Dog–Owner Relationship, Owner Interpretations and Dog Personality Are Connected with the Emotional Reactivity of Dogs
Sanni Somppi,
Heini Törnqvist,
Aija Koskela,
Antti Vehkaoja,
Katriina Tiira,
Heli Väätäjä,
Veikko Surakka,
Outi Vainio,
Miiamaaria V. Kujala
Affiliations
Sanni Somppi
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Heini Törnqvist
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Aija Koskela
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Antti Vehkaoja
Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, P.O. Box 692, FI-33101 Tampere, Finland
Katriina Tiira
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Heli Väätäjä
Research Group for Emotions, Sociality, and Computing, Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, P.O. Box 100, FI-33014 Tampere, Finland
Veikko Surakka
Master School, Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Jokiväylä 11 B, FI-96300 Rovaniemi, Finland
Outi Vainio
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Miiamaaria V. Kujala
Department of Equine and Small Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 57, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland
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 (p = 0.009), suggesting this aspect is associated with the secure base effect, and the Shared Activities factor showed a trend toward lower HRV (p = 0.067) along with more owner-directed behaviors reflecting attachment related arousal. In contrast, the Perceived Costs factor was related to higher HRV (p = 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.
