New research led by Therese Rehn, Andrea Beetz, and Liselotte Keeling examined the relationship between dog behavior under stress and their owner’s adult attachment style (AAS). Published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the study focused on 51 female Golden Retriever owners, assessing both the owners’ attachment characteristics and how their dogs behaved in challenging scenarios.
To classify attachment styles, researchers used the Adult Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), evaluating subscales such as ‘Confidence,’ ‘Attachment anxiety,’ and ‘Avoidant attachment.’ Dogs and owners were observed in a series of stress-inducing situations including visual and auditory surprises, a stranger approaching in costume, and a short isolation period where dogs were left alone in a novel room.
Key findings included:
- Dogs with more securely attached owners (high ‘Confidence’ scores) spent more time oriented toward sudden stressors—suggesting greater coping ability and environmental engagement.
- Dogs with more anxious owners oriented more toward their owners and exhibited fewer stress signals (like lip licking) during separation, potentially indicating co-regulation or elevated dependency.
- Dogs with avoidant owners behaved differently during specific stressors: they spent less time behind the owner and showed less interest in certain stressor cues, possibly reflecting reduced shared attention or support-seeking behavior.
These results imply that dogs adapt their coping strategies based on the emotional security and availability of their owners, mirroring patterns commonly seen in human infants and caregivers. The study adds to the growing body of research suggesting that human attachment styles can shape animal behavior in subtle but important ways, especially in companion species like dogs.
Understanding the emotional foundations of the human–dog bond may help owners better support their pets during difficult or unfamiliar situations.
Source: Rehn, T., Beetz, A., & Keeling, L. (2017). Links between an Owner’s Adult Attachment Style and the Support-Seeking Behavior of Their Dog. Frontiers in Psychology, Volume 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02059
