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Life

Your dog may not like you as much as you think it does

By Christa Lesté-Lasserre

15 June 2021

Woman and her dog

The feeling isn’t mutual

Credit: Shutterstock/Sviatlana Yankouskaya

Dog owners tend to overestimate the bond they have with their pet, which could have implications for preventing dogs from roaming far from home or attacking animals.

“As caregivers, we need to develop better bonds with our dogs, not only for our own well-being and the dog’s well-being, but also for nature,” says Lorena Saavedra-Aracena at the University of Magallanes, Chile.

Previous research has shown that unsterilised male dogs and undernourished dogs tend to roam longer distances, but this isn’t always the case. Saavedra-Aracena wondered if…

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