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Overimitation, the copying of causally irrelevant or non-functional actions, is well-known from humans but completely absent in other primates. Recent studies from our lab have provided evidence for overimitation in canines. Previously, we found that half of tested pet dogs copied their human caregiver’s irrelevant action, while only few did so when the action was demonstrated by an unfamiliar experimenter. Therefore, we hypothesized that dogs show overimitation as a result of socio-motivational grounds. To test this more specifically, here we investigated how the relationship with the caregiver influenced the eagerness to overimitate. Given the high variability in the tendency to overimitate their caregiver, we hypothesized that not only familiarity but also relationship quality influences whether dogs faithfully copy their caregiver. For this purpose, on the one hand we measured the overimitation tendency (with the same test as in the two studies before) and on the other hand the relationship quality between the dogs and their caregivers. Although we found no significant correlation between the two test results, our data might suggest that, on average, dogs who overimitated seemed to show more referential and affiliative behaviours towards the owner than dogs who showed less or no copying of the irrelevant action. Notably, as a group, those dogs that showed the highest level of copying accuracy of the irrelevant action showed the highest level of gazing and synchronization towards the owner.

Oxytocin is a key modulator of emotional processing and social cognitive function. In line with this, polymorphisms of genes involved in oxytocin signaling, like the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene, are known to influence social behavior in various species. However, to date, no study has investigated environmental factors possibly influencing the epigenetic variation of the OXTR gene and its behavioral effects in dogs. Pet dogs form individualized and strong relationships with their owners who are central figures in the social environment of their dogs and therefore might influence the methylation levels of their OXTR gene. Here we set out to investigate whether DNA methylation within the OXTR promoter region of pet dogs is linked to their owner’s interaction style and to the social behavior of the dogs. To be able to do so, we collected buccal epithelial cells and, in Study 1, we used pyrosequencing techniques to look for differentially methylated CpG sites in the canine OXTR promoter region on a heterogeneous sample of dogs and wolves of different ages and keeping conditions. Four identified sites (at positions -727, -751, -1371, and -1383 from transcription start site) showing more than 10% methylation variation were then, in Study 2, measured in triplicate in 217 pet Border Collies previously tested for reactions to an adverse social situation (i.e., approach by a threatening human) and with available data on their owners’ interaction styles. We found that CpG methylation was significantly associated with the behavior of the dogs, in particular with the likelihood that dogs would hide behind their owner or remain passive when approached by a threatening human. On the other hand, CpG methylation was not related to the owners’ behavior but to dog sex (at position -1371). Our findings underpin the complex relationship between epigenetics and behavior and highlight the importance of including epigenetic methods in the analysis of dog behavioral development. Further research is needed to investigate which environmental factors influence the epigenetic variation of the OXTR gene.

The bond dogs develop with their owner received increased attention in the last years but no study aimed at characterizing the way in which owners interact with their dogs in their daily life and how this might influence dog behavior. In order to examine how dog owners interact with their dogs, we first analyzed the behavior of 220 dog owners in 8 different standardized situations involving the owner-dog dyad. We extracted 3 behavioral factors related to “Owner Warmth,” “Owner Social Support,” and “Owner Control.” Further, we investigated whether owner personality, gender and age are associated with these three factors. Results indicated that older owners scored lower in “Owner Warmth” and in “Owner Social Support” and higher in “Owner Control” than younger owners. Furthermore, owners scoring high in “Owner Control” scored lower in the personality trait Openness and owners scoring high in “Owner Social Support” scored lower in the personality trait Conscientiousness. Finally, we also analyzed whether the dogs' reaction to an unfamiliar woman's threatening approach was associated with the owners' interaction styles. Results showed that dogs that searched for proximity of their owners during the threatening situation had owners scoring higher in “Owner Warmth,” as compared to dogs that reacted more autonomously, approaching the unfamiliar experimenter. Analogies between dog-owner interaction styles and human parenting styles are discussed considering the implications of the present findings for human social psychology as well as the practical relevance for dog welfare and human safety.

Masterarbeit - Veterinärmedizinische Universität Wien - 2022, Der Besucher-Effekt wurde bereits anhand vieler verschiedener Tierarten untersucht, um zu verstehen ob und wie Besucher*innen Tiere die in Zoos, und ähnlichen Einrichtungen leben, beeinflussen. Bis heute haben sich jedoch nur wenige Studien mit der Familie der Kaniden befasst, und keine hat identisch aufgezogen Hunde, C. l. familiaris, und Wölfe, Canis lupus, verglichen. Dieser direkte Vergleich kann wertvolle Hinweise geben, wie sich im Laufe der Domestikation die Wahrnehmung bezüglich des Menschen vom Wolf zum Hund verändert hat. In dieser Studie haben wir die Tiere des Wolf Science Center (WSC) in ihren Reaktionen auf sich spontan verhaltene Menschen und ihre privaten Hunde beobachtet. Gemäß der ‘Hyper-Sociability Hypothesis’ erwarteten wir, dass Hunde, im Vergleich zu Wölfen, weniger negatives Verhalten als Reaktion auf die Besucher*innen zeigen würden. Während die Besucher*innen Zahl keinen Einfluss auf die Tiere zu haben scheint, konnten wir einen signifikanten Einfluss des Geräuschpegels, sowie einiger Besucher*innen Verhaltensweisen nachweisen. Entgegen unserer Hypothese konnten wir jedoch einen allgemeinen negativen Besucher*innen Effekt auf die Tiere feststellen, was am wahrscheinlichsten mit der extensiven Sozialisierung der Tiere von klein auf erklärbar ist., Master thesis - University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna - 2022, The visitor effect has already been investigated with many different animal species. The goal of these studies is to understand if, and how, visitors influence animals living in captivity. However, to date only few studies have focused on canines, and none have compared equally raised dogs, C. l. familiaris, and wolves, Canis lupus. This direct comparison might give valuable insights on how domestication has changed the perception of humans by dogs and wolves. Here, we observed the animals at the Wolf Science Center (WSC) in their reactions to spontaneously behaving human visitors, and their pet dogs. Following the ‘Hyper-Sociability Hypothesis, we expected dogs to show less negative behavior in reaction to the visitors, compared to wolves. While we found that visitor number itself had no influence on the animals, we could find a significant effect for visitor noise levels, as well as certain visitor behaviors. However, contrary to our hypothesis, we could not find an overall negative visitor effect on neither of the animals, which might be best explained by the extensive socialization of the animals from puppyhood on.