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Study Reveals That Dogs Resemble Their OwnersAs a Result of Selection (Doggie Lovers Alert)
Psychological Science ^ | March 29, 2004 | news release

Posted on 02/10/2006 10:18:31 AM PST by girlangler

News Release March 29, 2004

Study Reveals That Dogs Resemble Their Owners As a Result of Selection

Do people really resemble their pets? A resemblance in a movie or on TV between a pet and its owner has occasionally tickled our funny bone. The results of a recent study suggest that a resemblance between owner and dog may be actually determined by the pet lover's selection.

The research, by Michael M. Roy and Nicholas Christenfeld, both of the University of California, San Diego, found that when people pick a pet, they seek one that, at some level, resembles them. These findings will be published in the May issue of Psychological Science, a publication of the American Psychological Society.

The study investigated two possible scenarios that could produce similarity between people and their dogs. One would involve some convergence in features over time, meaning the similarity had grown with the length of ownership. The other would involve people selecting dogs that are like them. (This second situation suggests greater similarity between people and their purebred dogs than between people and their mutts, because a mutt puppy's final appearance is unpredictable, and its selection might also involve less foresight and deliberation.)

Forty-five dogs (25 purebreds and 20 mutts) and their owners were separately photographed. Owners were photographed from the waist up, wearing whatever clothes they had chosen that day and whatever facial expression they chose for the picture. Dogs were photographed facing forward, with the whole dog visible. (The dogs also made whatever facial expression they chose, though often with more emphasis on a steadily lolling tongue.) Judges were shown a picture of one owner and a picture of that owner's dog and one other dog, with the task of picking out the true match.

The judges were able to most often able to properly match the owner and dog. The judges found no resemblance between mutts and their owners, providing evidence that owners tend to choose a dog that looks like them, rather than owners and dogs grow alike over time.

For more information, contact Christenfeld at nchristenfeld@ucsd.edu, or for a complete copy of this article, visit the APS Media Center at www.psychologicalscience.org/media.

Psychological Science is ranked among the top 10 general psychology journals for impact by the Institute for Scientific Information. The American Psychological Society represents advocating science-based research in the public's interest.


TOPICS: Pets/Animals
KEYWORDS: doggieping; dogs; owners; science; selection
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To: Hildy

Is that a Bichon and a Cavalier (sp) King Spaniel?


161 posted on 02/11/2006 4:12:21 AM PST by antivenom (If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much damn space!)
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To: antivenom

I don't have one - I "got it" as the result of the quiz Lady Jag posted.

I dunno much about them, except that to me they look almost like a retriever with a poodle coat. Strange combination!


162 posted on 02/11/2006 5:54:50 AM PST by RosieCotton
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To: antivenom

NOPE - On your left meet Daisy, she's a shi-tzu/poodle mix and Lilly on the right, Maltese/poodle mix. That's an old picture, they both have short ears now and I kee them in puppy cuts and they're so freaking cute!


163 posted on 02/11/2006 7:43:08 AM PST by Hildy (The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth)
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To: proud_yank
Has he ever gotten to play with sheep yet?

No, but he does love to play with the other dogs, and he tries to herd the cats, but they don't appreciate it very much. :-)

Are you others Australian Shepherds as well?

No. Charlie we got as a puppy, but the other two were rescued dogs.

The oldest is a White German Sheppard we got when he was 5 (now 12) from an abusive family, and the other one is a Collie-Doberman mix we picked up at the pound when she was one. She's now 11.

164 posted on 02/11/2006 8:56:40 AM PST by fanfan
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To: HairOfTheDog

Funny, funny!


165 posted on 02/11/2006 2:43:35 PM PST by alwaysconservative (Maxine: My idea of a Superbowl is a toilet that cleans itself.)
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To: fanfan

Sounds like you have your hands full! I've never heard of a white German Shepherd. I love them though, such pretty dogs. Which breed is dominant in your doberman/collie mix?


166 posted on 02/11/2006 9:57:48 PM PST by proud_yank (Good intentions + bad information = Recipe for disaster.)
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To: proud_yank
White German Shepherds look really cool.

The other one is definitely a collie at heart.

167 posted on 02/12/2006 6:09:20 AM PST by fanfan
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To: fanfan; proud_yank

I know this is late (I hardly post weekends), but what the heck. http://www.awsaclub.com/index2.htm


168 posted on 02/13/2006 6:05:12 AM PST by the OlLine Rebel (Common sense is an uncommon virtue.)
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To: the OlLine Rebel

Great link!

Thanks.

:-)


169 posted on 02/13/2006 7:05:05 AM PST by fanfan (I'd still rather hunt with Cheney, than drive with Kennedy.)
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To: glock rocks

Your Rott is darling!
Check my Rott pix in #63....


She was afraid of the vacuum also. No overbite - however...


170 posted on 02/13/2006 7:10:31 AM PST by Dashing Dasher (John McCain sings the hits.....)
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