Man’s Best Friend: The Relationship Between Training and the Human-Canine Bond
Disciplines
Animal Studies | Other Psychology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The strength of the human-canine bond can factor into the decision to relinquish a dog to a shelter. For this reason, it is important to determine strategies that may enhance owner-dog attachment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether participation in training was related to owner self-report of attachment to their adopted dog. A post-adoption survey distributed to individuals (N = 66, 86% white, 83% female) by Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue was utilized to evaluate the relationship between training and attachment. I hypothesized that adopters who were actively involved in training would have a higher attachment score than those who did not indicate engagement in training their dog. No significant difference was found between those who did (57.58%) and did not (42.42%) participate in training (Mann-Whitney U(66) = 505.50, p = 0.71). These findings contrast with previous research indicating a relationship between canine attachment and training. This suggests more study is necessary to understand the impact of training on human-canine attachment.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Allison Martin
Man’s Best Friend: The Relationship Between Training and the Human-Canine Bond
The strength of the human-canine bond can factor into the decision to relinquish a dog to a shelter. For this reason, it is important to determine strategies that may enhance owner-dog attachment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether participation in training was related to owner self-report of attachment to their adopted dog. A post-adoption survey distributed to individuals (N = 66, 86% white, 83% female) by Mostly Mutts Animal Rescue was utilized to evaluate the relationship between training and attachment. I hypothesized that adopters who were actively involved in training would have a higher attachment score than those who did not indicate engagement in training their dog. No significant difference was found between those who did (57.58%) and did not (42.42%) participate in training (Mann-Whitney U(66) = 505.50, p = 0.71). These findings contrast with previous research indicating a relationship between canine attachment and training. This suggests more study is necessary to understand the impact of training on human-canine attachment.