Who Is Pulling the Leash? Effects of Human Gender and Dog Sex on Human–Dog Dyads When Walking On-Leash

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that human gender and canine sex influences human–dog interactions. However, the majority of studies have considered the interaction when dogs were off-leash and the behavioural interactions when dogs are walked on a leash have not been addressed. This study investigated human–dog interactions when shelter volunteers take shelter dogs for an on-leash walk. Video records were made of 370 walks, involving 74 volunteers and 111 shelter dogs, and a leash tension meter was used to determine the pull strength of dogs and walkers. Human gender and canine sex had dyadic effects during the walk. Male dogs tended to pull more frequently and created increased leash tensions. Dogs displayed more stress related behaviours when interacting with men than women, with the signs being spending less time holding the tail in the high position, and more frequent gazing and lip-licking behaviours. Finally, there was a greater pre-disposition in women to use verbal commands, and language typically used with babies, while men were more inclined to have physical contact with dogs. This study’s results may be used to match shelter dogs with appropriate men and women volunteers for walking exercise of the dog, and to improve potential dog socialisation efforts by shelters.

Do Canine Behavioural Assessments and Characteristics Predict the Human-Dog Interaction When Walking on a Leash in a Shelter Setting?

“…The research was conducted at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Queensland (RSPCA, Qld) shelter. The housing schedule and shelter environment have been fully described in a previous paper [ 49 ]. This study focused on the human-dog interaction during the walks as described in Shih et al [ 49 ].…”

“…Level 3+ dogs had severe behavioural issues (e.g., aggressiveness or fearfulness) and they might or might not pull the leash harder than level 3 dogs. More details about the behavioural level are described in Shih et al [ 49 ].…”

“…The study design is explained in Shih et al [ 49 ]. Participants were instructed to walk the dog with one hand and only to touch the leash when the dog got tangled.…”

“…To record the interaction during the walk, a camera (GoPro Hero 7 Silver, GoPro ® , San Mateo, CA, USA) was mounted on the walker’s head, and, at the same time, the researcher recorded the walk from 10 m behind with an iPhone 7 (Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA). Videos were coded in their entirety by the researcher, who is a veterinarian and a certified dog trainer, with Boris © behaviour observation software [ 53 ], using the same method described in Shih et al [ 49 ]. To blind the coder, video coding was completed prior to any analysis of human and canine characteristics.…”

“…In this paper, emphasis will be placed on how canine demographics and behavioural assessment results influenced the behavioural interaction while shelter dogs were being walked on leash by volunteers. The effect of human gender has been reported [ 49 ] and the effects of body size, body weight, age and the behavioural level of dogs on the leash tension, and the relationship between canine sex and behaviour and leash tension were also reported [ 43 , 49 ]. The influence of other human demographics and personality will be reported in a future publication.…”