Post conflict consolation towards humans in domestic dogs: a pilot study

RIAL LAURA; CAVALLI, C.; DZIK, M.V.; BENTOSELA M.

Congreso; VIII CANINE SCIENCE FORUM; 2023

Introduction. Consolation is defined as a set of affiliative behaviors that an observer directs towards another individual expressing a negative emotional state. In the post-conflict paradigm, consolation towards the victim by an uninvolved bystander is observed. Dogs console conspecifics when they’re victims of a conflict. However, this ability remains to be studied in human-to-human conflict.Question/Hypothesis. We aim to evaluate if dogs show consolation to their owners after witnessing a fight between them, and whether stress levels and the role of the main owner (aggressor or victim) modulate the phenomenon.Method. 19 family-owned adult dogs, from both sexes and various breeds were assessed remotely via Zoom. The dogs were exposed to experimental and control conditions, in two different sessions, counterbalancing the order. Experimental condition: Phase 1 (20s): one of the owners (aggressor) shouted at the other (victim) who remained silent. Phase 2 (90s): they sat opposite to each other, facing down in silence. Control condition: Phase 1 (20s): one owner spoke calmly to the other, who remained silent. Phase 2: identical to experimental condition. The dog was unleashed during the test. Both affiliative (proximity, gaze, latency to approach and which owner the dog approached first) and stress-related behaviors (crouching, ears down, lip licking, panting, tail lowering, vocalizations, yawning) were recorded.Results. Generalized Linear Mixed Models were used. Compared to control, in the experimental condition dogs showed a shorter latency to approach one of the owners during the second phase (p=0.032). They approached the victim first during phase 2 only when the main owner was the aggressor (p=0.047). They gazed at the victim more on both phases (p=0.000, p=0.046) and less at the aggressor on phase 2 (p=0.025). Dogs were less in proximity with the victim in phase 1 (p=0.011), and more in proximity with the aggressor during phase 2 (p=0.028). Dogs showed more stress on the experimental condition during phase 2 (p=0.022). All other comparisons were not significant.Discusion. Dogs were able to differentiate between the two conditions, with the experimental condition being more stressful. However, the results are mixed regarding the presence of consolation, as although they gazed more at the victim in the experimental condition, they stayed closer to the aggressor for longer periods of time. It is possible that this is due to theconflict’s short duration and intensity. Currently, we’re collecting data for a derivative study increasing the salience of the conflict.