Dogs increasingly occupy a central place in modern family systems, prompting researchers to explore how human psychological and relational dynamics extend to the human–dog bond. In this study published in Animals, Chih Hsin Kuo and Sharon E. Kessler investigated whether the parenting styles people use with their dogs are influenced by how they were raised themselves.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the researchers collected survey data from 391 dog caregivers and conducted in-depth interviews with 10 participants. The study focused on three primary parenting styles—authoritarian, authoritative, and permissive—and examined how these behaviors toward dogs corresponded with participants’ own upbringing and orientations toward animals.
Results indicated a clear intergenerational transmission effect: individuals who experienced permissive parenting during childhood were significantly more likely to replicate that same style with their dogs. Moreover, participants’ attitudes toward dogs influenced their caregiving approach. Those with protectionistic orientations—motivated by safeguarding and empathy—were less likely to adopt authoritarian behaviors. In contrast, both humanistic and protectionistic attitudes increased the likelihood of permissive caregiving, where emotional comfort often outweighed behavioral structure.
Interview analyses deepened these findings, showing that early-life experiences with parents and pets shaped how participants expressed control, affection, and boundaries with their dogs. Many described compensatory behaviors—providing their dogs with the freedom or emotional validation they lacked as children. These patterns underline the psychological continuity between human family dynamics and human–dog relationships.
Kuo and Kessler’s work broadens the understanding of dog parenting as an extension of human relational psychology. By recognizing the roots of caregiving behavior, dog owners can become more mindful of how personal history shapes their relationship with their pets—balancing affection with structure to promote emotional well-being for both human and dog.
Source: Kuo, C. H., & Kessler, S. E. (2024). Intergenerational Transmission of Human Parenting Styles to Human–Dog Relationships. Animals, 14. Published March 28, 2024.
