Attachment Theory

How is it really - how do dogs attach to the owner... do they remember their former owners and reckon them as members of their flock? How long do they remember? Of my three CAOs are two so called replaced problem dogs - the male was one year old and the female almost two years old when they come to me. Do they reckon their former families as their owners or members of their flock? How does the attachment build between dogs and their owners? Have you any ideas or theories about this? :roll:

Thank you for answering. Actually I am not pondering if the dogs are missing the former owner and their flock. I am more interested how they might accept the former flock members or owners in their new territory. For example horses have difficulties to readjust if some member of the flock is away awhile. This is usually the way people stress their horses when they take their horse from the familiar flock for a summer for example and return it back to the flock after some weeks or months. It is not a question of that horses would not recognize the member, but they have to reorganize again in order of rank - and this is really stressful for all horses in the flock. Would dogs accept the former owner or member of their flock without a question in their new flock, what do you think? In other words, could my dogs former owners for example come and rob my household without a gesture from my dogs?

Hi, well you have raised a very interesting question. It is a complex issue and since I have been recently volunteering at an animal rescue centre I might just shed light on this complex issue. Firstly I think it depends on the breed.There are many breeds like the Neapolitan Mastiff, the Caucasian Ovcharka which are strongly family oreinted and in particular to one owner. This owner should be a very dominant ( in relation to the dog), be assertive and show deemed superiority to the animal. If they have landed at the rescue, it could possibly be due to poor leadership qualities on behalf of the owner who has been unable to manage the breed not taking into account it's historical splendor or characteristics or it may land up due to several other issues. Attachment may depend on the breed and the individual in question. If the input of warmth, dominance ( to a certain extent) , love and affection is there and showered on the animal, then the animal is likely to reciprocate in return and will most likely readjust very soon trying to overcome its past. This has been the case with most rescue success stories. It is an extremely relative term and just as certain individuals are capable of adjusting to different situations very easily, the same could be said of canines too. If the breed itself has had a hardy history then it will adjust very easily to complex situations while if it is a recent creation or not had significant exposure to different conditions then it may not adjust well leading to behavorial issues like neurotic behaviour, unnecessary aggresion and the like. It may be extremely difficult to answer your question in a quantitative way but hope have shed light to this issue in a qualitative way. Best wishes, Vidya