Blend of child and best friend, with power imbalance: How dogs fit into our social networks

Many people view their dog as a family member, friend, or kid, but does the relationship with them really resemble these human relationships? A team of researchers set out to explore the precise role dogs play in human social networks by comparing human-dog relationships with human-human relationships using 13 relationship scales.

Their study revealed that the owner-dog relationship can be interpreted as a mix of child and best friend relationships, combining positive aspects of the child relationship with the lack of negative aspects of friendship, blended with a high level of control over the dog.  Interestingly, while owners often rate their relationship with their dog as superior to any human bond, the study also found that more support in human relationships correlates with more support in dog-owner bonds, suggesting that dogs complement human relationships rather than compensate for their deficiencies.

Our relationship with dogs has evolved dramatically since domestication. Once primarily working animals, dogs have become cherished companions, often considered ‘substitute children’ in many Western societies. Despite this shift, little is known about the specific social roles dogs fulfill in our network of relationships.

Human social networks consist of different partners who offer varying forms of support. For example, romantic partners provide intimacy and aid, children offer opportunities for nurturing and relationship security, while best friends are sources of low-conflict companionship. The study, recently published in Scientific Reports, examined how our relationships with dogs compare to these human relationships.

Over 700 dog owners rated 13 relationship characteristics regarding their dogs and four human partners: their child, romantic partner, closest relative, and best friend.

Results showed that owners rated their bond with their dog as the most satisfying and their dog as their best source of companionship. Owners also felt that their dog loved them the most among all partners. Moreover, similar to children, dogs scored high in nurturing and relationship security and, like best friends, had low levels of antagonism and conflict with their owners. However, there is also a greater power imbalance toward the owner in the relationship with dogs than with any human partner.

What the researchers say: “Unlike in human relationships, dog owners maintain full control over their dogs as they make most of the decisions, contributing to the high satisfaction owners report. Compared to humans, the relationship with dogs involves few conflicts and minimal negative interactions. Power asymmetry, having control over a living being, is a fundamental aspect of dog ownership for many,” explained the study’s senior author. “The results highlight that dogs occupy a unique place in our social world - offering the emotional closeness of a child, the ease of a best friend, and the predictability of a relationship shaped by human control - revealing why our bonds with them are often so deeply fulfilling.”

The study also examined how dog and human relationship ratings relate to one another and found that strong human relationships correlated with stronger bonds with dogs.

“We expected that people with weak human relationships would rely more on their dogs for support, but our results contradict this,” the coauthor added. “In our sample, people did not seem to use dogs to compensate for the insufficient support in their human relationships.”

“Dogs offer different kinds of emotional and social support depending on the needs of their owners,” the researchers explained. “Some people seek companionship and fun, others need trust and stability, and some simply enjoy having someone to care for.”

Instead of placing the dog-owner relationship into the predefined categories traditionally used in such studies - like ‘family member’ or ‘pet’ - the researchers introduced a new, multidimensional approach that better captures its complexity. This framework not only helps us understand how dogs fit into our social lives but may also reveal where people turn to dogs to fill emotional gaps, and why, for many, the bond runs so deep.

My take: Left out of the study is the role that dogs play in giving meaning to the lives of lonely people - especially elderly retirees.

Dogs can also be productivity enhancers when they’re allowed to accompany their owners into the workplace.

And they can aid in increasing the cure rate in hospitals and other medical establishments. Our dog Maud is a hospital visitor and frequently finds herself in psych and children’s wards. She calmly allows herself to be petted and cuddled by staff and patients alike. Physicians tell us that her presence is an integral part of their patient care.

We are planning to test out her suitability in helping in aged care establishments. She thoroughly enjoys her work - and the treats that both staff and patients surreptitiously ply her with.