Presentation Details
| Bark if you need me: Companion breeds’ behaviour suggests owner dependency during separation Rita Lenkei1, 2, Balázs Szigeti1, 2, 3, Borbála Turcsán2, 4, Barbara Simon2, Kata Tóth2, 3, 4, Tamás Faragó1, 2, Enikő- Kubinyi2, 4, 5. 1BARKS Lab, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary.2Department of Ethology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary.3Doctoral School of Biology, Institute of Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary.4MTA-ELTE Lendület “Momentum” Companion Animal Research Group, Budapest Hungary.5NAP Canine Brain Research Group, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest Hungary |
Abstract
Small-sized dog breeds became popular in the urbanised environment, likely not only because they are easier to keep but also because their behaviour differs from that of medium or large breeds. The so-called “lap dogs” were bred to be companions to their owners without any other function. Typically, they have pronounced infantile features, show intensive affection and care-soliciting behaviours. We hypothesise that the selection for infantile features of the dog, such as the dependency on the owner, peaked in the case of these small breeds; thus, they also show more intensive behavioural responses when left alone. In a 3-minute indoor separation situation, we tested three groups of family dogs: (1) small companion breeds (N=21), (2) small breeds with working origin (N=22), (3) medium and large-sized breeds (N=19). We found that dogs from the small companion breed group spent the most time barking by the door. They also sat more and started to explore the room later than dogs from small but working breeds. Our results support these dogs’ strong reliance on their owners as they intensively communicated their distress but remained passive, seemingly waiting for their owner’s help.
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