Does the human stress response to competitive loss influence dogs’ cortisol concentration?

Hormones play an important role in social behavior. For example, cortisol triggers the mobilization of resources in response to stressors (e.g., being chased by a predator), but also plays a role in stressful or arousing social interactions (e.g., meeting a new individual, participating in a competition). Dogs are extraordinarily perceptive to human social behaviors. Only one study up to this point has taken into account whether humans’ hormonal changes are directly correlated with their dogs’. The aim of this study was to further explore the relationship between humans’ and dogs’ hormonal responses to competition. We assessed whether humans’ cortisol responses to competition are reflected in their dogs’ responses, and how humans’ testosterone levels may have interacted to influence this relationship. We collected data from 59 handler/dog agility teams during dog agility competitions in the Midwest. Saliva samples were taken from the dog and handler before and after a run and were later assayed for cortisol and testosterone levels. Handler-dog interactions following the competition were observed for affiliative and punitive behaviors. Participants were also given questionnaires to complete containing questions pertaining to their dog and competition-related questions. The results of this study will be presented

Social buffering of the stress response in dogs from diverse backgrounds

The attachment bonds between dogs and humans share many of the features of the attachment bonds between mothers and infants, including the ability of a caregiver to act as a buffer against a physiological stress response during distressful situations (i.e., social buffering). No studies to date have weighed the importance of how differing environments may affect dogs’ attachment bonds to humans, and subsequently this social buffering effect. I explored the behavioral and physiological responses of dogs from diverse environments in response to a social stressor while accompanied by either their owner or an unfamiliar human. Dogs rescued from adverse conditions and a comparison sample were approached threatening stranger either with their owner present or with an unfamiliar human present. Their behavioral responses before, during, and following the threat were assessed, as were cortisol levels (i.e., a steroid hormone considered as a physiological correlate of stress). When separated from their owner and presented with a stressor, dogs from adverse backgrounds displayed more fearful responses to the threatening stranger, less social behavior towards the unfamiliar human, and higher cortisol levels relative to dogs that were accompanied by their owners. Conversely, dogs from a comparison sample displayed reactive and friendly responses to the threatening stranger, similar rates of social behavior towards the unfamiliar person, and no differences in cortisol levels between conditions. These findings ultimately indicate that adverse environments have lasting impacts of the relationships of dogs with humans (i.e., insecure attachment bonds with their owners and increased fear of unfamiliar humans)