Research on dog social cognition has received widespread attention. However, the vast majority of this research has focused on dogs’ relationships and responsiveness towards adult humans. While little research has considered dog–child interactions from a cognitive perspective, how dogs perceive and socially engage with children is critical to fully understand...
Approximately one in six children in the United States has a developmental disability (CDC, 2018). Among a wide variety of interventions that have been developed to support the health, wellbeing, and development of youth with disabilities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) have become increasingly prevalent. Some AAI involve youth participating with their...
Adaptations of the Ainsworth’s Strange Situation test, a social-development test based on Bowlby’s attachment theory, can be applied to dog-owner relationships and used to categorize attachment styles in dogs. Dogs with secure attachment use their owner as a secure base from which to explore their environment and should theoretically be...