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Can you suggest a strong thesis statement about dogs?

Introduction: understanding the importance of a strong thesis statement.

A strong thesis statement is critical to any academic writing. It serves as the foundation of your argument, guiding the reader towards your main points and setting the tone for the rest of your paper. A well-crafted thesis statement provides a roadmap for your writing, helping you stay focused and on topic. In this article, we will discuss how to develop a strong thesis statement about dogs.

Defining the Topic: Dogs and Their Role in Society

Identifying the purpose: what is the goal of your thesis statement.

The purpose of your thesis statement is to clearly and concisely state your main argument or point of view on a particular topic. Your thesis statement should be specific, focused, and debatable. It should also provide a roadmap for your paper, guiding the reader towards your main points. When it comes to dogs, your thesis statement may address their role in society, their impact on human well-being, or their genetics and behavior.

Analyzing the Audience: Who Will Read Your Thesis Statement?

When developing your thesis statement, it is important to consider your audience. Who will be reading your paper? What are their beliefs and values? What are their expectations? Understanding your audience will help you tailor your argument and language to their needs and expectations. For example, if you are writing for a scientific audience, you may need to provide more technical details and evidence to support your argument.

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Researching the Topic: Gathering Information About Dogs

In order to develop a strong thesis statement about dogs, it is important to research the topic thoroughly. This may involve reading scientific studies, news articles, and books about dogs and their role in society. You may also want to interview experts in the field, such as dog trainers or veterinarians. Gathering information will help you develop a well-informed and nuanced argument.

Brainstorming Ideas: How to Develop a Strong Thesis Statement

Once you have researched the topic, it is time to brainstorm ideas for your thesis statement. Think about what you want to say about dogs and their role in society. What is your main argument? What evidence do you have to support it? Consider different angles and perspectives, and try to come up with a statement that is concise and memorable.

Drafting the Thesis Statement: Tips for Writing a Clear and Concise Statement

When drafting your thesis statement, it is important to keep it clear and concise. Make sure your statement is specific and focused, and avoid using vague or broad terms. Your thesis statement should also be debatable – it should present an argument that can be supported or refuted by evidence. Finally, make sure your statement is memorable – it should stick in the reader’s mind and clearly convey your main argument.

Evaluating Your Statement: How to Check for Strength and Clarity

Once you have drafted your thesis statement, it is important to evaluate it for strength and clarity. Ask yourself: Does my thesis statement clearly convey my main argument? Is it specific and focused? Is it debatable? Have I provided evidence to support my argument? Does it stick in the reader’s mind? If you answer yes to these questions, then you have a strong thesis statement.

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Refining Your Thesis: How to Improve Your Statement Over Time

As you continue to research and write your paper, you may find that your thesis statement needs refinement. This is a normal part of the writing process. Consider revising your statement to make it more specific or to incorporate new evidence that you have uncovered. You may also want to refine the language to make it more memorable or compelling.

Examples of Strong Thesis Statements About Dogs

Conclusion: summarizing the importance of a strong thesis statement.

A strong thesis statement is critical to any academic writing, providing a clear and concise argument that guides the reader towards your main points. When it comes to dogs, there are many important topics to consider, from their role in society to their genetics and behavior. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can develop a strong thesis statement that effectively conveys your main argument and sets the tone for your paper.

References: Sources Used to Develop This Article

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Essay on Dog for Students and Children

500+ words essay on dog.

The dog is a pet animal. A dog has sharp teeth so that it can eat flesh very easily, it has four legs, two ears, two eyes, a tail, a mouth, and a nose. It is a very clever animal and is very useful in catching thieves. It runs very fast, barks loudly and attacks the strangers. A dog saves the life of the master from danger. One can find dogs everywhere in the world. Dogs are a very faithful animal. It has a sharp mind and a strong sense of hearing smelling the things. It also has many qualities like swimming in the water, jumping from anywhere, good smelling sense.

essay on dog

Importance of Dog

A dog has a strong power of smell . They are more liked by people because of their faithfulness. They are intelligent, they are watchfulness. The dogs have many colors such as grey, white, black, brown and red. They are of many kinds such as bloodhound, greyhound, german shepherd, Labrador, Rottweiler, bulldog poodle, etc.

Usually, the dog eats fish, meat, milk, rice, bread, etc. Dogs are sometimes called canines. Dogs are sometimes referred to as man’s best friend because they are kept as domestic pets and are usually loyal and like being around humans. They are also helpful in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness and even improve your cardiovascular health. A dog also provides valuable companionship for older adults.

The dogs are so loyal to his master that nothing can induce him to leave his master. His master might be a poor man or even a beggar but still, the dog will not leave his master from far off. Dogs see their master coming home from work they rush to them and jump on them to show their love. Dogs are honest friends who are always ready to die to save a friend. It can bite a thief or stranger when they ignore its barking and try to mischief. Dogs always give security to the owner day and night.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Life Span 0f a Dog

The lifespan of a dog is very small however it can live around 12-15 years long which depend on their size such as smaller dogs lives a longer life. A female dog gives birth to a baby and feed milk that’s why dogs under the mammal category. The dog baby is called a puppy or pup and dog home is called kennel. Dogs are categorized according to their service to people such as guard dogs, herding dogs, hunting dogs, police dogs, guide dogs, sniffer dogs, etc. It has a strong power of smell with the assistance of police can arrest murderers, thieves, and dacoits. The Military trains the dogs to track and detect bombs.

Need for Dogs

Detection dogs can be employed at airports, police stations, borders, and schools. Tracking and Hunting dogs, hounds, terriers, and dachshund are the most popular types of hunting and tracking dogs. These dogs are trained to be the eyes, ears, and retrievers for their human companions.

Dogs are a very excellent swimmer. They are really a very helpful pet animal. He respects his owner from the heart and can easily guess his/ her presence through their smell. We should take good care of it and keep them in good condition.

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Argumentative Essay:Dogs vs Cats essay

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How to write a thesis statement + examples

Thesis statement

What is a thesis statement?

Is a thesis statement a question, how do you write a good thesis statement, how do i know if my thesis statement is good, examples of thesis statements, helpful resources on how to write a thesis statement, frequently asked questions about writing a thesis statement, related articles.

