Interaction of separation discomfort with contact comfort and discomfort in the dog.

This experiment concerns 2 issues: the time of onset of the process of social attachment in the dog, and the nature of the interaction between the emotion of separation distress and that caused by discomfort. The subjects were 48 puppies from 4 genetic backgrounds: beagles, Telomians, and their reciprocal F1 hybrids. Puppies were divided into 4 groups nd isoalted for short periods under comfortable and uncomfortable conditions beginning at 3, 11, 17, and 25 days from birth. The dependent variable was distress vocalization during a 10-min period. Separation distress did not occur before 11 days and remained at a low level until 21 days, when it rose rapidly. The process of attachment is thus initiated in the transition period but does not reach a high level until some 2 weeks later. Interaction between the 2 kinds of affect is compatible and additive.