Researchers tested 45 dogs, including 23 rescued from adverse early environments, in a social stress-buffering paradigm involving a threatening stranger. Each dog faced the scenario either with its owner or with an unfamiliar human present. Salivary cortisol levels were measured at three time points, and both behavior and owner-reported traits were assessed.
Dogs from adverse backgrounds showed greater physical contact, more relaxed body language, and increased social referencing toward their owners compared to when with strangers. These dogs also experienced a larger decrease in cortisol levels from the first to the third sample, suggesting that their owners provided a measurable calming effect despite their history of poor human interaction.
In contrast, dogs from the comparison group—those without such negative early histories—tended to explore more when accompanied by their owners. However, dogs from adverse backgrounds were more likely to react fearfully toward the threatening stranger and were rated by owners as having higher stranger-directed fear, nonsocial fear, separation-related problems, and attention-seeking behaviors, along with lower chasing drive and trainability.
The study suggests that while early adverse environments can have lasting effects on social behavior and fear responses, the bond with an owner may still provide a significant stress-buffering benefit for these dogs.
Source: Buttner, A., Awalt, S. L., & Strasser, R., Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, May 21, 2023.