A thesis statement is the main argument of your paper or thesis.

The thesis statement is one of the most important elements of any piece of academic writing . It is a brief statement of your paper’s main argument. Essentially, you are stating what you will be writing about.

You can see your thesis statement as an answer to a question. While it also contains the question, it should really give an answer to the question with new information and not just restate or reiterate it.

Your thesis statement is part of your introduction. Learn more about how to write a good thesis introduction in our introduction guide .

A thesis statement is not a question. A statement must be arguable and provable through evidence and analysis. While your thesis might stem from a research question, it should be in the form of a statement.

Tip: A thesis statement is typically 1-2 sentences. For a longer project like a thesis, the statement may be several sentences or a paragraph.

A good thesis statement needs to do the following:

  • Condense the main idea of your thesis into one or two sentences.
  • Answer your project’s main research question.
  • Clearly state your position in relation to the topic .
  • Make an argument that requires support or evidence.

Once you have written down a thesis statement, check if it fulfills the following criteria:

  • Your statement needs to be provable by evidence. As an argument, a thesis statement needs to be debatable.
  • Your statement needs to be precise. Do not give away too much information in the thesis statement and do not load it with unnecessary information.
  • Your statement cannot say that one solution is simply right or simply wrong as a matter of fact. You should draw upon verified facts to persuade the reader of your solution, but you cannot just declare something as right or wrong.

As previously mentioned, your thesis statement should answer a question.

If the question is:

What do you think the City of New York should do to reduce traffic congestion?

A good thesis statement restates the question and answers it:

In this paper, I will argue that the City of New York should focus on providing exclusive lanes for public transport and adaptive traffic signals to reduce traffic congestion by the year 2035.

Here is another example. If the question is:

How can we end poverty?

A good thesis statement should give more than one solution to the problem in question:

In this paper, I will argue that introducing universal basic income can help reduce poverty and positively impact the way we work.

  • The Writing Center of the University of North Carolina has a list of questions to ask to see if your thesis is strong .

A thesis statement is part of the introduction of your paper. It is usually found in the first or second paragraph to let the reader know your research purpose from the beginning.

In general, a thesis statement should have one or two sentences. But the length really depends on the overall length of your project. Take a look at our guide about the length of thesis statements for more insight on this topic.

Here is a list of Thesis Statement Examples that will help you understand better how to write them.

Every good essay should include a thesis statement as part of its introduction, no matter the academic level. Of course, if you are a high school student you are not expected to have the same type of thesis as a PhD student.

Here is a great YouTube tutorial showing How To Write An Essay: Thesis Statements .

thesis statement about dog

What is a good thesis statement on dogs?

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i am doing an essay about dogs and i good statement would be using a quote like 'dogs are not are whole life but they make are life whole" - Roger Caras.

Dogs play a significant role in human society as companions, working animals, and service providers. Through their loyalty, intelligence, and capacity for empathy, dogs have a profound impact on human well-being and enrich our lives in various ways.

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What could a good thesis statement be for dolphins?

Just find good facts make it blend and sound good in your story and you should be good i dont know sorry...

What wouldbe a good thesis about zebras?

a good thesis statement would be something like : Zebras, though black and white,, have much more majestical mysteries and uniqueness than what it might seem from just looking on the outside (then list your reasons

What is a really good thesis statement on pandas?

A strong thesis statement on pandas could be: "Pandas are unique and fascinating creatures that play a crucial role in maintaining biodiversity. Through conservation efforts and research, we can ensure the survival of this iconic species and protect their habitats for future generations."

Is this statement true these puppies are normal dogs all dogs are active these puppies are active?

Yes, it is.

Are dollmations good dogs?

all dogs that are good dogs if there trained to be a good dog

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Dogs. Why Pugs Are the Best Breed? Essay

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Introduction

There are various breeds of dogs and people are attracted to different breeds. Being a best mans friend dogs have attracted attention of man more than any other kind of pet.Some love dogs because of color or for different reasons. Pug is breed of dog that is very special since some people view it as ugly while others have seen beauty in their appearance. Either way pug is a kind of dog that is surely going to attract attention.

To come up with this breed the Chinese often crossbred their favorite dogs to merge their favorite qualities. Pug has various unique characteristics that are attributed to it. First, it has a short coat with very elastic skin. The wrinkles on its forehead are more conspicuous. Its head can easily be distinguished from that of other breeds. Today’s breed of pug has a head that is round when viewed at from the front. In relation to its head, the face is usually flat with sizeable amount of chin. The black ears of this breed of dog are not of one type but two, button ears and rose ears.

In the US Pugs are categorized as toy breed, compared to other dogs in the breed pugs are considered the largest. Their weight always ranges from fourteen pounds to eighteen pounds. This weight makes them healthy strong and vigorous. These characteristics make pug a very likeable pet. Its appearance is almost comparable to that of a bulldog but in this case the height of the pug is in balance and symmetrical to its weight. Their horizontal length is equal to its vertical height from the ground. When looking for a good breed of pugs people always look at the tail, this makes the tail very special for many people look and distinguishes a good breed of pug from its tail. For instance, people involved in the breeding of bugs always insist that the tail should be double curled although there are others that have a tail that is tightly curled and high above the back. It is not usually a feature of the pug to have a loose tail or a tail that is not curled. Color is always one of the features that people look for when choosing pets. In color the pug is either fawn or black.

Apart from its physical features its character is what has attracted most people to this breed of dog. In view of its behavior it is known that it is attentive and very quick to react to the tone of voice. According to Giant Schnauzer Breeder it is known to be a very good watch dog; this is one main characteristic that attracts people to pugs. This breed is not fearful and never shows any signs of violent behavior. It is very playful as it loves showoffs when around the children. Pugs are by nature funny, love showoffs. The reason why they like children it is because it considers children small, similar to their own size. It is playful when indoors but when outdoor it can walk for long distances. Pugs are sometimes sensitive to the environment for they develop a breathing problem as it needs a lot of water. As it gets tired quickly it should be given enough water. Pugs have been known to be fond of visitors or strangers. This characteristic should make one consider owning a pug.

