The evaluation of convergent and divergent validity of a test-questionnaire for dog owners who complain about inadequate behavior of non-deviant pets

Abstract

Based on interviews and observation of the interaction of 563 dog owners who claim to have “poorly behaved” pets, and 56 dog owners who do not complain about the misbehavior of their pets, a theoretical analysis of the causes of disorders in the interactions between humans and pets and misperception of the animals in the dyad “man-dog” is conducted. The hypotheses about the reasons for making complaints about pets that do not demonstrate deviant behavior are put forward. As a methodological basis for the analysis, the principle of social constructionism (Gergen) and the system principle were used. A test questionnaire that reveals the personal traits of the owners that affect their perception of the dog is proposed. Such traits include a lack of trust, self-acceptance and responsibility. Further on, based on the psychological testing of 125 owners complaining about their pets’ behavior and 65 owners who do not complain about the behavior of their pets, an assessment of the reliability and validity of the questionnaire is carried out. It is shown that the questionnaire can serve as a diagnostic tool in psychotherapy.