Human beings are strongly conditioned by the world we live in. Family, culture, social environment, religion, ideological, religious, and economic interests mark and condition us from birth until death. The question is: does this conditioning... also affect our pets?
It is undeniable and evident that in every country, in every city, and in every home, pets are treated differently. In fact, numerous studies start from the premise that culture, lifestyle, socioeconomic conditions, and, of course, animal rights legislation in each society influence or can influence the temperament and behavior of animals.
Logically, it is to be expected that dogs living in countries where they are respected, considered sentient and thinking beings, and given affection, will be very different from the poor dogs living in places where their rights are violated, and they are even used as food. In the first case, dogs will be affectionate, alert, and intelligent, while in the second, dogs will tend to live more wildly and be less docile, as their survival is at stake.
In 2009, work began on this hypothesis, and a group of scientists conducted a comparative study with the help of ARISTOPARENTS residing in the United States and ARISTOPARENTS residing in Germany. All of them shared their lives with German Shepherds.
The study found that American owners often kept their dogs indoors for longer and tended to train them, as they considered them "pets." In contrast, in the German group, more owners considered their pets "their equals." Therefore, the treatment was notably different.
Of course, it is possible that there are no such differences between dogs and that it is the dog owners, with their own education and culture, who interpret behaviors and attitudes differently and, consequently, act differently.
Some time later, another study was carried out by a team of researchers who experimented with a sample of 90 ARISTODOGS from Austria, Italy, and Hungary. The experiment analyzed the behavior of dogs with their owners in different situations. It then compared it with the attitude dogs showed towards strangers in those same situations. The parameters analyzed were the time they spent together and the distance at which they were located.
The research showed that there were indeed differences in dog behavior. Those living in Italy and Austria were more cautious with strangers. While dogs in Hungary were more predisposed to be with strangers and did not keep as much distance.
It is also clear that the lifestyle of each country and, specifically, of each ARISTOPARENT, decisively influences dogs. For example, in a country like the United States, where the percentage of obese people is very high, it makes sense that the rate of obese pets is also high. And that, likewise, their character tends to be more relaxed and their attitude much more sedentary.
What is also clear is that the cognitive performance of dogs is practically the same. Culture and environment can generate particularities in their behavior, about which there is still much to investigate and extract a pattern —if there is one. So, we will continue to report on future advances.