In training Pugs respond positively (Giant Schnauzer Breeder). They are playful and therefore it is easy for them to adapt to house environment. Pugs are a mixture or a crossbreed; this mixture makes pug to be special as compared to other pure breeds of dogs. Their appearance is diversified due to this mixture. This will attract attention because of this combination of various different colors. Cross breeding results in a breed that is more resistant to diseases as compared to pure breeds as the desirable characteristics are merged into one. Purebred dogs are susceptible to genetic diseases as compared to the dogs that have been crossbred. As a result pugs are strong and even healthier than the pure breeds. They live for a long period of time as they are not prone to so many diseases. Their lifespan is about twelve to fifteen years. Pugs have a tendency of being extremely social this advantages the humans as they are affectionate and love taking part in the daily activities of the family. Pugs are by nature small this is a benefit for when one is going for a vacation or traveling it becomes easy to travel with them as they are not excessively bulky.(Kristie Leong M.D 2007).

Although the pug is healthier than the pure breeds of dogs there are some health concerns that should be put into consideration when handling pug breed of dog. There are two parts of the pug’s body that are prone to ailments; the head and the legs. On the head pugs can be affected with cataracts, dry eyes, encephalitis and corneal ulcers. On the legs they can be affected with slipped stifles, and hip dysphasia. Skin mites’ affects pugs causing uneasiness. The pugs should be taken to the veterinary regularly to treat and prevent diseases.

During sunny days or humid and dry conditions pugs should be given specialized treatment to prevent their short nose from overheating due to the scorching sun. This is to say that they should always be kept indoors during this period. Just like human beings pugs do need grooming. Nails and teeth should always be checked and taken care of weekly. They are prone to shedding a lot of their fur off, therefore, they should be brushed regularly or if not once per week. Since they are prone to eye cataracts and other eye related diseases their eyes should be washed at least twice in week to prevent any cases of infection. They should always have a clean bathe regularly and should be allowed to use the bathroom daily so as to relieve at least seven times a day. Because of their short snout, pugs can become overweight easily and so owners of these species should check on this by feeding these dogs well. Even though exercises should be given to these animals, caution should be taken as they tire quickly. Exercises should not be overdone as pugs do have a problem in breathing. It should be noted that Pugs shed off their fur even though they have a short coat. It is disturbing since this shedding can stick the carpeting or clothing or even worse affect people who are allergic to this shedding. In some instances pugs become very noisy thereby irritating the owner. They have a lot of wheezing and snorting. There have some reports that pugs are stubborn since they have a mind of their own.

With all these views in mind it is safe to conclude that pug is the best breed of dog that one can have at home. The only important consideration to put in mind is to make sure that the pug is given the best training available together with good treatment and care.

Behind the Breed: Pug. 2008. Web.

Kristie Leong M.D. Advantages and Disadvantages of Owning a Pug Dog. 2008. Web.

Marcy Heathman. 2000. Web.

Puppy Training – Good Doggie . Maisy Day 2008. Web.

Pug puppy breed information. 2008. Web.

Pug Breed Information. 2008. Web.

Pug Dog Breed-FAQ. 2008. Web.

S.A.How to Train Pug Puppies. 2008. Web.

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IvyPanda. (2021, October 7). Dogs. Why Pugs Are the Best Breed? https://ivypanda.com/essays/dogs-why-pugs-are-the-best-breed/

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No matter how high you rate your writing skills, it's always an appropriate idea to check out an expertly written Thesis example, especially when you're dealing with a sophisticated Dog topic. This is precisely the case when WowEssays.com database of sample Theses on Dog will come in useful. Whether you need to come up with a fresh and meaningful Dog Thesis topic or inspect the paper's structure or formatting peculiarities, our samples will provide you with the required data.

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Example Of A Dogs Death Thesis

Description of the theme.

The short story written by John Updike entitled “Dog’s Death” centers on unraveling vividly the excruciating pain described as quietly endured by a beloved pet dog prior to the eventual and inevitable demise and the surrounding love and affection felt for the dog as they tried their best to address the dog’s dilemma. As noted in chapter 7, “theme in fiction is associated with something abstract, something broad: The theme in a story is associated with an idea that lies behind the storyis a representation of the idea behind the story” .

Identification of at Least Two of the Literary Elements that Contribute to the Theme

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Pet — Argumentative Paper: Cats Are Better Than Dogs

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Argumentative Paper: Cats Are Better than Dogs

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Published: Mar 16, 2024

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Independence, low maintenance, emotional support.

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  • Published: 08 July 2024

Domestication and exposure to human social stimuli are not sufficient to trigger attachment to humans: a companion pig-dog comparative study

  • Anna Gábor 1 , 2   na1 ,
  • Paula Pérez Fraga 1 , 2   na1 ,
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Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  14058 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

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  • Developmental biology

Dogs exhibit human-analogue attachment to their owners, with similar function and mechanisms to that of infant-mother bond, but its origin is unclear. Comparative studies on socialised wolves and dogs emphasise genetic influence in dogs' preparedness for attachment to humans. We aimed to reveal if this genetic effect stems from general domestication or artificial selection that increased dogs' dependence on humans. We assessed and compared behavioural patterns of young companion pigs and dogs using a Strange Situation Test. Dogs but not pigs exhibited distinct behaviours towards their owner and a stranger along attachment-specific variables, so only dogs’ relevant behaviours fulfilled attachment criteria. From the observed behaviours, three factors were formed: Attachment (to the owner), Anxiety (in a strange situation), and Acceptance (of a stranger). Results indicate (1) higher Attachment scores in dogs than pigs, (2) greater Acceptance scores in pigs, (3) positive correlation of Attachment and Anxiety in both, (4) similar time tendency of pigs' Attachment and Acceptance scores. These suggest that in pigs, domestication and early exposure to human social stimuli did not trigger attachment to humans. Thus, along with species predispositions, the unique dog-owner attachment can be facilitated by artificial selection that increased dogs' dependence on humans.

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Life experience rather than domestication accounts for dogs’ increased oxytocin release during social contact with humans

Introduction.

