Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs
We evaluated the effect of the dog–owner relationship on dogs’ emotional reactivity, quantified with heart rate variability (HRV), behavioral changes, physical activity and dog owner interpretations. Twenty nine adult dogs encountered five different emotional situations (i.e., stroking, a feeding to...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-05-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/11/1338 |
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| author | Sanni Somppi Heini Törnqvist Aija Koskela Antti Vehkaoja Katriina Tiira Heli Väätäjä Veikko Surakka Outi Vainio Miiamaaria V. Kujala |
| author_facet | Sanni Somppi Heini Törnqvist Aija Koskela Antti Vehkaoja Katriina Tiira Heli Väätäjä Veikko Surakka Outi Vainio Miiamaaria V. Kujala |
| author_sort | Sanni Somppi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We evaluated the effect of the dog–owner relationship on dogs’ emotional reactivity, quantified with heart rate variability (HRV), behavioral changes, physical activity and dog owner interpretations. Twenty nine adult dogs encountered five different emotional situations (i.e., stroking, a feeding toy, separation from the owner, reunion with the owner, a sudden appearance of a novel object). The results showed that both negative and positive situations provoked signs of heightened arousal in dogs. During negative situations, owners’ ratings about the heightened emotional arousal correlated with lower HRV, higher physical activity and more behaviors that typically index arousal and fear. The three factors of The Monash Dog–Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) were reflected in the dogs’ heart rate variability and behaviors: the Emotional Closeness factor was related to increased HRV (<i>p</i> = 0.009), suggesting this aspect is associated with the secure base effect, and the Shared Activities factor showed a trend toward lower HRV (<i>p</i> = 0.067) along with more owner-directed behaviors reflecting attachment related arousal. In contrast, the Perceived Costs factor was related to higher HRV (<i>p</i> = 0.009) along with less fear and less owner-directed behaviors, which may reflect the dog’s more independent personality. In conclusion, dogs’ emotional reactivity and the dog–owner relationship modulate each other, depending on the aspect of the relationship and dogs’ individual responsivity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:33:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7a5d2fcea7a94160a16e4b123288c004 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:33:37Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-7a5d2fcea7a94160a16e4b123288c0042023-11-23T13:36:40ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152022-05-011211133810.3390/ani12111338Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of DogsSanni Somppi0Heini Törnqvist1Aija Koskela2Antti Vehkaoja3Katriina Tiira4Heli Väätäjä5Veikko Surakka6Outi Vainio7Miiamaaria V. Kujala8Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, FinlandFaculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, FinlandDepartment of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, FinlandResearch Group for Emotions, Sociality, and Computing, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 100, FI-33014 Tampere, FinlandMaster School, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Jokiväylä 11 B, FI-96300 Rovaniemi, FinlandDepartment of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, FinlandDepartment of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, FinlandWe evaluated the effect of the dog–owner relationship on dogs’ emotional reactivity, quantified with heart rate variability (HRV), behavioral changes, physical activity and dog owner interpretations. Twenty nine adult dogs encountered five different emotional situations (i.e., stroking, a feeding toy, separation from the owner, reunion with the owner, a sudden appearance of a novel object). The results showed that both negative and positive situations provoked signs of heightened arousal in dogs. During negative situations, owners’ ratings about the heightened emotional arousal correlated with lower HRV, higher physical activity and more behaviors that typically index arousal and fear. The three factors of The Monash Dog–Owner Relationship Scale (MDORS) were reflected in the dogs’ heart rate variability and behaviors: the Emotional Closeness factor was related to increased HRV (<i>p</i> = 0.009), suggesting this aspect is associated with the secure base effect, and the Shared Activities factor showed a trend toward lower HRV (<i>p</i> = 0.067) along with more owner-directed behaviors reflecting attachment related arousal. In contrast, the Perceived Costs factor was related to higher HRV (<i>p</i> = 0.009) along with less fear and less owner-directed behaviors, which may reflect the dog’s more independent personality. In conclusion, dogs’ emotional reactivity and the dog–owner relationship modulate each other, depending on the aspect of the relationship and dogs’ individual responsivity.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/11/1338<i>Canis familiaris</i>behaviorheart rate variabilityautonomic nervous systememotionshuman–animal interaction |
| spellingShingle | Sanni Somppi Heini Törnqvist Aija Koskela Antti Vehkaoja Katriina Tiira Heli Väätäjä Veikko Surakka Outi Vainio Miiamaaria V. Kujala Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs Animals <i>Canis familiaris</i> behavior heart rate variability autonomic nervous system emotions human–animal interaction |
| title | Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs |
| title_full | Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs |
| title_fullStr | Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs |
| title_short | Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs |
| title_sort | dog owner relationship owner interpretations and dog personality are connected with the emotional reactivity of dogs |
| topic | <i>Canis familiaris</i> behavior heart rate variability autonomic nervous system emotions human–animal interaction |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/11/1338 |
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