How to Bond with your adopted dog - Monash University Study

Monash University researcher Ms Linda Marston has discovered that petting and stroking a dog is the most effective way to help dogs bond with their new owners.

She said the best connection between humans and their new canine companions resulted from spending at least 10 minutes each day with their dog, stroking their ears and massaging them.

Ms Marston, from the Animal Welfare Science Centre in the department of Psychology tested her dog bonding theory on a group of shelter dogs in Melbourne.

She found dogs which had as little as 10 minutes of this physical contact each day developed a stronger bond with their owners, interacted better with strangers and remained much calmer when left alone, compared with others in the shelter.

Ms Marston said the benefits of this bonding strategy could save hundreds of dogs from being euthanised in animal shelters every year.

Last year almost 22,000 dogs went through three of Melbourne's animal shelters. Of the dogs that were adopted, eight per cent were returned.

"If we can educate people in the best and quickest way to form a lasting bond with their adopted dog we could reduce these figures dramatically," Ms Marston said. "Dogs love being part of a family, and with a little help, finding the perfect match for a dog and its owner could become a lot easier."

Ms Marston's research findings have already been adopted by staff in three of Melbourne's shelters who have started to use the bonding technique to ease the integration of dogs into their new homes. "Staff at the shelters have told me that return rates of dogs are already dropping," she said.

Reference: Monash Newsline

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