Physiological Indicators of Attachment in Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris) and Their Owners in the Strange Situation Test

Abstract

Behaviorally, attachment is demonstrated when one individual maintains close proximity to another individual and shows distress upon separation. For 29 owner-dog dyads, we employed a modified Ainsworth's Strange Situation Test (SST) to investigate whether both members would show a physiological reaction to separation. Dogs experienced a series of separation from and reuniting events with their owners and were introduced to a stranger. Before and after the SST, saliva samples were taken from each dyad to measure stress-related analytes: cortisol (CORT) and chromogranin A (CgA). Dogs exhibited attachment behaviors toward owners as evidenced by more time spent in close proximity, more contact initiated and less time spent near the door, compared to episodes with the stranger. Dogs that initiated more contact with their owners in re-uniting episodes had lower CgA than dogs that initiated less contact, but their owners had higher CgA levels. Also during re-uniting episodes, dogs and owners spent more time near each other when owner CgA levels were low, owner CORT levels were high, and the dog had owner-reported separation anxiety. During the episodes alone with the stranger, dogs with higher CORT spent more time with the stranger. Finally, dogs' initial CgA levels were correlated with their owner's initial CORT levels, and dog final CORT levels were correlated with their owners' final CORT levels, suggesting some hormonal synchrony within the dyad. As all owner-dog dyads were assessed as securely attached, attachment style differences could not explain variation in hormonal or behavioral results. These results suggest that dogs may respond to owner hormonal state and/or behavior and demonstrate that individual differences in responses to a behavioral challenge reflect the stress physiology of both dogs and their owners.

Keywords: attachment; chromogranin A (CgA); cortisol; dog; strange situation test.

FIGURE 1

Layout of the Strange Situation room. Solid black objects represent camera placements in the room, the circle represents the water dish available to the dog, the gray and white checker rectangles represent storage units, and the solid gray shapes represent the desk area where the sample supplies, speakerphone and basket of toys were stored. Solid black lines represent a window (immediate right) and door (immediate left).

FIGURE 2

Timeline of the Strange Situation Test (SST) protocol. E, Episode; O, Owner; S, Stranger; A, alone; dashed vertical lines indicate saliva sample taken.

FIGURE 3

Physiological stress markers in dogs and owners in the Strange Situation Test (SST). (A) Initial and final salivary CORT. (B) Initial and final salivary CgA. Dog and human CORT concentrations decreased in the SST. In contrast, dog CgA concentrations decreased over the SST while human CgA concentrations did not change. 95% CIs are shown for the means. ∼P < 0.05; ^*P < 0.01; ^∗∗P < 0.001.

FIGURE 4

Proportion of time in close proximity to owner vs. stranger during the Strange Situation Test (SST). ^*P < 0.01.