Intraspecific and Interspecific Attachment between Cohabitant Dogs and Human Caregivers.

Area of Science:

• Animal behavior
• Canine ethology
• Evolutionary psychology

Background:

• Growing interest in canine evolutionary and lifetime factors for success in anthropogenic environments.
• Dogs readily form social attachments, with prior research showing infant-caregiver type attachments to human caretakers.
• It remains unknown if adult dogs form similar attachments to other species, like cohabitant dogs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate behavioral indicators of stress reduction, proximity seeking, and exploration in dog-human and dog-dog dyads.
• To classify dog-human and dog-dog relationships into attachment style categories using the Secure Base Test.
• To determine if adult dogs form infant-caregiver type attachments with cohabitant dogs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Secure Base Test to assess attachment behaviors.
• Observed and classified behavioral indicators in dog-human dyads.
• Observed and classified behavioral indicators in dog-dog dyads.

Main Results:

• The majority of dog-human dyads met criteria for infant-caregiver attachment.
• Most dogs did not display infant-caregiver attachment toward cohabitant dogs.
• Dog-dog relationship behaviors aligned more with human sibling attachment research.

Conclusions:

• Dog-human attachment may be unique and vital for canine resilience in human environments.
• Companion dogs were less likely to elicit attachment security behaviors from human caretakers compared to cohabitant dogs.
• Bonds with other dogs are important but likely serve a different function than human-directed attachments.