Revealed: how your relationship with your dog affects their wellbeing

For the first time scientific research has shown that the quality of the relationship between a dog and its caregiver significantly influences its long term well being.

The findings are the result of a study coordinated by the University of Pisa, in collaboration with Oxford Brookes University and the University of Perugia, and published in the international journal Scientific Reports. 

Dr Marco Campera, Senior Lecturer in Conservation and Biodiversity at Oxford Brookes was part of the research team. Dr Campera said: “We found out that having a secure relationship with your dog reduces stress and the risks associated with their health while having an anxious attachment increases the physiological indicators of stress and risks associated with their health.”

Professor Chiara Mariti of the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pisa said: "For the first time, we have demonstrated with scientific data that a dog's attachment bond is also associated with chronic stress. This is a topic that has long been discussed in veterinary behavioral medicine and dog breeding, drawing on human psychology, but until now, experimental evidence has been lacking."

The study, conducted as part of Dr Giacomo Riggio's PhD at the University of Pisa, involved 100 dogs and their caregivers. To assess the type of bond, the researchers used the Strange Situation Test, a protocol originally developed to study attachment in children and later adapted for dogs. During the test, the animal experiences brief separations and reunions with its caregiver and interacts with an unfamiliar person.

Their reaction allowed the researchers to classify their attachment style. In the sample analysed, approximately 65% ​​of the dogs had a secure attachment, 15% had an insecure-anxious attachment, and 17% had an insecure-avoidant attachment.

In addition to identifying attachment style, researchers measured several physiological indicators: heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, and cortisol levels in saliva (which reflect acute stress) and hair (which assesses chronic, accumulated stress over time). It emerged that dogs with a secure attachment cope better with stressful situations, while those with an insecure-anxious attachment react more intensely.

"Beyond the differences in bonding, the message that emerges is very clear," explains Professor Mariti. "When a dog seeks contact with its caregiver, responding positively is beneficial to its well-being. Caresses, closeness, and physical contact aren't just gestures of affection; they represent an important protective factor, capable of helping reduce the animal's stress even in the long term."

"Our results show that the effects of a quality relationship aren't limited to how a dog copes with a single stressful event," Professor Mariti concludes. "This provides us with the foundation for promoting dog well-being and understanding the role of the caregiver relationship, overturning old concepts based on imposition and opening up new application perspectives based on relationship quality and respect."

The study was published in Scientific Reports. The authors are Giacomo Riggio, Carmen Borrelli, Marco Campera, Silvana Diverio, and Chiara Mariti.