The Role of Dogs in Hungarian University Students’ Social Networks
A recent study conducted by the Department of Ethology at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE) and published in Scientific Reports sheds light on the unique role that dogs play in human social networks. According to the research, the bond between humans and their canine companions can be likened to a mix of a parent-child relationship and a best-friend dynamic.
The study compared the relationship characteristics between dog owners and their pets with those of other human connections, such as children, romantic partners, close relatives, and best friends. The findings revealed that the human-dog bond combines nurturing love similar to that directed towards children with the harmony and lack of conflict typically found in close friendships. However, the relationship is marked by a clear power imbalance, with the owner holding the dominant role.
Interestingly, the study also found that individuals who receive high levels of support from human relationships tend to report greater support from their dogs as well. This suggests that dogs complement, rather than compensate for, human social bonds.
Over 700 dog owners participated in the study, evaluating their relationship with their dogs and human partners across various dimensions. Dogs were rated highest in terms of overall satisfaction, companionship, and feelings of being loved. The bond between dogs and their owners showed characteristics similar to those between parents and children in terms of care and reliability, and low conflict similar to that of best friendships. However, the relationship exhibited significantly more power inequality than any of the human connections.
Enikő Kubinyi, the head of ELTE’s Department of Ethology, highlighted that owners have near-total control over their dogs, making all decisions and setting the rules. This control and the resulting dependency of dogs may explain why owners rate the relationship so highly.
The study also explored how individuals’ evaluations of their relationships with dogs related to their human connections. Surprisingly, individuals who felt more supported by people also reported higher levels of support from their dogs, indicating that people do not turn to dogs solely to fill emotional gaps left by humans.
Overall, the research suggests that dogs offer different types of emotional and social support depending on what their owners need. The multidimensional framework used in this study provides a more accurate understanding of the complexity of the human-dog bond and highlights why these relationships are often so deep and meaningful to many individuals.
