Human analogue safe haven effect of the owner: behavioural and heart rate response to stressful social stimuli in dogs.

The secure base and safe haven effects of the attachment figure are central features of the human attachment theory. Recently, conclusive evidence for human analogue attachment behaviours in dogs has been provided, however, the owner's security-providing role in danger has not been directly supported. We investigated the relationship between the behavioural and cardiac response in dogs (N= 30) while being approached by a threatening stranger in separation vs.