Like owner, like dog – A systematic review about similarities in dog-human dyads

• Published in: Personality and individual differences 2025-02, Vol.233, p.112884, Article 112884
• Main Authors: Bender, Yana, Roth, Franziska, Schweinberger, Stefan, Witte, Simone, Bräuer, Juliane
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dog ownership, human-animal relationship; Dog-owner similarity; Personality, physical resemblance
• ISSN: 0191-8869
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2024.112884

This systematic review examines empirical evidence supporting the anecdotal assumption, that dogs look like and behave like their owners. To this end, we investigated 15 studies with the aim of testing that: (1) Owners and their dogs resemble each other in appearance and (2) owners and their dogs have similar personalities. Aggregation of the results supports evidence for both hypotheses. In terms of external similarities (i.e., appearance), participants were able to correctly match photos of dog-owner pairs, with one study even demonstrating that the eye area of owners and dogs was sufficient for accurate pairings. Further significant attributes included the correlation of weight of dog and owner and the hair/ear length similarity between women and their dogs. The included studies explain this by the owners' choice of a similar looking dog, possibly influenced by psychological mechanisms such as the Mere Exposure Effect or a Preference for Self-Similarity. Regarding internal similarities (i.e., personality), correlation of various personality dimensions was found. Most studies support the existence of similarities on the dimensions of extraversion and neuroticism. Discussion of potential reasons for these findings proposed a development of similarity over time, due to effects such as Emotional Convergence, Co-Regulation, and Reinforcement. •Dogs and their owners resemble each other in the way they look and in their personality traits.•The mere exposure effect is one possible reason why owners select a similar looking dog.•Emotional convergence is one possible reason why personality similarity changes over time.