Exploring the social relationships between humans and their companion animals is key to understanding the development and nature of interspecific socio-cognitive skills. Dogs ( Canis familiaris ) exhibit human-analogue attachment towards their owner 1 with similar function 2 and certain mechanisms 3 to that of infant-mother relationships. There is growing research interest on how such a particular relationship can evolve. Even though the human social niche—in which human-animal relationships can be realised—is clearly needed for the development of attachment bonds towards the owner, previous studies on differently socialised adult 4 and puppy 5 dogs showed negligible environmental effects on the dog-owner bond. In line with this, differences in the human-oriented bond between dogs and wolves raised in a similar human social environment support the role of genetic changes (that domestic dogs have undergone since the dog-wolf lineage split) in dogs' preparedness to form attachment with humans (e.g. 2 , 5 ). Although there is some debate about the extent to which the relationship between intensely socialised wolves and dogs with their owners is similar 6 , 7 , it is important to remark that no studies demonstrated attachment in wolves that meet with all of its operational criteria 8 . To find out if the genetic effects supporting dog–human attachment are caused by domestication in general or more specifically by the artificial selection that increased dogs' dependence on humans 9 , one should also investigate whether similarly kept individuals of other domesticated species are attached to their owners. Beyond dogs, however, cats are the only companions whose social bond to the owner has been investigated to date, but cat results are contradictory (see 10 , 11 , but see 12 , 13 ) and the only direct comparison of dogs and cats using the same standard procedure did not provide evidence for cats’ attachment towards their owner 13 .

Recently, miniature variants of domestic pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus ) (later referred to as pigs) turned out to be popular companion animals despite originally being selected for other purposes (i.e. for meat stock 14 , and later for medical research 15 ). Similarly to dogs, pigs are group-living animals 16 that, unlike cats, have a similar role in human families to that of dogs when kept as companions. While their species predispositions differ, these similarities still make companion pigs a more feasible comparison to dogs than other species living in human families. But whether companion pigs exhibit attachment behaviours towards their owner is unknown.

While 'attachment' is a broad term frequently used as a synonym for various special bonds in general psychology and in animal behaviour literature, here, under ‘attachment’, we refer to a specifically defined phenomenon that enables us to draw strict parallels between companion animal-owner and infant–mother attachment bonds. According to this definition, ‘attachment’ is an organisational construct belonging to a behavioural system 17 that regulates long-lasting asymmetrical social relationships 18 in which the attached individual depends on a security-providing attachment figure 19 . The function of attachment is to enhance the attached individual’s chance for survival and learning through keeping it in the proximity of the attachment figure, therefore it plays an important role in infant-mother 20 as well as in dog-owner relationships (e.g., 2 , 21 , 22 ). Attachment is associated with reward-related neural mechanisms 3 , 23 , can develop early in life and is relatively stable in time in case of both humans (e.g., 24 , 25 ) and dogs 26 . Attachment can be assessed along objectively measurable behavioural patterns 20 , 27 . Specifically, these behaviours are (1) contact- and proximity-seeking with the attachment figure during exploration (secure base effect) and in case of danger (safe haven effect), (2) separation distress-related behaviours in the absence of the attachment figure, and (3) specific behavioural changes upon reunion. Importantly, all these above operational criteria must be present in an attachment relationship. While various special bonds are reported between individuals of different species (e.g., 28 ) and even towards inanimate objects (e.g., human children 29 , adults 30 , non-human primates 31 )—some characterised by behaviours also crucial in the attachment system—, the dog-owner relationship stands out as the only non-intraspecific bond that is proven to simultaneously fulfil all criteria of attachment in accordance with the definition described above 2 , 4 , 32 , 33 , 34 . Companion dog-owner attachment is also unique 8 in terms of the fact that dogs can form attachment towards their owners both in their natural environment (within the human social niche) and during adulthood 2 . Studies investigating the social bond in non-human primates towards humans typically test hand-raised or captive animals, and mostly focus on non-adult subjects (e.g., 35 ).

The Strange Situation Test (SST)—a validated laboratory test (e.g., 36 ) with various precursors in the examination of social bonds across species 37 —is widely used to investigate attachment towards human individuals both intraspecifically (i.e. infant-mother relationships, e.g., 38 ) and interspecifically (e.g., dog-owner relationships 39 , 40 , 41 ). The SST has not yet been used, however, to test pigs.

Domestic pigs, compared to dogs, exhibit various different, but also many similar human-oriented behaviours. For instance, research on farm pigs revealed pigs’ willingness to make social contact with humans (e.g., 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 ) already from a young age (e.g., 44 ), as has also been reported in dogs 9 . Furthermore, recent comparative studies on young companion pigs and dogs kept in a similar human social niche revealed that the two species orient towards and seek contact with humans to a similar degree in various situations 46 , 47 . But, as compared to dogs, the available knowledge on pigs’ interspecific social competence and affinity is still scarce.

In this comparative study, using the SST context, we investigated whether young companion pigs show attachment towards their owner, and whether pigs’ and dogs’ attachment-specific behaviours differ towards the owner and the stranger to a similar extent. We hypothesised that (H1) if domestication in general, along with socialisation in the human environment contributes to the emergence of attachment towards a human owner in social species, then intensely socialised companion pigs and dogs will behave differently with the owner and the stranger to a similar degree. Conversely, (H2) if the specific selection that has led to increased dependence on humans in dogs is a main genetic factor for interspecific attachment to arise, then only dogs and not pigs will show the specific behaviour patterns that fulfil the criteria of attachment. To investigate the temporal stability of pigs’ behaviour in the SST, we tested pigs twice, at the age of ~ 9 and ~ 18 months.

Participants

In this comparative study, we tested companion pigs ( Sus scrofa domesticus ) and dogs ( Canis familiaris ) living in human families in a comparably similar social environment. Pigs, as well as dogs, were considered family members and were exposed to similarly close human contact from the age of ~ 8 weeks.

