The Still-Face Paradigm in domestic dogs: effects of training and living conditions

BARRERA G.; CAVALLI, C.; DZIK, M.V.; GUILLEN SALAZAR, F.; BENTOSELA M.

Congreso; Canine Science Forum 2021; 2021

Introduction. The Still-Face effect refers to the reduction in affiliative behaviors and increased stress of an infant after an abrupt interruption of interaction with his mother. Studying this effect in domestic dogs is interesting given the close bond they share with humans. Question. We aimed to assess whether dogs exhibit the Still-Face effect. Secondly, we set out to investigate the role of prior experiences with people on this effect. Method. We evaluated 23 Beagle dogs housed in kennels (Study 1), and 62 pet dogs of various breeds and mixes, divided in three levels of training: none-basic, intermediate and advanced (Study 2). All dogs were adults and from both sexes. The procedure comprised three 1-minute phases: 1. Interaction: the person pet and talked to the dog. 2. Still-Face: the person turned suddenly passive, interrupting the petting and talking but continued to look at the dog. 3. Reunion: the interaction was resumed as in phase 1. Study 1 was carried out in person by a female experimenter, and Study 2 was done virtually by the owner under the guidance of an experimenter. Affiliative and stress-related behaviors were measured in all phases. Results. In Study 1, we observed a decrease in affiliative behaviors: Gazing (F(2,63)=12,08, p=.0001), Near (F(2,63)=31,87, p