dailymail | Badly behaved dogs can be a source of embarrassment for their owners.
But if your canine companion displays attention-seeking behaviour, you may have a better bond with them than owners with perfectly-mannered pooches, a new study claims.
The research looked at human-animal attachment among 60 dog-owning families, including parents and children. It is the first study to examine attachment in children in this way.
Participants completed questionnaires to provide details about their attachment to their pet dogs, how responsible they feel towards them, and how often they feed and walk their canines.
They were also asked to rate their dogs on behavioural characteristics such as excitability, trainability, stranger fear and aggression, separation problems and attention-seeking behaviour.
Christy Hoffman, assistant professor of animal behaviour at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, said that people who care for their dogs well and take more responsibility for them are more attached to their pets than those who have a more hands-off approach.
While this is not surprising, her study also found that the more dogs act out and try to catch their owners’ attention, the more their owners are likely to love them. Interestingly, children were not affected by this behaviour.
But if your canine companion displays attention-seeking behaviour, you may have a better bond with them than owners with perfectly-mannered pooches, a new study claims.
The research looked at human-animal attachment among 60 dog-owning families, including parents and children. It is the first study to examine attachment in children in this way.
Participants completed questionnaires to provide details about their attachment to their pet dogs, how responsible they feel towards them, and how often they feed and walk their canines.
They were also asked to rate their dogs on behavioural characteristics such as excitability, trainability, stranger fear and aggression, separation problems and attention-seeking behaviour.
Christy Hoffman, assistant professor of animal behaviour at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York, said that people who care for their dogs well and take more responsibility for them are more attached to their pets than those who have a more hands-off approach.
While this is not surprising, her study also found that the more dogs act out and try to catch their owners’ attention, the more their owners are likely to love them. Interestingly, children were not affected by this behaviour.
