The science behind pet parenting
Increasingly, people living with dogs report thinking of them as family members, and more specifically, as their children. Science has also shown that pet dogs often behave towards their human caregivers as attachment figures. This has raised new and important questions such as: What does it really mean to be a pet parent? And perhaps more importantly, what does it mean to be a ‘good’ pet parent? In this talk we will discuss different pet parenting styles and what impact they can have on dog behavior and welfare. We will also consider ways that we can apply scientific knowledge on parenting behavior to inform best practices, with the aim of raising more confident and resilient dogs.