Striking global similarities in dog–human interactions

Most of our knowledge about the dog–human relationship comes from studies with dogs from ‘WEIRD’ (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) societies. Here, we investigate cultural differences in dog–owner interactions worldwide. To achieve this, we developed a test battery comprising six well-established social-cognitive experiments and a questionnaire that assessed the psychological and practical aspects of the dog–human bond. We tested hunting dogs alongside their owners in five rural societies across culturally diverse locations in various countries: Vanuatu, Mongolia, Madagascar, Peru, and Germany. Despite dramatic cultural and environmental differences, we found that dog–human relationships were remarkably similar. Residual differences may be attributed to variations in hunting techniques and differences between WEIRD and non-WEIRD societies.

University of Auckland
Max-Planck-Institut für Geoanthropologie
University of Antananarivo
Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie
Universiteit Leiden
Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru
Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena