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CaitlynnVang
ProfessorHaas
Writing37
28January2015
LiteratureReviewEssay:HumanandDogInteractionTheories
Wolvesareknowntotravelandhuntingroupscalledwolfpacks.Throughevolution,
domesticateddogsdivergedfromthewolveslineofspeciesandcreatednewpackswith
humans.Thisintricatepackiscalledthehumancaninebond,anditisacomplexrelationship
thathasevolvedtowhatitistoday.Scholarswhostudyanimalbehaviorhaveanalyzedthe
evolutionofdogsintodomesticatedcompanionswhoarenowportrayedasourfriendsandin
somecases,apartofourfamily.Becausetheexpertswhostudyanimalhumanrelationships
comefromdifferentdisciplinessuchasanthropology,sociology,andevenpsychology,theyall
takeaslightlydifferentapproachtotheiranalysisoftheevolutionofdomestication.Although
thedominancetheory,thebeliefthathumansshoulddominatenaturebecausewearesuperior
beings,hasbeenacceptedbymanyovertheyears,expertsnowclaimthatitisinvalidandcanbe
debunked.Presently,expertusethreemainhypothesestoexplainthehumancaninebond:self
concept,biophilia,andsocialsupporttheory.SueEllenBrown,inherarticlepublishedin
Society
andAnimalsInstitute
,arguesthattheselfconcepthypothesisisthemostvalid,whileMarguerite
OHaire,inherentryin
TheJournalofVeterinaryBehavior,
claimsthatthebiophiliaandsocial
supporthypothesisarethemostfeasible.Ontheotherhand,LeslieIrvine,authorof
IfYouTame
Me:UnderstandingOurConnectionwithAnimals
,believestherehasntbeenaviablehypothesis

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yet.
Inanycase,therehasntbeenadefinitereasonthatleadingauthoritiescanallagreeonto
explainthehumancaninebond.
Brown,aclinicalpsychologistwhoworkswiththerapeuticdogs,isinfavorofthe
selfconcepthypothesis,whichtheorizesthatdogshelpbringoutourselfobjects,individuals
innerpsychologicalexperiencethatisfelttomaintain,bringout,orholdtogetherthesenseof
self(1).Simply,adogisanextensionofhumans.Thetraitportrayedindogsareareflectionin
whattheowneris,andtheymirrorthesamebeing.OHairewouldsomewhatconcurwiththe
factthatanimalscanaffecttheirownerspsychologicalself.Shewritesthattheycanchange
humansperceptionsofmeaningsinasceneandevokeemotion(2).Thatmeanstheycan
affecttheirownersinnerfeelings.Seeingtheiranimals,ownerscanfeelsomething,butOHaire
wouldntconsideritareflection.Rather,theyseeanimalsasadistinctbeingintheir
surroundings.Brownwouldconsidertheownerandtheirpetdogtobeofthesameessence,
whereasOHairewoulddrawalinetodistinguishbetweenthetwo.OHairewouldntconsidera
dogtoshowwhotheirowneris.Yet,thereisoverlapinthewaytheselfconceptandthesocial
supporthypothesisclaimsthebondcanbeusedpositivelyforthepsychologicalwellbeingfor
theowner.Brownstates,Itisessentialtothewellbeing...tohavenourishingselfobject
responsivenessthroughoutlife.Likewise,OHaireregardsanimalsasoneofthereasonsfor
positivelifeperceptionsamongtheirowners.Bothbelievethatdogshaveabeneficialeffect
whenthebondisharmonious.Inall,someideascoincide,butsomeaspectsofeachhypothesis
alsodiffer.
Ontheotherhand,thebiophiliaandsocialsupporthypothesesclaimadifferent
explanation.
Thebiophiliahypothesisisthebeliefthathumanshaveanaturaltendencytoattach
withnature,andthesocialsupporthypothesisisthebeliefthathumansanddogshavecertain
traitsthatcomplementeachother
.OHaire,aclinicalpsychologistwhoresearches
animalassistedinterventions,would
beinfavorofthesetwotodescribethereasonbehind
humancaninebond.
OHairemeshes
thesetwotogetherclaimingHumanbeingshaveaninnate

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propensitytoattendtoandbeattractedbyotheranimalsandtherearebenefitsof
humananimalinteractions

(OHaire).Irvine,anassociateprofessorwithofsociologywitha
focusonhumananimalinteraction,wouldntagree.Irvinesrebuttalisthathumanshavelong
considered[animals]brutesandbeasts,existtoservehumanpurposes(31).Shealsopoints
outthatifthereisaninnateneedorforcefornature,itsbeingdisproventhroughhumans
destructionofnature.Forexample,sheargues,theoveralltrendwastocutdowntrees....divert
riversforhydroelectricpower(31).
Theonethingtheyagreeonisreferringdogsas
companionanimals
,notpets.BothOHaireandIrvineseedogsas
worthybeingsthathavethe
samestausasus
.Overall,againtherearesimilaraspects,buttheapproachtothe
correct
hypothesistojustifythebondisstill
unclearandindefinite.
OHaireandIrvinehavedifferent
viewpointsbecauseoftheirdifferentprofessions.
Inconclusion,therearemanyexpertsandprofessionalsinthefieldthathavedifferent
ideasclaimingtobethebestdescriptionofourintricatebondswithdogs.Allthreesourceshad
manymatchingbeliefsbutalsocontradictingreasonings.Brownisfortheselfconcept
hypothesis,whileOHairesupportsthebiophiliaandsocialsupporthypothesis.Irvineisstillin
searchforthebesthypothesis.Notethatthesearehypothesisnottheories.Theoriesarefactual
modelsthathavewithstoodskepticism.Dogshavebeenaroundformostofhumanlifeandhave
adaptedwellalongsideus.Althoughthereisntafixedtheoryastowhytheyvebeenpartofthe
humancircleforlong,expertsinthefieldcontinuetostudythestrongrelationshipbetween
humananddogs,whichevolvedintosomethingmeaningfulandsignificant.

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WorkCited
Brown,SueEllen."TheHumanAnimalBondandSelfPsychology:TowardaNew

Understanding."
SocietyandAnimals
12.1(2004):6786.Web.
Irvine,Leslie.
IfYouTameMe:UnderstandingOurConnectionwith

Animals
.Philadelphia:TempleUP,2004.1232.
O'Haire,Marguerite.
JournalofVeterinaryBehavior:ClinicalApplicationsandResearch
.
5thed.Vol.5.N.p.:Elsevier,2015.Print.