Project properties
Title Human-animal bond: Influence of dog-directed parenting styles on the owner-dog relationship and dog welfare
Group Behavioural Ecology
Project type thesis
Credits 24-36
Supervisor(s) Bonne Beerda
Examiner(s) dr. Bonne Beerda
Contact info bonne.beerda@wur.nl; jori.noordenbos@wur.nl
Begin date 2016/12/31
End date 2025/12/31
Description Dog owners may interact with their dogs along so called 'parenting styles', but but how these influence the dog and its welfare is yet unknown. Parenting styles are determined by the caretakers levels of responsiveness and demandingness, as applied through parenting. In humans, different parenting styles are known to affect child development, socially and in terms of learning. The ongoing project to which students can contribute assesses if the parenting styles are identifiable in dog owners as well and what influences these have on the owner dog relationship and dog quality of life. The latter as measured, for example, with the cognitive bias test and other behaviour tests such as the Strange Situation Test are used to assess dog owners and their dogs. A new viewpoint within this research that we want to look into, is the effect that the parenting style, or the outlook of the owner in general, has on how they interact with their dog, including the way they speak to the dog, and how this affects matters like trainability and the dog-owner bond.
Used skills
Requirements Different types of theses are possible