The Psychology of Owning a Pet Dog

Lisa Franchi June 24, 2013

Humans have been forming intimate bonds with their pet dogs for the past 15,000 years. Whilst it is natural for animals to bond with the species of their kind, domesticated dogs are extra special as they are also capable of making their human masters their primary social partners. Why?

There are a number of studies showing why dogs and humans are specifically ‘compatible’. In one study, scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine have found that the relationship between dogs and their owners share striking similarities with the relationship between parents and their children. Recently published in the journal Plos One, this was the first to associate dog-and-human relationship with the ‘Secure Base Effect’ – the relationship that describes that of the child and his or her parents.

The Dog-and-Human Relationship

Children generally view their guardians as their ‘secure base’ or the place where they feel more comfortable. The lead author, Lisa Horn, explored the relationship between humans and their pet dogs based on the ‘secure base effect’. She does it by examining the dog’s reaction in three different conditions: absent owner, silent owner and encouraging owner. In their experiment, dogs could earn a food reward by manipulating interactive dog toys. The researchers found that the dogs seemed less interested in working for food when their caregivers were absent. And whether the owner encouraged the dog or remained silent had little effect on the animal’s motivation to look for food. In the second experiment, Horn and her team replaced the owner with an unfamiliar person. They observed that the dogs didn’t interact with the strangers and were less determined to look for food than when the strangers were absent. In general, the pets were only motivated when their masters were there.

The researchers concluded that the animals behaved based on the ‘secure base effect’ as their owners’ presence is much more important for them to act confidently.

One thing that surprised them the most, according to Horn, was that the adult dogs interacted with their caregivers like humans do. ‘It will be really interesting to try to find out how this behaviour evolved in the dogs with direct comparisons’, she said.

Why Own a Pet?

Why not? The fact that pets can love their caregivers unconditionally is perhaps one of the reasons why most households have one. Studies have shown that having pets helps improve the well-being of humans. In a paper published in the American Psychological Association in 2011, it was revealed that owning pets do not just improve the well-being of people who are sick but also make healthy individuals feel better. Other studies have shown that patients with pets had fewer doctor visits than others, and that HIV patients felt generally less depressed when they have pets. Furthermore, researchers at Miami University and Saint Louis University found that pet owners scored higher both in terms of well-being outcomes and individual differences. They also had greater self-esteem, were less lonely and fearful, and were more extraverted. The research also suggests that pets can make owners feel better after experiencing rejection. There’s no wonder why dogs are being used as tools in certain therapies.

Still, the animal-human relationship could not substitute that of humans, according to a large study entitled ‘The Longevity Project’, which started in 1921. Here, the researchers found that the time spent with family and friends is the single most important habit for living longer. But even though human-pet bonding could not replace that kind of relationship shared by humans, there’s no denying that pets provide us love, joy and companionship that promote our well-being and make us healthier. If you have pets, don’t let the day pass without giving them a tight hug. And if you don’t have a pet yet, maybe it’s time that you consider having one.

For you, what is the best thing about being a pet owner?