Twelve juvenile companion pigs participated in the study (5 neutered females, and 7 neutered males, Minnesota and mixed miniature variants). To make pigs’ rearing environment highly similar to that of well-socialised family dogs, pigs’ adoption process was supervised and guidelines were provided by the Neuroethology of Communication Lab (ELTE, Budapest, Hungary). During this, owners were taught how to handle pigs at home, socialise them to humans, expose and habituate them to different environments and transportation, etc. To investigate the temporal stability of pigs’ behaviour, pigs were tested twice, at the age of 8.75 ± 3.64 months and 17.69 ± 2.57 months. At the time of the first test, pigs lived together with their owners for approximately 5–6 months. One pig entered the research program a few months older (at the age of 14 months) than the others. Due to a possible order effect, this pig’s test was considered as a first, and it was tested only once. One pig was used to pilot the protocol, thus its first (pilot) SST was left out of the analyses. The second test of a third pig is also missing as before the second test this subject died. As a result of these, 11 pigs participated in the first SST and 10 pigs participated in the second SST. We had a total of 12 pig subjects, as individuals participating in the two tests were not exactly the same. For more details about pigs’ rearing conditions see the Supplementary Material of the current study, the doctoral dissertation of Pérez Fraga 48 and the ‘Online Resource 2’ belonging to the study of Gerencsér et al. 46 .

To compare pigs’ and dogs’ behaviour, 17 companion dogs were also tested once (9 intact and 2 neutered females, and 5 intact and 1 neutered males; mean ± SD age = 8.78 ± 0.77 months). Most of the dog owners were volunteers of the Family Dog Project ( https://familydogproject.elte.hu/ ), and some of them applied for the tests through different social media platforms or questionnaires of the Family Dog Project. The socialisation background of the dogs was similar to that of the pigs. Our dog participants were of many different breeds (16 pure breeds: 1 Hungarian vizsla, 2 golden retriever, 1 Jack Russell terrier, 1 shih tzu, 2 American staffordshire terrier, 1 Tervueren, 2 beagle, 1 papillon, 1 mudi, 1 puli, 1 English cocker spaniel, 1 border collie, 1 labradoodle; and 1 mongrel). This increased the representativeness of our results to dogs in general. Importantly, prior to the experiment, pigs and dogs have never been tested in the SST and had no prior experience with the test location.

Experimental setup

Here, we used a Strange Situation Test (SST) that consists of several episodes during which the subject is either alone, or with the potential attachment figure and/or a stranger in an unfamiliar environment. Based on Bowlby’s evolutionary approach 20 , this situation triggers specific patterns of attachment-related behaviours. In the SST, the stranger, together with the strange situation in the unfamiliar environment, and with the separation from the owner evoke moderate stress in the subjects 38 . The use of SST protocols involving the encounter with a stranger is common and well-established in dog SST experiments, yielding similar, robust, and replicable results across studies (for reviews see, 1 , 2 , 21 ). The stress provoking effect of these protocols is confirmed by physiological studies 33 , 49 , 50 , 51 . Despite these, it is conceivable that in adult, well-socialised and friendly dogs/pigs the stranger may not remarkably increase the stress level even in the absence of the owner. But even in this case, basic differences in the subjects’ behaviours must be observable in the presence of the two persons, enabling the assessment of attachment.

Our SST protocol was based on the one used to investigate dog-owner attachment in the studies of Gábor et al. 3 and Lenkei et al. 52 . The SST took place in the behavioural lab (6.27 m × 5.4 m) (Fig.  1 ) unfamiliar to the pigs and the dogs at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. Two chairs were placed in the middle of the room, facing each other, 1.5 m apart. The lab had two doors which were used by the stranger and the owner during the test (they always used the one closer to their assigned chair). The owner’s and the stranger’s chairs were randomised and balanced across tests. There were two additional chairs (for pigs) or tables (for dogs) with 6 wooden building blocks on them. These tables with the building blocks on them 3 , 52 functioned as random objects for owners to perform actions neutral for their animals while ignoring them. This allowed us to observe if the owner's activity in themselves would affect the subjects’ proximity seeking behaviour, similarly to the case of human infants, who monitor the actions of the mother even if that is not directly related to them.

figure 1

Experimental setting. Schematic drawing of the basic experimental setup of the Strange Situation Test.

Various pet toys (e.g., balls) were placed in a playing area between the chairs. Subjects’ behaviour was recorded using four ceiling-mounted cameras strategically positioned to provide visibility of the entire lab. The same owner participated in both tests of the pigs, with the exception of one pig, who moved to another human family between the two SSTs and consequently changed its primary caregiver.

Importantly, excessively high levels of stress can result in extreme behaviours (i.e. panic or freezing) in which case attachment is not assessable. Pigs are prey animals whose stress level easily raises, so to increase their comparability with dogs (make their Anxiety scores similar), a “calming” box or blanket in which they usually sleep was placed at the corner of the room opposite the playing area. According to our previous experiences with pig testing and with the SST piloting, the lack of a calming object could have caused too high levels of stress in pigs as indicated by their extreme vocalisations or escaping behaviours. We assumed that the familiar scent of the calming box/blanket decreased the stress level of pigs.

Protocol of the Strange Situation Test

The SST consisted of 6, 2-min-long episodes presenting the participants with differently stressful situations influenced by the presence and the absence of the owner and a stranger (Table 1 ). The owner and the stranger performed different activities the description of which can be found in Table 2 . At the beginning of the test, owners got a blue-tooth headset playing a timed audio file with pre-recorded instructions, ensuring each activity to be performed in the given time by the owner. Strangers knew the protocol by heart and used a stopwatch to keep the timing. Before the test, an Experimenter welcomed the owners, provided them a detailed explanation of the process, and ensured that everything went well during the test. The experimenter was never the same person as the stranger, so both pigs and dogs met the stranger for the first time during the test.

Coding of behaviour

Based on the observed behaviour patterns, three major factors were formed and analysed; Attachment to the owner, Anxiety in the strange situation, and Acceptance of the stranger (willingness to interact with an unfamiliar person) (see 39 ). This three-factor coding is often used in recent dog attachment papers (e.g., 3 , 52 ). For dogs, the same behaviours were coded as in the previous studies, but, for pigs, we made some slight modifications to better fit to their behaviour and emotional displays (Table 3 ). For example, normal tail wagging most times indicates positive emotions in both species 53 , 54 while intense tail wagging or an increased tail wagging frequency is associated with stress in pigs 54 , 55 . In addition, in the SST context, dogs typically vocalise when stressed (except during playing and greeting). In contrast, pigs are a very vocal species 16 , thus their vocalisations were more carefully specified to ensure that we only code those that indicate stress 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 . Based on our observations from the past years with pigs, pigs’ reaction time is slower than that of dogs, which was also considered during the behaviour coding.

