In modern households, most owners view their dogs as companions or family members, yet research has often simplified this bond into narrow categories such as attachment or satisfaction. Turcsán et al. (2025) adopted a more nuanced approach, examining 13 relationship dimensions using the Network of Relationships Inventory to compare dog–human bonds with four types of human relationships: closest kin, romantic partners, best friends, and children.
The study surveyed 717 participants, asking them to rate their relationships with both their dogs and key human partners. Results showed that owners reported greater satisfaction with their dogs than with all human partners except their children. Dogs also provided more support than any partner other than children, and dogs elicited fewer negative interactions than all but best friends.
Overall, the dog–human bond provided strong companionship, opportunities for nurturance, and very low conflict levels. These unique characteristics may reflect the asymmetric nature of the relationship, where owners hold full control over a dog’s environment and daily life. Importantly, the study also found that a positive bond with a dog often paralleled the owner’s positive human relationships.
By highlighting these dynamics, the authors propose viewing the dog–human bond not only through attachment theory but also as a set of social provisions. This framework better captures how dogs combine the emotional support of a child relationship with the loyalty and low conflict of a close friendship.
Source: Turcsán, B., Ujfalussy, D., Kerepesi, A., Miklósi, Á., & Kubinyi, E. (2025). Similarities and differences between dog–human and human–human relationships. Scientific Reports, 15. Published April 22, 2025.
