The real Reason People Are So Connected to their dogs

Photo by Shane on Unsplash

The indelible bond between human and dog is deeply embedded in our culture, a recurring theme expressed most decisively in the (hu)man’s best friend motif that appears in everything from marketing materials to novels and movies.  
But where did this idea come from? Why dogs instead of cats, parrots, or hamsters? Humans share strong bonds with many kinds of animal and will keep almost anything, including roaches and snakes, as pets. 
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Yet, our connection to canines appears particularly pronounced--to the extent that many people genuinely believe you cannot trust anyone who doesn't like dogs. In this post, we look at a recent comparative study of this topic. By the end, you might be surprised to find that the human-canine connection is not merely a social concept but actually has evolutionary origins.  

Graphic by Author

THE STUDY

In a recent study researchers used The Strange Situation Test to examine the bond between dogs and their owners. This test involves placing puppies in an unfamiliar environment with their permanent (at least partially bonded) owner and a stranger, then replicating the procedure with pigs. By drawing from a large pool of test subjects and contrasting the behaviors of the dogs with the behaviors of the pigs, they sought to identify the distinguishing dynamics of the human-canine bond.  
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The three main factors that the researchers considered were: 

1. The way the animals appeared attached to their owners. 
2. Symptoms of anxiety stemming from the unfamiliar location. 
3. ​And the ways in which the animal did or did not accept the stranger. 

Photo by Chewy on Unsplash

ITS FINDINGS

Through the Strange Situation Test, the scientists recorded striking differences between companion dogs and their pig equivalents. While the pigs displayed no notable changes in the way they interacted with the human subjects, the dogs showed definitive attachment-specific behaviors, scoring significantly higher on this factor, and therefore suggesting a stronger connection with the bonded human. In other words, the pig’s interactions with their owners did not change during the experiment, while the dogs drew closer to theirs. Scientists concluded that the presence of a stranger in an unfamiliar environment prompted the puppies to seek safety, while the pigs remained mostly ambivalent. ​

Photo by Chewy on Unsplash

INSIGHTS AND CONCLUSIONS

From these observations, the researchers concluded that in addition to species-specific inclinations, evolutionary adaptation has imbued canines with an innate, instinctual tendency to form strong bonds with humans, even at an early age when they have not yet been fully conditioned to rely on their owner. They believe this dog-owner attachment is not a product of domestication, but rather a case of artificial selection, which may also affect the human side of the relationship. Indeed, pet owners in general, and dog owners specifically, draw numerous health benefits from their animals. ​

Did You Know: Dog ownership has been proven to slow or reverse the effects of cognitive decline. Check out this article to find out more. ​

While attachment tendencies may not be purely genetic, centuries of learned behavior have created a unique, apriori  bond between canine and human, which is realized at an early stage of development. This is analogous to the infant-mother bond, which grows stronger and faster than any other human relationship. 

Image by Fran • @mallorcadogphotography from Pixabay

ANOTHER STUDY

The results of a second experiment strengthen these conclusions. Here, researchers gathered  sleep electroencephalography (EEG) readings from 42 dogs, half of which took an afternoon nap with their bonded-owner and the other half of which slept alone—again in an unfamiliar environment. The EEG data showed that the dogs with their owner present suffered less stress and anxiety from the strange environment and thus slept more deeply and for a longer length of time. They Again, the origins of this test are rooted in similar studies of babies with their mothers. 

Image by Hoàng_Thạch Nguyễn from Pixabay

NOT JUST A CONSTRUCTION

There is much work to be done to fully understand the powerful bond between humans and canines, but these early tests lay a solid foundation for future studies, pointing scientists towards the probability that the relationship is not a social construct, but has a basis in evolutionary biology, in particular artificial selection. Hopefully, these findings will resonate with dog owners of all persuasions, strengthening their relationship with their animal as they realize the bond goes deeper than mere socialization. Humans and dogs have evolved to be together. It really is encoded in their biology. 
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At PAWS/LA we are excited to see what comes next.