Does your dog seem to like strangers more than you? Researchers say not to worry!

Have you ever felt that your dog ignores you and acts as if he is happier with strangers than with you? There is indeed such a phenomenon, but it is not because he doesn't like you, it is simply because he wants a lot of attention.

Some dogs can be prone to being very attention-seeking, almost to the point of being annoying. This is more common in more social dogs, who are so demanding of attention that they can self-produce it out of almost anyone. If this doesn’t happen too often, owners find it cute that other people are adoring their pet. But if it happens regularly, it can become very annoying. Some owners may even think that their dog likes strangers more than them.

Does your dog prefer strangers?

According to a new study published in the Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, at least 70% of dogs exhibit behaviours that suggest they prefer meeting new people over their owners. Sometimes they see a stranger and rush over in delight as if they have forgotten their owner. But that doesn’t mean your dog will choose a stranger over you. It’s important to know that this behaviour is not, by any chance, out of disloyalty, and it’s not because he prefers someone else to you. In fact, it has everything to do with how your dog relates to others.

Your dog’s attitude to strangers

The University of Florida and Arizona State University have studied what might determine how much a dog interacts socially with strangers. The question may arise, do they prefer to have the attention of strangers? Research has come up with some very interesting results. In 10-minute sessions with different dogs in different situations, it was observed that the animals exhibited two types of behaviour. The first group of dogs stayed close to their owners during the study and did not try to interact with the strangers. The second group, on the other hand, was very demanding to be petted and played with by a stranger. What is even more striking is that the difference between the two groups was the environment.

Openness depends on the environment

Experts provided two sites to study dogs’ reactions to strangers. And the experience was that if a dog met strangers in a familiar place, such as their own house, a much higher percentage of them were more likely to want the attention of guests than their owners. Conversely, they were much less responsive to strangers in unfamiliar surroundings. They were characterised more by a security effect, whereby the dog relied on its owner, rather than a friendly character. Erica Feuerbacher, the study’s lead author, told National Geographic that when faced with a stressful or unfamiliar scenario, dogs turn to their first and most important anchor, their owner.

If your dog has a tendency to seek the attention of strangers and you find that it doesn’t care about you, it’s not against you at all. It just means that it feels safe and wants some attention.