One–one independent second coder coded > 10% of the pig and dog videos. From these, inter-rater reliability was calculated based on Cohen’s Kappa. This achieved 0.8–1 value indicating an excellent agreement in case of pigs, and 0.7–0.8 value indicating substantial agreement in case of dogs 60 .

To investigate whether pigs and dogs show specific patterns of attachment behaviours (i.e. they behave differently with the owner and the stranger in the SST context), the three symmetrically coded relevant variables between the owner and the stranger were compared similarly to the cat-dog comparative study of Gácsi et al. (submitted) 13 . These three variables were: (i) standing by the door in the presence of the owner (DoorO-1) vs. the stranger (DoorS-1) when the other person is absent, (ii) approaching the entering owner (GreetO-1) vs. stranger (GreetS-1) while the other person is in the room, and (iii) following the leaving owner (FollowO-1) vs. stranger (FollowS) while the other person stays in the room. In the case of both pigs and dogs, the number of individuals that showed/ did not show the relevant behaviour in the presence of the owner/stranger were compared via Related-Samples McNemar Change Test.

To compare the factor scores (Attachment, Anxiety, Acceptance) of the two species Mann–Whitney U tests or Independent-Samples t-Tests were used depending on the results of the Shapiro–Wilk normality test. To test the possible association between the factors in case of both pigs and dogs, Pearson correlation was used. All of the previous pig analyses were based on the data of the first pig SST to avoid the influence of a possible order effect. To test temporal stability of pigs’ behaviour across the first and the second SST, Pearson correlation and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests or Paired-Samples t-Tests were used depending on the results of the Shapiro–Wilk normality test. The pig who changed its owner between the two tests was also involved in these analyses. This decision was influenced by (1) the consideration that if this pig exhibited different attachment patterns, it would weaken our results, and (2) indirect evidence from the relevant dog literature, which indicates that dogs' attachment does not decrease following a change in ownership, as demonstrated by group-level results 26 , 51 , 61 .

IBS SPSS Statistics 23.0 was used for the statistical analyses.

Ethics statement

The experiment was conducted at the behavioural lab of the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary. All applicable institutional, national and international guidelines for the use and care of animals were followed. The study was non-invasive and did not cause any harm to the animals. We state that the study is reported in accordance with ARRIVE guidelines. The local ethical committee (Állatkísérleti Tudományos Etikai Tanács, Pest Megyei Kormányhivatal Élelmiszerlánc-Biztonsági és Állategészségügyi Igazgatósága in Budapest, Hungary) approved the experiment (# PE/EA/430-6/2018). Pig and dog owners were volunteers, did not get any monetary compensation and gave written informed consent.

The comparison of the three symmetrically coded variables between the owner and the stranger revealed significant differences in dogs’ behaviour towards the two persons (Fig.  2 A). More specifically, dogs were more likely to (1) stand by the door when the owner was absent and the stranger was present compared to the reverse situation (DoorS-1 vs. DoorO-1: df = 1, P = 0.003), (2) follow the leaving owner to the door while the stranger was present compared to the reverse situation (FollowO-1 vs. FollowS: df = 1, P < 0.000) and (3) approach the entering owner than the entering stranger while the other person was present (GreetO-1 vs. GreetS-1: df = 1, P = 0.004). None of these owner vs stranger comparisons revealed significant differences in pigs (DoorO-1 vs. DoorS-1: df = 1, P = 1.00; FollowO-1 vs. FollowS: df = 1, P = 0.50; GreetO-1 vs. GreetS-1: df = 1, P = 0.625).

figure 2

Results of the Strange Situation Tests. ( A ) Pigs’ and dogs’ behaviour along the three symmetrically coded variables between the owner and the stranger. For detailed description of the behaviours, see Table 3 . ( B ) Pairwise comparison of pigs’ and dogs’ Attachment, Acceptance and Anxiety scores. ( C ) Attachment and Anxiety score correlation in pigs and dogs. (D) Similar tendency of pigs’ Attachment and Acceptance scores between their first and second SST. O: owner, S: stranger, SST: Strange Situation Test, ns: not significant, *P < 0.01, **P < 0.005, ***P ≤ 0.001. Dogs: N = 17 dogs ( A – D ); Pigs: N = 11 ( A – C ), D: N = 9 ( D ).

The factor score comparison between the two species revealed significant differences in case of the Attachment (U = 163.0, P = 0.001) and Acceptance (t = 2.518, df = 26, P = 0.009) scores. Specifically, dogs had higher Attachment, while pigs had higher Acceptance scores than that of the other species. Such between species difference was not present in case of the Anxiety score (t = 0.585, df = 26, P = 0.282). For factor score details, see Fig.  2 B and Table S1 .

In both species, we found positive Attachment and Anxiety score correlations (Pig: r = 0.659, P = 0.028; Dog: r = 0.665, P = 0.004), but there was no association regarding the other two factors in either species (Attachment and Acceptance (Pig: r = − 0.332, P = 0.319, Dog: r = − 0.283, P = 0.271); Acceptance and Anxiety scores (Pig: r = 0.089, P = 0.795, Dog: r = 0.037, P = 0.888)) (Fig.  2 C).

When testing the temporal stability of pigs’ behaviour in the SST, we found no differences between their first and second Attachment (Z = 7.500, P = 0.141), Anxiety (t = − 0.405, df = 8, P = 0.348) and Acceptance (t = − 0.236, df = 8, P = 0.410) scores indicating that their scores at the group level did not indicate a significant change between their first and second tests. Pearson correlation revealed that pigs’ Attachment (r = 0.612, P = 0.080) and Acceptance (r = 0.600, P = 0.087) scores, but not Anxiety scores (r = − 0.015, P = 0.970), showed a similar tendency in time (Fig.  2 D).

