Human–canine bond

Human–canine bonding is the mutually beneficial and dynamic relationship between humans and dogs that is studied by psychologists, anthropologists, and ethologists.

Dogs are domesticated descendants of wolves and have a significant impact and role in human lives. In the United States, over 62% of people have a household pet and 37% of those pets are dogs. In the United Kingdom for 2016 the overall amount of people with pets is 47% with 24% having dogs. At times this relationship can be seen as symbiotic since both species benefit from the relationship.

The related topic of anthropomorphism deals with the ideas people have about what animals know. Anthrozoology is a new field of study addressing human-animal interactions.

The concept of the animal bonding was articulated as early as the late 1930s, when Konrad Lorenz and his friend and colleague Nikolaas Tinbergen worked with geese in order to study the instinctive behaviors of animals, leading them to rediscover the principle of imprinting. The same concept was recognised in Boris Levinson's books Pet-Oriented Child Psychotherapy (1969) and Pets and Human Development (1979), which had an immense influence on the establishment of the field of study. Levinson is known for accidentally discovering the benefits of assisted pet therapy. He found that withdrawn and uncommunicative children would interact positively whenever he brought his dog, Jingles, to their therapy sessions. His discovery was further reinforced by Sam and Elizabeth Corson at Ohio State University, who were among the first to research and evaluate pet-facilitated therapy.

Only in the early 1980s was the term 'human–animal bond' officially coined by Leo K. Bustad, who delivered a summary lecture on the Human-Pet Relationship on October 28, 1983, at the International Symposium in Vienna. This symposium was held in honour of Konrad Lorenz, and during his lecture, Bustad praised him for his work on the human–animal bond and encouraged others to build on Lorenz's work on the subject. Lorenz later adopted it in his research on imprinting in geese.

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