Robyn Palmer

Supervisor: Dr Debbie Custance

I am interested in the dog / human bond, and rather than studying this from the owners point of view, I am trying to ascertain the nature of the dogs bond with its owner. In order to do this I have based my studies on early attachment theory and Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Procedure (ASSP) in particular. I have collected video footage of dogs in the ASSP and also in their own homes. My results so far, indicate that the dog – human relationship conforms to an attachment bond and is remarkably similar to that between human mothers and their infants.