In this study, by testing young individuals of two domesticated social species, we demonstrated differences between the nature of companion pig–owner and companion dog–owner relationships. Specifically, we found that in the Strange Situation Test (SST) (1) dogs but not pigs showed significantly different behaviours towards the owner and a stranger along three major attachment-specific variables, (2) dogs’ Attachment (towards the owner) score was higher than that of pigs, (3) pigs’ Acceptance (of the stranger) score was higher than that of dogs. Furthermore, (4) Attachment scores positively correlated with Anxiety scores in both species and (5) pigs’ Attachment and Acceptance scores showed a similar tendency in time. Our results demonstrate that, contrary to dogs, pigs typically do not show those behaviour patterns that characterize human infant-mother attachment in the SST.

This research contributes to the understanding of how interspecific attachment towards humans may evolve. The fact that dogs but not pigs showed a specific differentiation between the owner and the stranger indicate that only dogs’ relevant behaviours fulfilled the criteria of attachment. Considering that pigs and dogs are both domestic and social species, and that the tested individuals were kept similarly as companions, we can reject the hypothesis that domestication alone, or in interaction with the human family environment is enough to trigger companion animal–human attachment. The fact that pigs’ attachment scores did not increase between their first and second tests shows that even a longer period of time was not enough for the development of an attachment bond in pigs. Even though companion pigs and dogs occupy a very similar human social niche nowadays, only dogs have been under selective pressure to fit into this niche. Indeed, while for farm pigs the main selection criteria were excessive breeding and optimising meat stock 14 and miniature pigs were later selected for medical research 15 , dogs were specifically bred for direct social interactions with humans 9 . These results coincide with the result of those cat studies revealing no owner-oriented attachment in cats 12 , 13 . That is, unlike dogs' artificial selection, the natural selection process 62 and the different living conditions of domestic cats, might have not led to the degree of dependence on their owner necessary to develop a bond that fulfils all operational criteria of attachment 13 . In sum, our results suggest that dogs’ artificial selection that resulted in increased dependence on humans, facilitated the development of dogs’ human-analogue attachment towards their owner.

Differences between dogs’ and pigs’ owner-related behaviour in the SST may also stem from the distinct characteristics of their pre-domesticated ancestors. That is, the ways dogs and pigs form relationships with humans may partly be rooted in the intraspecific social world of their ancestors and can thus be linked to that of their closest living relatives, wolves and wild boars. Wolves possess a complex social network in which their fitness and survival are greatly reliant on cooperation with their mates for activities such as breeding and hunting. They reside in groups consisting of closely related family members of both sexes in which individuals depend on each other and are attached to the pack 63 . Regarding their relationship with humans, it is important to note that even intensely socialised wolves do not form attachment to their caregiver 8 , 64 . They, however, do exhibit signs of stress when separated from their handler and seek contact upon reunion when they are on a leash 65 . Wolves’ special social world and ability to express behaviours that are also important in the attachment system might serve as a baseline that, in interaction with domestication, allows for the development of human–dog attachment bonds.

Wild boars, similarly to wolves, are renowned for their gregarious nature and intricate social structures 66 . They even exhibit a division of labour among individuals, particularly in the context of cooperative breeding. But, in contrast to wolf packs, wild boars’ group organisation is the classic form of fission–fusion societies in which females form matriarchal units with their offspring and the boars only adhere to the group during the mating season 67 . In addition, pigs’ foraging strategy is centred around locating food patches 68 during which individuals rely more on themselves. Due to these between-species differences, wild boars may not exhibit the same high degree of dependence on their mates as wolves. Thus, the ancestors of wild boars may have possessed less potential than the ancestors of wolves to, following their domestication, become socially attached partners of humans, which could also contribute to the different owner-directed behaviours of pigs and dogs in the SST context.

As early experiences with humans influence adult domestic animals’ (including dogs’ and pigs’) human-oriented behaviours 69 , 70 , one may argue that the divergence between pigs’ and dogs’ behaviour in the SST could be caused by the different lengths of their socialisation-sensitive periods. Dogs’ socialisation-sensitive period to humans seems to be somewhat longer (between 3 and 13 weeks of age) 71 , 72 than that of pigs (between 2 and 10 weeks of age) 73 . Our subjects were adopted by their human family no earlier than 8–10 weeks of age, which may mark the end of the socialisation-sensitive period for pigs and the middle of this period for dogs. So, one alternative explanation for pigs not forming an attachment bond could be the insufficient amount of interaction with their owner during the socialisation-sensitive period. However, before adoption all subjects had extended experiences with humans, and early experience with the owner specifically is not required for the formation of attachment in dogs. Indeed, dogs acquired later than 3 months of age can also develop an attachment bond 2 . Even pet dogs living with a second caregiver 26 , adult shelter dogs 74 , and assistant dogs raised by a puppy walker prior to being placed with a disabled person 51 , 61 can form attachment with their new owners. Therefore, differences in pigs’ and dogs’ human-oriented attachment are unlikely to be caused by different experiences with their owners in the sensitive period.

Even though our group-level results suggest that forming attachment to humans is not a general feature of companion pigs, we do not claim that its development is impossible on the individual level. In fact, there were a few pigs that got high attachment scores (i.e. similar to those of most dogs), at least in their first test. These pigs exhibited most of the behaviours specific to attachment measurable in the SST context. Individual variability in the attachment behaviour of both dogs 75 and humans 27 , 76 is most commonly attributed to differences in the individuals’ previous experiences with the attachment figure. While the environment of pig participants was controlled, and their owners handled them similarly, there is a possibility that some owners may have provided more security to the animals in ambiguous situations, potentially contributing to higher attachment scores. However, if this was the case, it should have resulted in a further increase in attachment scores for the second SST, which was not observed for either pig who got outstandingly high attachment scores in the first SST. Although some genetic variability could have played a role in the attachment behaviour of the pigs, the effect of differences in the selection forces that shaped the development of miniature pig variants involved in this study is unlikely. Each line of miniature pigs was selected for medical purposes 15 . This is further supported by indirect evidence showing that attachment behaviour of dogs is similar across breed types 52 . As, based on our sample size, we cannot draw firm conclusions on the causes of individual differences in pigs’ behaviour in the SST, thus future studies are required to reveal how developmental and inherited factors might form the bond between companion pigs and their owners. Our study raises the possibility that certain pigs may have the potential to show similar attachment behaviours towards their owners in the SST context as most dogs do.

