Would the Dog Be a Person's Child or Best Friend? Revisiting the Dog-Tutor Attachment

Savalli, Carine; Mariti, Chiara

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.576713

Cited by 13 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 47 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…However, it is also important to underline that different responses due to age [ 34 ] and species [ 12 ] are likely to exist, thus requiring a critical interpretation of the SSP results. This critical approach has been stressed when analyzing the possible intraspecific attachment in adult domestic dogs [ 27 , 35 ], but also the study of the interspecific attachment may benefit from taking into account the differences of examining a dog-caregiver rather than a child-caregiver bond [ 7 ]. The following discussion will be based, on the one hand, on highlighting the dog-child similarities observed in the SSP; and, on the other hand, on providing possible explanations for the differences observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The attachment bond is a particular kind of affectional bond characterized by four essential elements: (1) contact maintenance that is maintaining physical contact and proximity with the attachment figure; (2) searching response (or protest at separation) when involuntarily separated from the attachment figure; (3) secure base effect, i.e., the attachment figure represents a base from which to explore the environment; (4) safe haven effect, i.e., the attachment figure provides a sense of safety in times of threat or distress [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]. The attachment bond is typical, although not exclusive, of the infant-parent relationship [ 6 , 7 ]. The Strange Situation Procedure (SSP) is a laboratory test that addresses the degree to which each of the essential elements of the child-caregiver attachment bond manifest themselves during partly standardized dynamics of interactions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quantitative Behavioral Analysis and Qualitative Classification of Attachment Styles in Domestic Dogs: Are Dogs with a Secure and an Insecure-Avoidant Attachment Different?

Riggio

Gazzano

Zsilák

et al. 2020

Animals

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Since several modified Strange Situation Procedures (SSP) have been used to investigate dog-to-owner attachment, in this study two different samples of dog-owner dyads underwent two modified versions of the SSP. Dogs’ attachment style to the owner was assessed based on a novel adaptation of the attachment pattern classification used for infant-caregivers. Dogs’ behavioral data were collected using continuous sampling and, in the second protocol, also with a scoring system for greeting and social play. In both studies, secure and avoidant dogs’ behavior was compared using the Mann Whitney test, while differences within each group across episodes were analyzed using the Wilcoxon paired sample test. The classification seemed to be effective at identifying both avoidant and secure attachment patterns in dogs. As expected, differences in key attachment behaviors, such as proximity/contact seeking toward the caregiver, between secure and avoidant dogs were more evident in the final episodes of the test. Differently from secure dogs, avoidant dogs did not show an increase in proximity/contact seeking behavior with the caregiver in any of the procedures. Further studies with larger samples are needed to support the effectiveness of this classification and investigate on the remaining attachment styles.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantitative Behavioral Analysis and Qualitative Classification of Attachment Styles in Domestic Dogs: Are Dogs with a Secure and an Insecure-Avoidant Attachment Different?

Riggio

Gazzano

Zsilák

et al. 2020

Animals

Self Cite

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“…The lack of corresponding differences in human's infant-mother attachment behavior, but similarities with sex differences reported in human romantic attachment suggests that the dog-owner bond could be characterized by aspects that are typical of adult human relationships. The latter concept was recently also proposed by Savalli and Mariti (2020), who identify the dog-owner bond as resembling a friendship between adult humans. This does not imply that the infant-mother attachment theory is no longer a valid model for the dog-owner bond.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Is this love? Sex differences in dog-owner attachment behavior suggest similarities with adult human bonds

et al. 2021

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Sex differences in the behavioral responses of Labrador Retriever dogs in the Strange Situation Test were explored. Behaviors expressed by dogs during seven 3-min episodes were analyzed through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The scores of factors obtained were analyzed with a Generalized Linear Mixed Model to reveal the effects of the dog’s sex and age and the owner’s sex. In Episode 1 (dog and owner) and 5 (dog alone), the PCA identified three and two factors, respectively, which overall explained 68.7% and 59.8% of the variance, with no effect of sex. In Episodes 2 (dog, owner, and stranger), 3 and 6 (dog and stranger), and 4 and 7 (dog and owner), the PCA identified four factors, which overall explained 51.0% of the variance. Effects of sex were found on: Factor 1 (distress), with lower scores obtained by females in Episode 2 and higher in Episode 3; Factor 2 (sociability), which was overall higher in females; Factor 3 (separation-distress), with females, but not males, obtaining higher scores when left with the stranger than when with the owner. Therefore, females were overall more social but seemed more affected than males by the owner’s absence. Parallels can be traced between our results and sex differences found in adult human romantic attachment, suggesting that the dog-owner bond has characteristics that are not found in the infant-mother relationship.

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“…As suggested by Solomon et al [ 4 ], one major problem with the identification of the ambivalent attachment pattern in dogs may be the absence of clear signs of angry resistance, which is the core feature of this attachment style in children. As suggested by previous authors, this may be the outcome of a millenary process of dog domestication that selected against angry and conflicting behaviour towards humans [ 4 ], or the reflection of a different behavioural expression of ambivalence in the canine species [ 38 ], or still, the consequence of testing adult individuals [ 38 , 39 ], in who may display ambivalent/resistant behaviours in a more subtle and passive manner than young children might [ 13 , 36 ]. However, regardless of the cause, the lack of an overt ambivalent/resistant behaviour in dogs may explain why, in the three-dimensional model of the D-AISI, item 15, which is the only item that specifically addresses resistant behaviour, does not share the same construct with other items that describe the ambivalent attachment pattern.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Development of the Dog Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (D-AISI): A Pilot Study on a Sample of Female Owners

Riggio

Noom

Gazzano

et al. 2021

Animals

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To date, the Strange Situation Procedure is the only tool available to investigate the quality of the dog’s attachment bond towards the owner. This study aimed to adapt a parent-report scale, named the Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (AISI) 6–12, originally designed to assess 6- to 12-year-old children’s attachment insecurity, to dog–owner dyads and assess measures of consistency and validity. The online questionnaire was completed by 524 female dog owners. Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed five components named, respectively, “physical contact”, “control”, “separation anxiety”, “owner as emotional support”, and “owner as a source of positive emotion”. Because of the three-factor structure of the original AISI, a PCA with a pre-fixed set of three factors was also performed. The resulting subscales mirrored the ones found for the original scale (i.e., ambivalent, avoidant, and disorganized), although four items did not fit the model. Internal reliability appeared to be satisfying for the ambivalent and the disorganized subscales, and good for the avoidant subscale. The theoretical background and the results of this study suggest that the three-dimensional model represents a better solution for the interpretation of the Dog Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (D-AISI). Although promising, this scale requires refinement and assessment of additional validity measures.

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Would the Dog Be a Person's Child or Best Friend? Revisiting the Dog-Tutor Attachment

Cited by 13 publications

References 47 publications

Quantitative Behavioral Analysis and Qualitative Classification of Attachment Styles in Domestic Dogs: Are Dogs with a Secure and an Insecure-Avoidant Attachment Different?

Quantitative Behavioral Analysis and Qualitative Classification of Attachment Styles in Domestic Dogs: Are Dogs with a Secure and an Insecure-Avoidant Attachment Different?

Is this love? Sex differences in dog-owner attachment behavior suggest similarities with adult human bonds

Development of the Dog Attachment Insecurity Screening Inventory (D-AISI): A Pilot Study on a Sample of Female Owners

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