Evaluation of mediating and moderating effects on the relationship between owners’ and dogs’ anxiety: A tool to understand a complex problem

Pereira, Maria; Lourenço, António; Lima, Mariely; Serpell, James A.; Silva, Karine

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2021.03.004

Cited by 8 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…25% of the dogs exhibited behavioural signs of increased stress, which correlated with the stress of their own handlers at the start of the session, rather than the stress of the students participating in the programme (Silas 2019). These ndings are supported by data from a study by Pereira et al (2021). This study evaluated self-reported data by 1172 dog owners to explore the link between owners' trait anxiety and their dogs' fear and anxiety-related behaviour.…”

Section: Behavioural Response To Human Facial and Auditory Emotional ...mentioning

confidence: 69%

“…This study evaluated self-reported data by 1172 dog owners to explore the link between owners' trait anxiety and their dogs' fear and anxiety-related behaviour. They found a positive correlation between owners' trait anxiety and dogs' anxiety-related behaviour problems (Pereira 2021). These data were further analysed to determine whether dog-directed owner behaviour, such as coercive training methods were mediating factors that could underlie the observation, but no relationship was found for this variable.…”

Section: Behavioural Response To Human Facial and Auditory Emotional ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emotional contagion in the human/dog dyad - physiological and cognitive consequences, and implications for pain management: A scoping review

Walt

Parker

2023

Preprint

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Objective The objective of this scoping review is to explore the implications of human-dog dyadic interactions on canine chronic pain, by investigating the mediating role of human emotion on the affective and behavioural states of dogs typically associated with canine pain. Introduction: Canine chronic osteoarthritis pain causes significant burden of disease in pet dog populations. It is understood that chronic pain is complex and multidimensional, with poor correlation between disease severity and functional disability. Interactions with their human caregivers have measurable effects of affective and physiological states in dogs. A better understanding of how these interactions may affect functional disability in dogs with osteoarthritis pain will inform patient management approaches. Inclusion criteria: This review included studies evaluating behavioural, physiological, affective or cognitive changes in dogs, within a human-dog dyad, in response to human caregiver behaviour, personality or emotion. Methods The databases searched included PUBMED, SCOPUS, CINAHL, SOCINDEX, PSYCHARTICLES AND PSYCHINFO, and articles were screened by two independent reviewers for assessment against the inclusion criteria for the review. Results 55 Full text articles were included in the results. Conclusions The data support the hypothesis that human affective states influence canine affect, physiology, cognition and behavioural adaptation.

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Section: Behavioural Response To Human Facial and Auditory Emotional ...mentioning

confidence: 69%

Section: Behavioural Response To Human Facial and Auditory Emotional ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Emotional contagion in the human/dog dyad - physiological and cognitive consequences, and implications for pain management: A scoping review

Walt

Parker

2023

Preprint

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“…Understanding associations between owner psychology and dog behaviour would enhance dog behaviour treatment programmes and increase the emphasis on owner role, for example through relationship-centred training facilitates effective behaviour modi cation through prioritising empathy, compassion, and commitment elements of the bond (Clothier 2002). This may also enhance owner wellbeing by encouraging them to address any psychological issues, creating an interconnected approach to the optimisation of wellbeing for both members of the dyad (Pereira et al 2021; One Health 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dodman et al 2018), and recently,Pereira et al (2021) who found that owner anxiety predicted increased anxiety-related behaviour in dogs. The authors also used the C-BARQ, however the focus was on trait anxiety, thus direct comparison cannot be made; nevertheless, comprehensive mediation and moderation analyses were conducted and revealed an almost 100% direct effect of owners' trait anxiety on dogs' fear and anxiety.…”

mentioning

confidence: 92%

Owner psychological characteristics predict dog behavioural traits

Clarke

Loftus

2023

Preprint

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There is extensive literature on the human-dog bond, less however on the role of owner psychological characteristics within this bond, and less still on how these might mediate dog behaviour. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between owner levels of depression, anxiety and self-esteem and dog behaviour. Multiple linear regression was conducted to determine the predictive power of the psychological variables on dog behaviour using self-report. Conceptual content analysis was performed on three open questions to assess owner beliefs regarding their psychological influence on their dogs’ behaviour. 497 responses were collected. Anxiety and depression positively predicted increased levels of dog attachment and attention-seeking (p = < 0.001; p = 0.006), separation-related behaviour (p = < 0.001; p = < 0.001), stranger-directed aggression (p = < 0.001; p = < 0.001), stranger-directed fear (p = < 0.001; p = < 0.001), non-social fear (p = < 0.001; p = 0.01), dog-directed fear (p = 0.01; p = 0.01), touch sensitivity (p = < 0.001; p = < 0.001) and excitability (p = 0.004; p = < 0.001). Decreased self-esteem predicted dog non-social fear (p = 0.01). Fourteen themes were identified, including strong perceived bond, emotional dependency and anthropomorphism. Whilst only minimal within the vast interplay of factors impacted in canine ethology, owner psychological functioning plays a significant role in dog behaviour via numerous routes including interaction, emotion contagion and attachment. Understanding owner influence on dog behaviour can improve behaviour modification programmes, success of rehoming schemes, and improve wellbeing for both members of the human-dog dyad.

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“…Though the forum data used in this project did not allow the authors to view real-life owner behavior toward their dogs, it is likely that owners' feelings toward their animals are likely to influence how they behave towards him or her, and to subsequently impact the dog's emotions and behavior. For example, owner anxiety about or during interactions with their dogs often results in the dog also becoming anxious (O'Farrell, 1997;Pereira et al, 2021). As anxiety is the emotional state underlying some of the common undesired behaviors in dogs, including aggression (Gigantesco & Giuliani, 2011), addressing how the owner feels about their dog can be a key part of preventing escalation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

In the Doghouse? An Exploration of Online Discussions Around the Challenges of Human-Dog Relationships

Furtado,

Casey,

Upjohn

et al. 2023

Soc. Animals

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Though many prospective dog guardians have an optimistic view of dog-human relationships, the realities can be challenging. This paper discusses carer-reported emotional impacts of dealing with more problematic relationships with dogs. This study used a Grounded Theory method to qualitatively analyze 35 discussion threads about dog behavior, from two UK-based online discussion forums between June–October 2019. The study found a close link between the carers’ perceptions of their relationships with their dogs, and whether the dogs behaved in ways that the owners considered acceptable. Puppy owners experienced substantial emotional disruption when they perceived the behaviors of their puppies to be outside of their expected boundaries. This paper highlights the importance of helping carers to manage their expectations of dog guardianship, and underlines the importance of emotional support when carers struggle to cope.

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Evaluation of mediating and moderating effects on the relationship between owners’ and dogs’ anxiety: A tool to understand a complex problem

Cited by 8 publications

References 58 publications

Emotional contagion in the human/dog dyad - physiological and cognitive consequences, and implications for pain management: A scoping review

Emotional contagion in the human/dog dyad - physiological and cognitive consequences, and implications for pain management: A scoping review

Owner psychological characteristics predict dog behavioural traits

In the Doghouse? An Exploration of Online Discussions Around the Challenges of Human-Dog Relationships

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