Search
Presentation Details
| Investigating the effects of owner interaction style on dogs’ tolerance to separation� |
| Rita Lenkei1, 2, Zs�fia Vir�nyi3, Borb�la Turcs�n1, 4, Tam�s Farag�1, 5, Kata T�th1, 2, Barbara Simon1, Bal�zs Szigeti1, Enikő Kubinyi1, 4, 6. 1MTA-ELTE Lend�let �Momentum� Companion Animal Research Group, Department of Ethology, E�tv�s Lor�nd University, Budapest, , Hungary; 2Doctoral School of Biology, Institute of Biology, ELTE E�tv�s Lor�nd University, Budapest, , Hungary; 3Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, , Austria; 4Senior Family Dog Project, Department of Ethology, E�tv�s Lor�nd University, Budapest, , Hungary; 5Neuroethology of Communication Lab, Department of Ethology, E�tv�s Lor�nd University, Budapest, , Hungary; 6ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, Budapest, , Hungary |
Owners seem to use their parenting repertoire also when interacting with their dogs. In humans, the parental caring style is strongly interrelated with children’s emotional development and leads to different stress coping strategies. However, it is not known whether owners’ way of the interacting with the dog relates to the dogs’ behaviour in different contexts and to the quality of the relationship itself. We hypothesised that the owners’ interaction style influences how their dogs tolerate being left alone. We tested 65 family dogs (Canis familiaris) in a short separation situation and used a test battery consisting of 8 short episodes, including both positive (e.g., playing with the dog) and negative interactions (e.g., physically restricting of the dog) to describe the owners' attitude. During the analysis, we compared the factor scores that describe the owners’ interaction style (‘Owner Warmth’, ‘Owner Social Support’, and ‘Owner Control’) with their dog’s behaviour during the separation test.�Exploring this new aspect of the dog’s behaviour also has an applied importance as separation related problem is one of the most common behaviour disorder reported in family dogs. |