Empathy in dogs has been studied extensively in relation to their owners, but less is known about their reactions to strangers. Previous research showed that dogs are quick to help their distressed owners, but the question remained: would they extend this empathetic behavior to unfamiliar people?
In this experiment, dogs were exposed to an unfamiliar person who was placed behind a transparent door and instructed to either cry (distress) or hum (neutral). Researchers measured door-opening behavior, approach style, heart rate variability, and stress-related behaviors. Surprisingly, the dogs did not open the door more frequently or more quickly for the distressed stranger compared to the calm one. Likewise, physiological and behavioral stress markers did not differ between conditions.
Notably, dogs that did choose to open the door tended to be described by their owners as less fearful and less aggressive. These dogs also showed calmer approaches toward the stranger, suggesting that individual differences in temperament may play a role in empathetic responses. However, overall, the results indicate that dogs may be less likely to show empathy-like behaviors to strangers, particularly in unfamiliar environments.
The findings suggest that the presence of a familiar owner may be crucial for facilitating complex behaviors such as emotional contagion and helping. This emphasizes that empathy in dogs may be strongly tied to trust and the dog–owner bond, rather than being generalized to all humans.
Source: Rivera, M., & Meyers-Manor, J. E. (2024). Beware of Strangers: Dogs’ Empathetic Response to Unknown Humans. Animals, 14. MDPI.
