Dogs’ remarkable ability to thrive in human environments is often linked to their social flexibility and readiness to form attachments. Sipple and colleagues (2021) investigated whether dogs display the same level of attachment toward cohabitant dogs as they do toward their human caregivers.
The study used the Secure Base Test, a method that evaluates stress reduction, proximity seeking, and exploratory behavior, to assess attachment styles in dog–human and dog–dog pairs. Consistent with previous findings, most dog–human dyads matched the criteria for infant-caregiver type attachment, suggesting dogs see their owners as secure bases similar to how children see parents.
In contrast, most dogs did not show this form of attachment toward cohabiting dogs. Instead, dog–dog relationships more closely resembled sibling-style attachments, characterized by companionship and shared exploration but not the same reliance for security.
The findings highlight that dog–human attachment plays a distinct role in canine well-being, resilience, and success in anthropogenic environments. While bonds with other dogs remain valuable, they appear to serve different social functions compared to the strong, security-providing attachment dogs form with humans.
Source: Sipple, N., Thielke, L. E., Smith, A., Vitale, K. R., & Udell, M. (2021). Intraspecific and Interspecific Attachment Between Cohabitant Dogs and Human Caregivers. Integrative and Comparative Biology. Published May 10, 2021.
