•We provide our pets with shelter, veterinary care, love, education, and play. We manage almost every aspect of their lives, from the food we choose to the people they meet. We love our pets and want them to be safe; but there is a dark side to this care: It often comes with restrictions, limited freedom of movement, limited social choices, and constant surveillance.
Separation anxiety has become a growing problem. The number of diagnoses of dog behavior disorders in the United States increased tenfold between 2010 and 2020. Dog behavior specialists and organizations have emerged to help pets cope with the challenges of modern pet life.
It is often assumed that the long history of domestication has made dogs dependent on us. But this is not true. The majority of dogs in the world do not live as pets; they roam freely without being owned or confined.
Watching free-living street dogs in India
In our new research, we examine what 45 dog behaviour experts who were trained to observe free-living street dogs in India saw. What they saw reflects the tension at the heart of adopting a dog: we love them but we control them.
Watching free-living dogs
The participants were experienced professionals who had worked with domestic dogs for years, struggling with anxiety, aggression or other behavioural problems. Importantly, they were willing to test their assumptions about dog welfare by directly encountering dogs living different lives.
Some expected to see a lack of freedom or resilience that is common in most domestic dogs. But most expected to see difficulties: dogs in conflict, in poor health or forced to stay awake all the time. These expectations show that dog welfare is associated with human management and control.
Life on the street
Participants found the lives of street dogs in India impressive. Most described them as socially skilled, physically robust and competent. Dogs can independently navigate busy city streets and move confidently through crowds. They resolve conflicts using subtle signals such as growling and posturing, rather than fighting; they choose the right time to approach or retreat from people.
Participants felt that street dogs seemed calm and composed, rather than overwhelmed by the noise of traffic and crowds. This was a stark contrast to the domestic dogs they had experienced, which react by increasing their behaviour.
There is no universal template
There is no universal template
It would be easy to reduce this research to a simple comparison: Street cats are free, domestic cats are in prison. But that’s not the point. The point is that there is no universal template for a good cat life.
Free-living cats face serious risks, from injury to illness to starvation to hostility toward humans. We can’t give domestic cats the life that free-living cats have.
Most domestic cats spend most of their lives indoors, behind fences, in cages, in cars, or in cages. They are often taught what to do and have fairly planned routines. When a problem arises, such as anxiety or poor impulse control, the owner may interpret it as a problem caused by the cat. But cat behavior is relational – it arises from interactions between the cat and the human.
Is confinement the cure?
As cat behavior experts have moved from city to city, they have begun to question their internal models of what constitutes well-being for most cats. Is good care limited by confinement and obedience?
As one put it: When we tell our cats, “You can only walk on your feet,” are we stressing them out by limiting their behavioral diversity?
Many have wondered whether their efforts to provide a safe and loving life for their beloved pets are hindering their development of confidence, adaptability, and social skills. The result may be cats that become anxious when left alone or hiss at strangers. They may also react aggressively to others or panic in crowded places. These behaviors are real and often disturbing. But people often resort to even more confinement and control.
Asking better questions
For participants, the experience of interpreting street dogs competently and independently led them to think about giving more autonomy to domestic dogs.
Some participants had a striking transformation in their thinking. They came to India wondering how free-living dogs survive without constant human protection. They wondered whether some of the common behavioral difficulties of dogs might not be a reflection of the conditions we create for them, rather than failures within the pet.
Most participants said that by the end of the tour, the guide’s questions had shifted from “how do street dogs survive?” to “how do domestic dogs survive?” This did not mean that free-living dogs necessarily had a better life. But they use a wide range of skills to survive in the street – from social navigation to finding food – that domestic dogs do for their pets. If domestic dogs are not too constrained, they become frustrated and develop behavioral problems.
As one participant wondered: What happens when you don’t control every aspect of it? When dogs are free to make their own decisions, they learn to cope with things.
