Dog attachment to man: A comparison between pet and working dogs

Abstract

Shared activities are known to create a good relationship between dog and man. Therefore, it can be expected that animals working in harness with their handlers, such as search and rescue dogs, show a higher attachment to man. The aim of the current research was to assess whether there are differences between pet and working dogs in the attachment to owners/handlers. Forty dogs were involved, 26 pets and 14 search and rescue dogs (taken home when not working). Their attachment to owners/handlers was analyzed by using a modified version of the Ainsworth Strange Situation Test and a recall test, while owners and handlers filled in a questionnaire and were scored on the Lexington Attachment to Pets Scale. Statistical analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between pet and working dogs for behaviors indicating an attachment bond: behavior oriented to door/chair/shoe during the absence of owner/handler (which represents “search of absent person”; U = 132.000, P = 0.156), contact with/proximity to owner/handler (i.e., “contact maintenance effect”; U = 157.000, P = 0.478), whining during owner's/handler's absence (“protest at the separation”; U = 147.000, P = 0.288), and individual play ( U = 146.000, P = 0.288) and exploration ( U = 138.500, P = 0.215) in presence of owner/handler, representing the “secure base effect.” Despite the lack of statistical differences, the formulated hypothesis may be not completely rejected, as a trend of a higher attachment in search and rescue dogs existed. It can be concluded that in carefully owned dogs, the level of attachment is increased by working as a search and rescue dog, but the difference does not lead to statistically relevant results.