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Updated: Jun 26, 2025
08:59
The Other End of the Leash: An Experimental Test to Analyze How Owners Interact with Their Pet Dogs
Published on: October 13, 2017
17.6K
Pet attachment and owner personality
Deborah L Wells1, Kathryn R Treacy1
1Animal Behaviour Centre, School of Psychology, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom.
Frontiers in Psychiatry
|May 13, 2024
Summary
Owner personality influences pet attachment, with neuroticism and conscientiousness showing positive links. While the Big Five traits correlated with pet bonding, the Dark Triad traits did not significantly predict attachment strength.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Human-Animal Interaction
Background:
- Owner personality is linked to pet attachment, with prior research focusing on the 'Big Five' traits.
- The 'Dark Triad' personality traits, associated with emotional deficits, have been under-explored in relation to pet attachment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between owner personality and pet attachment.
- To examine both the 'Big Five' and 'Dark Triad' personality traits in relation to pet attachment.
Main Methods:
- A global online survey collected data from 759 dog and 179 cat owners.
- Participants completed the Big Five personality scale and the Short Dark Triad scale.
- Data on sociodemographics, pet ownership, and pet-owner bond strength were gathered.
Main Results:
- Pet attachment strength positively correlated with neuroticism and conscientiousness.
- Neuroticism and conscientiousness significantly predicted pet attachment scores.
- No significant association was found between Dark Triad traits and pet attachment strength.
Conclusions:
- Owner personality, particularly neuroticism and conscientiousness, is associated with pet attachment strength.
- The 'Dark Triad' traits showed minimal association with pet attachment, warranting further investigation into attachment styles.
- Findings suggest a link between high pet attachment and personality traits potentially related to psychological ill-health.
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