This study investigated attachment styles as they apply to dog and dog-owner dyads. While the study was inconclusive, it examined how the four attachment styles (secure, preoccupied, dismissive, fearful-avoidant) can be measured in dogs and how attachment styles can be measured in dog and dog-owner dyads as opposed to studying each side of the relationship individually.

Animal shelters can be stress-inducing environments for dogs because of the noise, social isolation and unpredictable housing (Hennessy et al., 2020). Dog enthusiasts and researchers alike have found that social interaction can help alleviate stress in dogs. The aim of this study was to understand dogs’ interaction preferences to improve their welfare in animal shelters. We hypothesized that there would be statistically significant differences between both the time dogs spent in dog-dog and dog-human interactions. The dogs’ interaction preferences were operationalized as the percentage of their play time they spent in dog-dog, dog-human and dog-environment interactions. A total of twelve dogs from the Animal Humane Society (AHS) in Golden Valley, Minnesota shelter participated as subjects in the study. The study ran for two weeks, and there were 2 sessions of 15 minute playgroups recorded at 9:00 AM, 11:40 AM and 2:20 PM. Each playgroup consisted of two to four dogs. We found statistically significant differences between the percentage of each dog’s individual time they spent in dog-human interactions, which is supported by the literature. Differences between the percentage of each dog’s time in dog-dog interactions were nearly, but not quite statistically significant. Further research is needed to determine if age, size and breed contribute to the dog’s interaction preferences. More research is also needed to determine whether individual differences in preference for dog-dog interaction exist between dogs, and how this knowledge can be applied to improve dogs’ welfare in shelters. Our research suggests that shelters should continue to provide dogs with play time to interact with humans, as it is helpful in alleviating the impact of environmental stressors.

Previous research has indicated that certain breeds of dogs stay longer in shelters than others. However, exactly how breed perception and identification influences potential adopters' decisions remains unclear. Current dog breed identification practices in animal shelters are often based upon information supplied by the relinquishing owner, or staff determination based on the dog's phenotype. However, discrepancies have been found between breed identification as typically assessed by welfare agencies and the outcome of DNA analysis. In Study 1, the perceived behavioral and adoptability characteristics of a pit-bull-type dog were compared with those of a Labrador Retriever and Border Collie. How the addition of a human handler influenced those perceptions was also assessed. In Study 2, lengths of stay and perceived attractiveness of dogs that were labeled as pit bull breeds were compared to dogs that were phenotypically similar but were labeled as another breed at an animal shelter. The latter dogs were called "lookalikes." In Study 3, we compared perceived attractiveness in video recordings of pit-bull-type dogs and lookalikes with and without breed labels. Lastly, data from an animal shelter that ceased applying breed labeling on kennels were analyzed, and lengths of stay and outcomes for all dog breeds, including pit bulls, before and after the change in labeling practice were compared. In total, these findings suggest that breed labeling influences potential adopters' perceptions and decision-making. Given the inherent complexity of breed assignment based on morphology coupled with negative breed perceptions, removing breed labels is a relatively low-cost strategy that will likely improve outcomes for dogs in animal shelters.

Previous empirical evaluations of training programs aimed at improving dog adoption rates assume that dogs exhibiting certain behaviors are more adoptable. However, no systematic data are available to indicate that the spontaneous behavior of shelter dogs has an effect on adopter preference. The aim of the present study was to determine whether any behaviors that dogs exhibit spontaneously in the presence of potential adopters were associated with the dogs' length of stay in the shelter. A sample of 289 dogs was videotaped for 1 min daily throughout their stay at a county shelter. To account for differences in adopter behavior, experimenters varied from solitary passive observers to pairs of interactive observers. Dogs behaved more attentively to active observers. To account for adopter preference for morphology, dogs were divided into “morphologically preferred” and “non-preferred” groups. Morphologically preferred dogs were small, long coated, ratters, herders, and lap dogs. No theoretically significant differences in behavior were observed between the two different dog morphologies. When accounting for morphological preference, three behaviors were found to have a significant effect on length of stay in all dogs: leaning or rubbing on the enclosure wall (increased median length of stay by 30 days), facing away from the front of the enclosure (increased by 15 days), and standing (increased by 7 days). When combinations of behaviors were assessed, back and forth motion was found to predict a longer stay (increased by 24 days). No consistent behavioral changes were observed due to time spent at the shelter. These findings will allow shelters to focus behavioral modification efforts only on behaviors likely to influence adopters' choices.

Although considerable progress has been made in understanding the genetic basis of morphologic traits (for example, body size and coat color) in dogs and wolves, the genetic basis of their behavioral divergence is poorly understood. An integrative approach using both behavioral and genetic data is required to understand the molecular underpinnings of the various behavioral characteristics associated with domestication. We analyze a 5-Mb genomic region on chromosome 6 previously found to be under positive selection in domestic dog breeds. Deletion of this region in humans is linked to Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS), a multisystem congenital disorder characterized by hypersocial behavior. We associate quantitative data on behavioral phenotypes symptomatic of WBS in humans with structural changes in the WBS locus in dogs. We find that hypersociability, a central feature of WBS, is also a core element of domestication that distinguishes dogs from wolves. We provide evidence that structural variants in GTF2I and GTF2IRD1, genes previously implicated in the behavioral phenotype of patients with WBS and contained within the WBS locus, contribute to extreme sociability in dogs. This finding suggests that there are commonalities in the genetic architecture of WBS and canine tameness and that directional selection may have targeted a unique set of linked behavioral genes of large phenotypic effect, allowing for rapid behavioral divergence of dogs and wolves, facilitating coexistence with humans.