Introduction
Many dog owners feel a deep bond with their pets and consider them to be like children or family members. This prompts the question of whether dogs reciprocate those feelings and see their human caretakers as “parents”. There is an ongoing debate around whether anthropomorphizing dogs in this way accurately reflects how they perceive relationships. While dogs do form strong attachments and have complex emotions, the extent to which they view their owners as parental figures remains unclear.
This article will provide an overview of the evidence around dog attachment styles, pack mentality, child-like behaviors, the strength of the owner-dog bond, separation anxiety, oxytocin levels, dog cognitive abilities, and the risks of anthropomorphism. The goal is to explore whether current research and understanding of dog psychology supports or refutes the idea that dogs see their human caretakers as “parents” in a manner comparable to a human child.
Dog Attachment Styles
Like humans, dogs can develop different attachment styles that reflect the bond they form with their caregivers. Research by Lisa Horn, Margaret Tuber, Gretchen Caris, and Sue Grosse based on studies of dog-owner relationships identified three main attachment styles in dogs that parallel styles seen in infants:
Secure attachment – Dogs with a secure attachment style feel relaxed and comfortable in the presence of their owner. They view their owner as a secure base they can rely on. Securely attached dogs show signs of missing their owner when separated, but are easily calmed upon reunion. Studies show that secure attachment in dogs is associated with sensitive caregiving from the owner (Rehn, 2017).
Anxious attachment – Anxiously attached dogs show signs of distress when separated from their owner. They are often overly clingy, anxious, or fearful of environments and people outside the primary attachment figure. This style likely stems from inconsistent caregiving.
Avoidant attachment – Dogs with an avoidant attachment style show little interest in interacting with their owner and do not rely on them as a secure base. They are independent and show little distress when separated. This attachment style may reflect a history of unresponsive caregiving (The Dogue Shop).
Pack Mentality
Dogs are descended from wolves and retain many wolf-like traits and instincts, including living in packs with complex social hierarchies. Within a pack, there is an “alpha” leader that the other wolves submit to and follow. According to some experts, dogs view their human owners as the “alpha” leader of their pack.
There are several signs that indicate your dog sees you as the alpha leader:
- Your dog looks to you when uncertain about a situation
- Your dog follows you around and wants to be near you
- Your dog obeys commands and respects your authority
- Your dog allows and enjoys physical dominance like petting
- Your dog makes eye contact with you and looks away first (shows submission)
Establishing yourself as the “alpha” provides leadership and structure for your dog. However, the alpha theory has limits, and dogs bond with owners in complex psychological ways beyond just pack hierarchy. But viewing you as the leader of their pack is certainly one role your dog assigns you.
Source: https://www.wagthedoguk.com/2018/05/26/7-signs-dog-sees-pack-leader/
Child-like Behaviors
Many dog owners observe their pets exhibiting child-like behaviors, especially when interacting with their human caregivers. Dogs often seem to view their owners as parental figures and engage in juvenile behaviors typically seen in puppies, even into adulthood. This includes playful actions like jumping, mouthing, wrestling, chasing tails, and presenting belly for rubs. Dogs may also whine or bark for attention, follow their owners from room to room, and refuse to be left alone.
According to one study, the owner-dog relationship actually does mimic the parent-child bond in terms of attachment and effects on oxytocin levels (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/study-dogs-bond-with-owners-similar-to-babies-with-parents/). This is likely due to the pack mentality of dogs – they view their human families as their pack, with the owners serving as the “alpha” leader figures. Displaying puppy-like behaviors helps strengthen their bond with the pack leader.
Additionally, dogs remain in a perpetual state of adolescence compared to wolves. This retained immaturity allows them to be more flexible and adapt better to human environments. As a result, dogs act like puppies around their owners well into adulthood as a way to further integrate themselves into the human “pack.”
Owner-Dog Bond
Research shows that the bond between dogs and their owners is similar to the attachment bond between human infants and caregivers (Payne, 20151). Dogs form secure, anxious, avoidant or disorganized attachment styles with their owners, just like human children form with their caregivers (Lass-Hennemann et al., 20222). The strength of attachment a dog forms with its owner can influence the dog’s behavior. Dogs with stronger attachment bonds demonstrate more proximity seeking, contact maintenance, and separation distress behaviors with their owners.
An owner’s own attachment style can also shape the bond they form with their dog. Owners with secure attachment styles have dogs that seek more support during stressful situations. Owners with avoidant attachment styles have dogs that are more independent and seek less support (Rehn et al., 20173). This shows how the owner-dog bond is a two-way relationship shaped by both parties’ attachment tendencies.
