The Perception and Effect of Aggressive Dog Breeds on Human Social Interactions

Abstract

During social interactions, one must be able to interpret social signals that convey information and respond appropriately to interactants. Several factors have been shown to influence decisions of interpersonal distance preferences; however, research has yet to determine the associative effects companion animals may have on social information processing during intended interactions. Previous research (Briones et al., 2022) distinguished between various breeds of dogs perceived to be higher or lower in aggression, and further showed that people had a greater tendency to interact with dogs perceived to be lower in aggression. The current studies (Study 1 n = 174; Study 2 n = 229) were an extension of that research and used computer-simulated avatar interactions to assess the influence of dog breeds and other factors on actual proxemic behavior during goal-related social interactions. Results showed that during social interactions, (a) interactants associated with dog breeds perceived higher in aggressiveness elicited larger interpersonal spaces; (b) closer interpersonal distances are maintained with friends than strangers; (c) greater affinity for dogs, in general, was related to closer proxemic distances; and (d) dog handlers taking the perspective of the approaching interactant results in greater interpersonal distances.