
11/07/2025
"This study adds to the growing area of microbiome research as it relates to animal behaviour and provides novel insight into the links between behaviour and the gut microbiome in family dogs. Despite a relatively small sample size, we were able to consistently identify differences between behavioural groups that differed in levels of anxiety and aggression using various approaches. In particular, the genus Blautia was consistently identified by our analyses as having a close relationship with anxiety in pet dogs.
Given the current knowledge that dietary changes in dogs can alter both gut microbiota and behaviour, and that the composition of the gut microbiota is linked to behaviour, there is an early promise that modifying the gut microbiome via dietary changes or supplementation with probiotics may be beneficial in the treatment of behavioural issues in dogs."