Does the owner provide a secure base? Behavioral and heart rate response to a threatening stranger and to separation in dogs

Abstract

mother–pup intraspecific attachment behavior in the domes-tic dog (Canis familiaris).One hundred forty-five puppy–mother pairs of differentbreeds were tested using the Strange Situation Test. Puppieswere45-55days old at time of testing. The test consisted of 7consecutive 3-minute episodes in which the pup was placedin an unfamiliar environment, introduced to an unfamiliarwoman, and subjected to separation from the mother. Thebehavior of each dyad was videorecorded, and 22 mutuallyexclusive behaviors were scored using 5-second point sam-pling. Furthermore, proximity and physical contact betweenthe mother and the pup were recorded, and bouts of vocal-izations were scored ad libitum. Factor analysis, with Eigen-values .1, varimax rotation, and factor loading .0.50, wascarried out on the puppies’ behavior.Factor analysis extracted 8 principal dimensions: (1) ‘‘affil-iationtowardhumans’’(i.e.,positive/playfulinteractionsuchas play, following and greeting behaviors); (2) ‘‘humancontact seeking’’ (i.e., approaching, keeping contact, andlicking the person); (3) ‘‘self-confidence,’’ which includedplaying alone with toys in opposition to being orientedtoward the mother; (4) ‘‘distress/protest,’’ consisting ofreactions such as remaining oriented toward and scratchingthe door; (5) ‘‘affiliation toward the mother’’ (i.e., positive/playful interaction); 6) ‘‘mother contact seeking’’ (i.e.,behaviors pertaining to nurturing demands: licking, follow-ing, suckling); (7) ‘‘apprehension toward humans’’ (i.e.,approaching the mother, avoiding and orienting away fromhumans); and (8) ‘‘exploration’’ (i.e., visual and olfactoryexploration of the room, and exploration of toys).Results demonstrated that, as with human infants, the SSTis a valuable tool for studying attachment in pups. Pupsshowed a whole behavioral repertoire indicating a ‘‘securebase’’ effect (playing with toys and mother orientation in asingle factor with opposite weightings), proximity seekingtoward the mother, and distress upon separation.Key words: puppies; attachment; affectional bonds; StrangeSituation Test