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Harvard Researchers Link Early-Life Adversity in Dogs to Lasting Fear and Aggression

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A new study on canine development found that dogs exposed to adversarial events, including abuse and abandonment, in the first six months of their development have higher rates of aggression and fear as adult dogs.

The study, conducted by researchers in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, is the first to comprehensively record the impact of early-stage trauma in canines. Similar studies have only examined such effects in humans and other animals.

“People are aware that early life trauma produces psychological problems in people. Now that we’re seeing this in dogs, maybe it will help us understand that dogs are a lot like us in many ways,” said Erin E. Hecht, an assistant professor in human evolutionary biology.

Julia Espinosa, a research associate in the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology and the lead-author of the study, was drawn to investigating canine neuroscience and a “new realm of how to view dogs.”

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“There are so many dogs and humans out there,” she said. “They really need high quality, data driven information to understand how to have the best relationship possible.”

The study draws on survey data from the owners of nearly 4,500 dogs. Participants were recruited primarily through word of mouth and online platforms such as X and Facebook.

“We had over 500 people sign up in the first day, which told us that we’re studying something that people are really interested in,” Espinosa said.

The study’s results suggest that emotional responses vary by breed. Specifically, the researchers found that popular dog breeds associated with families — including golden and labrador retrievers — “bounce back,” showing smaller impacts on their fear and aggression rates.

“There’s some really unhelpful narratives out there about dangerous dog breeds and how that is what drives dog bite incidents,” Espinosa said.

“It’s so much more than that. It’s the dog, it’s the particular context,” she added.

Espinosa hopes the findings will reorient the public’s perception around dog behavior and lead dog owners to actively establish trust with their pets, especially those from rescue shelters.

“It’s not too late to teach an old dog new tricks,” she said. “You can always spend more time doing things with your dog that are going to help them feel safe and see you as a source of security.”

Moving forward, Hecht hopes to develop PTSD treatments for dogs by studying DNA samples from the surveyed dogs and identify genetic loci linked to increased risk or resilience in traumatic experiences.

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