including the diet being fed.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40531088/