Is your dog empathic? Developing a Dog Emotional Reactivity Survey

Area of Science:

• Canine behavior and cognition
• Human-animal interaction
• Animal psychology

Background:

• Dogs' empathic behaviors attract significant scientific and public interest.
• Traditional behavioral tests may not adequately capture realistic empathic-like responses in dogs.
• Owner perceptions of dog emotional reactivity are crucial for understanding human-animal bonds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between owner empathy and their dog's emotional reactivity.
• To explore how anthropomorphism and owner attitudes influence perceived dog emotional reactivity.
• To assess the reliability of owner-reported dog emotional reactivity in emotionally charged situations.

Main Methods:

• Survey administered to 591 Hungarian and 2283 German dog owners using a 5-point Likert scale.
• Development of two reliable scales: reactivity to owner's emotion and reactivity to other dogs' behavior.
• Analysis of correlations between owner empathy, anthropomorphism, attitudes, and perceived dog emotional reactivity.

Main Results:

• Owner empathy correlated positively with perceived dog emotional reactivity in the German sample.
• More empathic owners reported fewer dog-related problems and rated puppy pictures as cuter.
• Anthropomorphic attitudes significantly influenced owners' perception of their dog's emotional reactivity.

Conclusions:

• Owner empathy and anthropomorphism are significant factors in perceived dog emotional reactivity.
• Owner attitudes can bias subjective assessments of canine emotional responses.
• Further validation of the Dog Emotional Reactivity Survey with objective behavioral tests is recommended.