Adult companion dogs allocate social proximity toward owners over household dogs under competing contexts

Abstract

Domestic dogs (Canis familiaris) show robust social engagement with both humans and conspecifics and frequently reside in multi-species households. Prior work has focused largely on the human–dog bond, yet less is known about how dogs allocate social proximity between humans and conspecifics when both are simultaneously available. In the present study, we implemented a two-choice social preference paradigm in adult companion dogs (n = 31). Pairs of familiar stimuli (owner, household dog, toy, or food) were presented in direct competition. Unlike go/no-go choice tasks, dogs freely explored an arena, allowing for continuous assessment of stimulus-directed behavior across a trial. Automated tracking was used to quantify spatial proximity-based social preferences. Competing social comparisons assessed allocation of proximity between an owner and a household dog. Competing non-social comparisons evaluated each social agent (owner or household dog) against a familiar non-social alternative (food or toy). Under competing social conditions, dogs spent more time in close proximity to their owner than to a household dog. In contrast, when each social agent was evaluated independently, dogs spent more time near both owners and household dogs than a familiar toy, but not food. These findings demonstrate context-dependent differences in stimulus-directed proximity in adult companion dogs, with owner prioritization observed under socially competing conditions.