Modulation of dog–owner relationship and dog social and cognitive behavior by owner temperament and dog breed group

Abstract

As companion dogs spend most of their lives with humans, the human–dog relationship and owner temperament may affect the dog behavior. In this study (n = 440), we investigated the relationship between the dog owner temperament (ATQ-R), owner-perceived dog–owner relationship (MDORS) and the dog behavior in three behavioral tests: the object-choice test, the unsolvable task, and the cylinder test. Dog owner temperament influenced the dog–owner relationship. Owners with high negative affectivity showed higher emotional closeness and perceived costs of their dog, whereas owners with high effortful control showed lower emotional closeness and perceived costs. Higher dog activity during the behavioral tests was also connected with owner-perceived lower emotional closeness. Furthermore, dog breed group modulated the connection between the owner temperament and dog behavior. Owner’s high negative affectivity correlated with herding dogs’ lower scores in the object choice test, while the behavior of primitive type dogs was unaffected by the owner temperament. Our results confirm that human characteristics are associated with the owner-reported dog–owner relationship, and owner temperament may have a modulatory effect on the dog social and cognitive behavior depending on the dog breed group, which should be investigated further.

Dog owner mental health is associated with dog behavioural problems, dog care and dog-facilitated social interaction: a prospective cohort study

“…Finally, although human personality was not assessed in this study, it is important to acknowledge that personality and well-being reciprocally influence each other over time 63 . In fact, human personality and dog-related factors are likely to be interlinked, as previous studies have indicated 64 , 65 . For example, it is possible that owner personality affects the frequency of aggressive behaviour in the dog or how often owners have friendly conversations with others.…”

Canine Euthanasia’s Trend Analysis during Thirty Years (1990–2020) in Italy: A Veterinary Hospital as Case Study

“…This normalization extends beyond respiratory problems to include issues like abnormal sleeping patterns, thermoregulation difficulties, and eating habits that are considered normal in some breeds. As a result, owners may only recognize a problem in their dog when it reaches a critical level of severity [32]. These normalization and thresholding phenomena can influence euthanasia decision-making, as owners may fail to perceive their dog as unwell and may not believe that their dog's quality of life is significantly compromised to warrant euthanasia.…”

An artificial intelligence approach to predicting personality types in dogs

“…Clusters 1 and 4 in the present analysis are also comparable to the human “Big Five” personality factors “neuroticism” and “agreeableness,” respectively, but there are fewer obvious parallels between our “excitable/hyperattached”, “aloof/predatory” and “reactive/assertive” canine personalities and any of the Big Five personality types, suggesting that these clusters may be specific to dogs. In future research, it would be valuable to determine how the membership of these distinct canine personality clusters is predicted or influenced by demographic and background variables such as age, sex, body size, neuter status, breed, previous history, and characteristics of the environment including the personality and experience of the owner/handler 54 . It would also be of considerable interest to identify any genetic associations with cluster membership.…”