Published 12 May 2021 at 12.04
Science. There is a connection between the relationship with the owner and the stress level in the dog, according to a study from Linköping University. But there are differences between different dog breeds when it comes to the relationship between the dog's stress and factors in the owner.
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Researchers have investigated whether dogs' stress levels are affected by the people with whom the dogs live. The stress levels over several months can be read in both dogs and humans in the stress hormones that are stored in hair as they grow.
In the current study, the researchers collected hair from both dogs and owners and measured the levels of cortisol, the most important stress hormone. Among other things, the researchers were interested in whether there are differences between different dog breeds. Through breeding, different dog breeds have been selected to suit different types of tasks.
The study included 18 dogs of breeds bred for independent hunting, such as greyhound, greyhound, and dachshund. Another group were primitive dog breeds that are genetically closer to the ancestor wolf compared to other breeds, such as shiba, basenji, and Siberian husky. A total of 24 dogs from this group participated in the study.
All dog owners filled out surveys about both their own and the dog's personalities. They were also asked to answer a questionnaire about their relationship with the dog, with questions about how the owner experienced the interaction with the dog, emotional closeness to the dog and to what extent it was difficult to have a dog.
– The results showed that the owner's personality was important for the hunting dogs' stress levels, but interestingly not for the breeds of the primitive type. In addition, it turned out that the relationship between the dog and the owner was important for the dog's stress level – although there were again weaker results for the breeds of primitive type, says Lina Roth, senior lecturer at the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology, IFM, at Linköping University, in a mailing.
In a previous study, the same researcher has seen that herding dogs, which are selected for cooperation with humans, reflect the owner's long-term stress. When the researchers in the new study also added the information about the herding dogs 'relationship to the owner, the relationship also proved to be important for the herding dogs' long-term stress. The hunting dogs show clear associations between both the owner's personality and their relationship together, but it is only the herding dogs that show the unique synchronization in long-term stress with humans.
– We believe that stress synchronization is based on the herding dogs has been bred for cooperation with humans, but that the relationship with the owner and the owner's personality are important parameters that affect the synchronization of stress levels, says Lina Roth.