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  Dogs are either optimists or pessimists, claim scientists

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Dogs are either optimists or 

pessimists, claim scientists 

Ian Sample 

11 October, 2010

Scientists have now confirmed what many pet 

owners have long believed: some dogs have 

a more gloomy view of life than others. The 

unusual picture of canine psychology came from 

researchers at Bristol University who studied 

how dogs behave when separated from their 

owners. Dogs that were generally calm when 

left alone were also found to have an optimistic 

attitude, while those that barked, relieved 

themselves and destroyed furniture seemed to 

be more pessimistic, according to the study.

Michael Mendl, head of animal welfare and 

behaviour at the university, said that if a dog was 

anxious when left alone by its owner, it would 

be pessimistic in its behaviour. The research 

suggests that the problems caused by some 

dogs when they are left alone could indicate 

deeper emotional problems that could be treated 

with behavioural therapy.

“Owners see this kind of anxious behaviour in 

dogs in different ways. Some are very worried, 

some relinquish the dog to a dog’s home, but 

others think the dog is happy or just being 

spiteful,” said Mendl. “Some of these dogs may 

have emotional issues and owners should talk to 

their vets about possible treatments,” he added. 

Of the ten million pet dogs in the UK, around 

half may show anxiety when left alone, the 

researchers said.

Mendl’s team studied 24 animals at two dog 

homes in the UK. Half of the dogs were male 

and they were various breeds. They were from 

nine months to nine years old. Researchers 

began the study by going to a room with each 

dog in turn and playing for 20 minutes. They 

returned the next day, but this time left the 

dog alone for five minutes, during which the 

scientists recorded the animal’s behaviour with 

a video camera. They used the film to give each 

dog an anxiety score.

A day or two later, they trained the dogs to walk 

to a food bowl that was full when placed at one 

end of a room and empty when placed at the 

other. When the dogs had learned the difference, 

the scientists tested the animals’ mood by 

placing bowls in ambiguous positions – in the 

middle of the room, for example – and noting 

how quickly each dog went to the bowl.

The dogs that had been most anxious in the 

earlier test were slowest to approach food bowls 

placed in or near the middle of the room. This 

suggested that they expected to find the bowl 

empty. The less anxious dogs ran to the food 

bowls, suggesting that they were more optimistic, 

according to a report in Current Biology.

“We know that people’s emotional states affect 

their judgements and that happy people are 

more likely to react positively in an ambiguous 

situation,” Mendl said. “Our study shows that 

dog are similar – that an optimistic dog is less 

likely to be anxious when left alone than one 

with a more pessimistic nature.” Samantha 

Gaines, deputy head of the companion 

animals department at the Royal Society for 

the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said: 

“Some dogs may be more likely to develop 

these behaviours and should be re-homed with 

appropriate owners.”

© Guardian News & Media 2010

First published in The Guardian, 11/10/10

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