Separation Anxiety
Many dogs experience separation anxiety similar to that of human children. This is a condition in which dogs exhibit signs of stress and anxiety when left alone or separated from their owners.1 Separation anxiety occurs because dogs are highly social, pack animals that can form strong bonds with their human families. Being left alone goes against their natural instincts.
Common symptoms of separation anxiety in dogs include destructive behavior, house soiling, and excessive vocalization like barking or whining when their owners leave. Some dogs may even begin displaying anxious behaviors in anticipation of their owner leaving.2 These behaviors stem from the distress the dog feels at being separated from its bonded human family members.
Just like anxious children, dogs with separation anxiety feel panicked when their caregivers go away. They are unable to cope with alone time. While dogs do not have the same cognitive abilities as human babies, they can still form similar emotional attachments and experience comparable separation stress. With compassion and proper training techniques, dog owners can help relieve separation anxiety and teach their dogs to better tolerate time apart.
Oxytocin Levels
Research has shown that when owners interact with their dogs through petting, playing, or eye gazing, both the human and dog experience a surge in oxytocin levels, similar to the oxytocin release that occurs between parent and child (1). One study found that when owners gazed into their dog’s eyes for 2-3 minutes, oxytocin levels increased by 130% in both the owner and dog (2). This hormone is known to promote bonding, attachment, and trust. The oxytocin released during positive owner-dog interactions helps strengthen the relationship and emotional connection.
Some studies have also found that owners who have lower baseline oxytocin levels tend to interact with their dogs in more dysfunctional ways, like using punishment or failing to establish clear rules and routines (3). This highlights the importance of healthy and affectionate bonds between owners and dogs for their mutual wellbeing.
Sources:
(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5645535/
(2) https://www.science.org/content/article/how-dogs-stole-our-hearts
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6826447/
Dog Cognitive Abilities
Dogs do not have the cognitive ability to understand parent-child relationships in the same way that humans do. According to Oregon State University researchers, while some dog parenting styles can influence a dog’s behavior and temperament, dogs lack a concept of “family” in their minds (https://today.oregonstate.edu/news/pet-parenting-style-influences-dog-behavior-oregon-state-university-finds). Dogs may exhibit childlike behaviors with their owners, but this is likely an instinctual “pack mentality” rather than a human-like parent-child bond.
Dogs primarily think in terms of social dominance hierarchies within their pack. While dogs can form strong attachments and bonds with their owners, they do not possess the same theory of mind, abstract thinking, or sense of familial roles that humans have. Projecting human parent-child relationships onto dogs is considered anthropomorphic thinking. Dogs show affection and attachment simply as a social animal seeking security within its pack.
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism refers to attributing human characteristics, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities like animals, objects, or supernatural beings. When it comes to dogs, many owners anthropomorphize their pets by assuming their dog feels guilt, jealousy, spite, love, and other complex emotions. However, this can be dangerous when judging dog behaviors.
As experts explain, “Anthropomorphism is the use of human characteristics to describe or explain nonhuman animals” (Impacts of Anthropomorphism). While dogs do express emotions, they do not experience them the same way humans do. Attributing complex emotions to dogs can lead owners to misinterpret behaviors and react inappropriately.
For example, a dog tearing up furniture while home alone is not acting out of spite, but rather anxiety or boredom. Punishing them may increase their distress. Owners feel justified disciplining a dog when they believe the dog intentionally misbehaved out of human-like emotions. However, this anthropomorphism overlooks the dog’s true motivations.
Instead, understanding dogs from their perspective as pack animals with more basic cognitive abilities allows owners to address problem behaviors correctly through training and environmental changes. Avoiding dangerous anthropomorphism leads to healthier human-dog relationships.
Conclusion
There is evidence on both sides of the debate as to whether dogs view their owners as parent figures in a similar way that human children view their parents. On one hand, dogs do exhibit some child-like behaviors like crying when left alone, becoming excited when owners return home, and looking to their owners for guidance and reassurance in new situations. Dogs also form strong attachment bonds with their owners and can suffer from separation anxiety when apart from them. This attachment is facilitated by oxytocin, the same hormone involved in human parent-child bonding.
On the other hand, dogs do not have the same advanced cognitive abilities that humans do. They likely do not fully understand complex concepts like family and parenthood. Their child-like behaviors could simply be explained by their pack mentality and desire for attention and affection. While dogs may view their owners as leaders and caregivers in some sense, it does not necessarily mean they relate to them in the same way a human child relates to a parent.
In conclusion, while dogs display some behaviors that resemble those of human children, it is difficult to conclude definitively that they view their owners as parent figures. Their limited cognitive abilities compared to humans along with their innate pack mentality likely shape their bonding with owners in ways both similar to and distinct from human parent-child relationships. More research is needed to further understand how dogs perceive their relationships with human caregivers.