Evaluating Cognitive and Behavioral Outcomes in Conjunction with the Secure Base Effect for Dogs in Shelter and Foster Environments

Abstract

Simple SummaryAttachment relationships formed early in life have important implications for long-term social and behavioral outcomes for humans. Although previous research has established that dogs and humans form attachment relationships that can be categorized into attachment styles, the implications of these relationships have not been well-studied. This is a particularly important area of study for dogs living in foster homes and animal shelters, as it is currently unknown if and how attachment relationships formed in these environments correspond with behavioral and cognitive outcomes. In this study, we examined attachment styles in relation to cognitive measures and surveys of canine behavior and personality completed by caretakers of dogs in foster and shelter environments. Foster dogs with secure attachments displayed higher levels of persistence and performance on cognitive tasks compared to foster dogs with insecure attachments. On a survey given to foster and shelter volunteers, we found that securely attached dogs were rated as less neurotic than insecurely attached dogs for both foster and shelter groups. These results indicate that attachment relationships are associated with other important behavioral and cognitive traits of foster and shelter dogs, suggesting that the potential for causal associations should be explored further.AbstractAlthough it is widely accepted that dogs and humans form attachment relationships, characterizing attachment styles in dogs has only recently received attention in the literature. Previous research has shown that pet dogs display patterns of behavior in an attachment test that can be classified into secure and insecure attachment styles, much like human children and their caretakers. However, we currently know relatively little about the role of attachment styles in relation to canine well-being. This question may be of particular interest for the 3.9 million dogs that enter animal shelters in the United States alone each year, as this transition marks the dissolution of prior bonds and the establishment of new attachment relationships. Herein, results are presented from analyses of volunteer-reported canine personality and behavior measures, as well as performance on two cognitive tasks as they relate to attachment styles developed within shelter and foster environments. Results from the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ) indicated that foster dogs were scored as having significantly higher levels of attachment and attention-seeking behaviors when compared with shelter dogs. In both environments, dogs categorized as securely attached to a shelter or foster volunteer had lower neuroticism scores. Secure attachment in foster homes was also associated with improved persistence and performance on a point following task. These results provide support for the idea that attachment styles formed with temporary caregivers is associated with other behavioral and personality measures, and therefore may have implications for behavior and welfare in...

Quantitative Behavioral Analysis and Qualitative Classification of Attachment Styles in Domestic Dogs: Are Dogs with a Secure and an Insecure-Avoidant Attachment Different?

“…This may be regarded as a major methodological difference, as behavioral disorders have been linked to insecure attachment styles in humans [ 39 , 40 , 41 ]. Thirdly, some authors [ 36 , 37 , 38 , 42 , 43 ] based their classification on a three-episode version of SSP named the Secure Base Test (SBT) that comprises one separation and one reunion episode, which as suggested by Ainsworth et al [ 19 ], may not be distressing enough for the tested individual to display a recognizable attachment pattern. In fact, the original eight-episode SSP has been developed after extensive observation of infant-mother dyads in naturalistic environment; it is specifically designed to progressively increase the level of stress of the subjects tested and, consequently, to activate their attachment behavioral system.…”

Considering Family Dog Attachment Bonds: Do Dog-Parent Attachments Predict Dog-Child Attachment Outcomes in Animal-Assisted Interventions?

“…The Secure Base Test (SBT) was used to evaluate the attachment behavior of the family dog toward both the child participant and adult owner/parent at the initial and follow-up assessments. This test was originally developed to assess the quality of attachment of non-humans to attachment figures ( Harlow, 1958 ) and has been used to evaluate dog-human attachment style and security across multiple settings ( Thielke et al, 2017 ; Thielke and Udell, 2019 , 2020 ), including Animal Assisted Activities ( Wanser and Udell, 2019 ) and was therefore especially well-suited to evaluate attachment style in the current study. Assessments were conducted in a room that was novel to the dog and human participants prior to testing.…”

“…The return phase was viewed by two coders, with prior training in evaluating canine attachment styles. These two coders independently categorized the dogs’ behavior using an ethogram for canine attachment style categories and definitions previously established in the literature ( Schöberl et al, 2016 ; Thielke et al, 2017 ; Thielke and Udell, 2019 , 2020 ; Vitale et al, 2019 ; Wanser and Udell, 2019 ): secure, insecure ambivalent, insecure avoidant, and insecure disorganized (see Table 2 ). Inter-rater reliability was then assessed for the full data set (75.7% IRR for attachment style categorization, binomial probability test, p < 0.001).…”

“…Inter-rater reliability was then assessed for the full data set (75.7% IRR for attachment style categorization, binomial probability test, p < 0.001). After independent IRR analysis, categorization disagreements were then jointly reviewed to come to consensus for the final attachment style designation using the standard procedure for holistic canine attachment style categorization ( Thielke et al, 2017 ; Thielke and Udell, 2019 , 2020 ; Wanser and Udell, 2019 ). The broader categorization of secure or insecure attachment, indicating the presence or absence of the Secure Base Effect, was the primary focus in this study.…”

Working Dog Training for the Twenty-First Century

“…Even in adulthood, dogs have been shown to form attachment bonds with humans that resemble conspecific infant-caregiver attachment relationships (215). While dogs can form bonds with new humans quickly (216), the quality of these relationships can vary, with some environments and experiences resulting in higher rates of secure attachment bonds than others (216)(217)(218).…”