Pet parenting style influences dog behavior, says Oregon research

(OCTOBER 14, 2022) Why are some dogs more social? Why are some dogs more secure when their owners are away? Why are some dogs better problem solvers?

Monique Udell is an expert in dog behavior. She's also an associate professor at Oregon State University in Corvallis. She conducted research about these questions.

What did she learn? It's because of their owners. Their owners have high expectations and are highly responsive to the dog's behavior.

“We found that pet parenting style does predict patterns of dog behavior and cognition,” she says. This is important "because it suggests that dog owners who take the time to understand and meet their dog’s needs are more likely to end up with secure, resilient dogs.”

Researchers are beginning to study this "parent" type of bond (connection) that owners have with their dogs. They are learning about how this affects a dog's behavior.

For the study, Udell and her partner recruited 48 dog owners and gave them a pet parenting style survey. Using the survey data, dog owners were divided into three groups. The dogs were then brought to the lab and participated in three behavior tests.

The first test evaluated the dogs’ attachment to their owner. First, the owner and the dog were situated in the same room, with the owner interacting with the dog when it came close. Then the owner left the room and finally returned, reuniting with the dog.

The second tested sociability by having the owner and an unfamiliar person in the room with the dog and studying the interactions.

The third test involved the dog attempting to get a treat from a puzzle with different levels of help from the owner.

“This research shows that the pet dog [and] human caretaker bond may be functionally and emotionally similar to the bond between a human parent and their child,” says Udell's research partner, Lauren Brubaker.