The relative stability of individual pigs’ owner- and stranger-related behaviours, and that none of the group level factor scores increased or decreased across the two tests support the stability and repeatability of the SST in pigs. These findings also suggest that pigs’ willingness to interact with unfamiliar people and social relationship with the owner are relatively stable over time. While it seems that companion pigs typically do not show attachment to humans, some kind of social bond to their owners is indicated by the positive correlation between Anxiety and Attachment scores: higher levels of situational stress in pigs, just as in dogs, led to increased proximity-seeking behaviours. This may suggest that the owner can provide a certain level of security to the animals, as it was also observed in horses 77 . Proximity-seeking behaviour in stressful situations is one feature of but does not imply attachment; it has also been observed in other social bond types, especially in young individuals 78 . Pigs’ willingness to interact with unfamiliar humans as well is shown by their higher acceptance scores as compared to those of dogs. The relative temporal stability of pigs’ acceptance score suggests that pigs’ willingness to interact with unfamiliar humans was unlikely to be related to individual experiences; instead, it was probably due to some species-specific traits, such as neophilia 79 . That is, the high amount of time pigs spent in the vicinity of the stranger was likely part of their exploratory behaviour 42 .

Notwithstanding that companion pig-dog comparative experiments hold great potential for breakthroughs in understanding the origins and development of interspecific social relationships and communicative skills, their limitations must also be taken into account. (1) One may argue that the same behaviours may reflect different inner states in pigs and dogs which makes their direct comparison questionable. We, however, took special care to fit behaviours to emotional displays accurately and provided functionally matching behaviour descriptions for pigs and dogs (for details, see the “Methods” section). Importantly, as attachment is characterised by highly similar behavioural components across species (e.g., 80 ), this functional matching of behaviours was the most straightforward when scoring Attachment. (2) As the number of companion pigs is much lower than that of companion dogs, comparative studies present a trade-off between control over environmental similarity and sample size. In the current study, optimising for comparability, we opted for using companion pigs participating in our long-term research project, verifiably kept under conditions highly similar to that of dogs—and this resulted in a relatively low sample size. (3) Differentiating between passive anxious and passive relaxed behaviours is challenging in both pigs and dogs, potentially leading to slight inaccuracies in the Anxiety scores. To mitigate this, no Anxiety scores were given to animals in passive but comfortable positions (e.g., lying on the floor). (4) To equalise the Anxiety scores of pigs and dogs to an appropriate, moderate level, we introduced a calming box/blanket for pigs, but not for dogs, the presence or scent of which might have impacted their Attachment scores and Acceptance-related behaviours differently, even without direct interaction with this object. However, the facts that pigs’ and dogs’ Anxiety scores did not differ significantly, that all five pigs who received scores in the HideO measure consistently stayed (hid) under/behind O's chair and none of them did so at the calming box/blanket for more than half of the time of the sit phases support that this design difference had no significant direct effect on between-species differences of Attachment or Acceptance scores.

In sum, our results show that despite the many similarities of companion pigs and dogs—such as living conditions, similar role in human families, intense exposure to human social stimuli, and belonging to domesticated, vocal, social and group-living species—the nature of companion pig-owner and dog-owner relationships differ significantly. The special human analogue attachment relationship of dogs with their owners does not seem to appear in companion pigs as a general feature. We conclude that domestication and intense exposure to human social stimuli during development are not sufficient to trigger attachment towards humans in companion animals. This suggests that, along with certain species predispositions, the specific selection that had led to increased dependence on humans was an essential component for the evolutionary emergence of companion animal-human attachment.

Data availability

The raw data of the study are available at the following link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ogQBzQi8Q0tGQ1Kf5B8CeHYLNL1MCYRU/edit#gid=1520133776 .

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the owners and their pigs and dogs for their participation in this experiment. We thank Dóra Újváry for helping to adapt the SST to pigs, and Stefania Ucchedu, Veronika Konok and Melinda Lovas for playing the stranger’s role in the SST. This project was funded by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences [a grant to the MTA-ELTE “Lendület” Neuroethology of Communication Research Group (LP2017-13/2017)]; the Eötvös Loránd Research Network; the Eötvös Loránd University; the European Research Council under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant number 950159), the ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group (01 031) and the Ministry of Innovation and Technology of Hungary from the National Research, Development and Innovation Office—NKFIH (K132372). AG was supported by the ÚNKP-22-4 and ÚNKP-23-4 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry for Culture and Innovation from the source of the National Research, Development and Innovation Fund (ÚNKP-22-4-II-ELTE-319, ÚNKP-23-4-II-ELTE-523). AA and MG were supported by the National Brain Programme 3.0 of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (NAP2022-I-3/2022).

Open access funding provided by Eötvös Loránd University.

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These authors contributed equally: Anna Gábor and Paula Pérez Fraga.

Authors and Affiliations

Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Anna Gábor, Paula Pérez Fraga, Márta Gácsi, Linda Gerencsér & Attila Andics

Neuroethology of Communication Lab, Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Anna Gábor, Paula Pérez Fraga, Linda Gerencsér & Attila Andics

ELKH-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Budapest, Hungary

Márta Gácsi

ELTE NAP Canine Brain Research Group, Budapest, Hungary

Attila Andics

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AG: conceptualization, data collection, data coding, analyses, writing—original draft. PPF: conceptualization, data collection, data coding, writing—review and editing. MG: conceptualization, data collection, writing—review and editing. LG: conceptualization, data collection, writing—review and editing, AA: conceptualization, supervision, funding, writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Anna Gábor .

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Gábor, A., Pérez Fraga, P., Gácsi, M. et al. Domestication and exposure to human social stimuli are not sufficient to trigger attachment to humans: a companion pig-dog comparative study. Sci Rep 14 , 14058 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-63529-3

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