The relationship a dog has with its owner is related to its stress level. This is the conclusion of a recently published study from Linköping University, Sweden. The results also suggest that the relationship between stress and owner personality traits differs between dog breeds.
The researchers investigated whether dogs' stress levels are influenced by the people they live with. Stress levels over the past few months can be determined in both dogs and humans by measuring the amount of stress hormone that is stored in hairs during growth.
The researchers collected hair from both dogs and owners, and measured cortisol levels, the main stress hormone. They wondered if there are differences between different dog breeds. Breeding has led to the genetic selection of different breeds for different tasks. The study included 18 dogs of breeds bred for independent hunting, such as the Swedish Elkhound, Norwegian Elkhound and Dachshund. A second group included dogs of ancient breeds that are genetically more closely related to the wolf than other breeds. This group consisted of 24 dogs of breeds such as the shiba inu, the basenji and the Siberian husky. All owners completed questionnaires about their own personality and that of their dog. They also answered questions about their relationship with their dog, including things like how the owner experienced the interaction with the dog, the degree of emotional attachment to the dog, and the extent to which owning a dog gave rise to problems.
“The results showed that owner personality influenced stress levels in hunting dogs, but interestingly not in the old dogs. In addition, the relationship between the dog and the owner influenced the dogs' stress levels. This was the case for both types, but the result was less pronounced for the old dogs,” said Lina Roth, senior lecturer in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University.
In a previous study, the same researchers had observed that herding breed dogs, which are genetically selected for their ability to interact with humans, reflect their owner's long-term stress levels. When the researchers now added information about the relationship of the sheepdogs with their owner, it became clear that the relationship was also significant for the long-term stress levels in these dogs.
The researchers conclude that long-term stress is least strongly influenced by the owner and their relationship to the dog for older breeds. The hunting dogs show clear connections between both the owner's personality and their relationship with the dog, but it is only herding dogs that show the unique synchronization with the owner's long-term stress.
“We believe that the synchronization of stress is a result of breeding sheepdogs for cooperation with humans, while the owner relationship and the owner's personality are important parameters that influence the synchronization of stress levels,” says Lina Roth.
