Video – The Psychology of Owning a Dog: Dogs As an Extension of Us
Video Transcript “The Psychology of Owning a Dog: Dogs As an Extension of Us”:
Have you ever wondered why we form such deep connections with our dogs?
Why they become much more than just pets – but true members of our family?
The answer – partially? – lies in psychology – and in this episode of Marketing Made Clear,
we’re exploring the fascinating concept of the ‘extended self’ and how it affects everything from our relationships with our dogs, to the food we buy for them.”
This episode is based off another hugely popular article on the Marketing Made Clear Website – which was also published in many of the UK’s top dog magazines:
The Psychology of Owning a Dog: Dogs As an Extension of Us
MMC theme
Now – I will warn you – this video is going to test your attention span – there will be plenty of dogs so..
PAY ATTENTION
DON’T LOOK AT THE PUPPY – Concentrate on the details!
If you’re listening to this as a podcast – it may be much easier to concentrate! But not as fun!
– Can I pet that dawwg –
Just to go off topic for a sec, I’m assuming you have heard the saying that dogs look like their owners. But did you know that this saying has been around for a VERY long time? The idea dates back at least to the 19th century, when people started noticing that certain dog breeds seemed to match their owners in personality and appearance.
Looking at some of these images – you can really see why!
Even Charles Darwin – friend of Marketing Made Clear – wrote about how dogs and other animals could display expressions similar to humans, reinforcing the idea of a shared resemblance.
Why are you so angry Charles?
Hmm
Well, I guess we will find out later!
If you’ll allow me to introduce a bit of academia… Several studies have actually proven that dogs and their owners often resemble each other.
Here’s why:
1. People Choose Dogs That Look Like Them
- A famous 2004 study by psychologist Michael Roy at the University of California, found that people can often match dogs to their owners just by looking at photos.
- In the study, participants correctly paired photos of dogs and owners over 60% of the time, proving that the resemblance wasn’t just random.
2. Facial Features and Expressions
- Humans have an innate preference for familiarity, so when choosing a dog, it’s likely that they are subconsciously drawn to breeds that share similar features to them, like
- long or short hair
- facial hair
- big or small eyes
- similar expressions
- or even similar face shapes.
- This is the “mere-exposure effect” in psychology—the more familiar something seems, the more we like it. This theory explains that, when a person is subject to repeated exposure of a stimulus, even without conscious awareness, this will lead to increased preference for that stimulus. In this case we’re talking about features or expressions but you can apply this theory to wider concepts of marketing too
3. Personality Matching
- Other studies show that people choose dogs that reflect their own personality traits.
- This personality mirroring can lead to perceived physical resemblance over time.
- Again, the “mere-exposure effect” comes into play, because people are subconsciously drawn to animals that seem more familiar
4. Similar Aging & Lifestyle Effects
- Owners and dogs spend years together, leading to shared habits.
- Over time, both may develop similar postures, walking styles, or even expressions
- Cartoons like Disney’s 101 Dalmatians (1961) played with this idea, showing owners resembling their dogs.
Fabulous
So let’s bring in the core psychological theory of this episode
The Concept of the Extended-Self
The idea that dogs resemble their owners is connected to consumer behaviour researcher Russell Belk’s extended-self theory, which was developed in the 1980s.
Big Russ argued that we don’t just define ourselves by what’s inside us, but also by the things we own and the relationships we form.
Think about it – our car, our clothes, even the art we hang on our walls – they all say something about who we are.
It’s also known as conspicuous consumption. That is – buying and using goods of higher quality, price, or quantity than necessary, primarily to display wealth and status.
Most people consider other peoples opinions about the things that they are buying to some degree, but this takes it to a new level.
I’ll come back to this in a sec…
So for dog owners….
Our furry companions are one of the strongest extensions of our identity.
How Dogs Reflect Their Owners’ Identity
Belk’s theory suggests that we extend our sense of self in three ways:
- individually,
- within our families,
- and in our communities.
Let’s break this down.
Self 1. The Individual Level
Our choice of dog can actually be a reflection of our self-image. For example, some people are drawn to status dogs – breeds that symbolise wealth or power. Others pick dogs that match their lifestyle, like an active runner choosing a Border Collie. And all of the things we discussed about dogs’ similarities to their owners – this all tends to be on an individual level.
Self 2. The Family Level
Dogs don’t just live with us; they become part of the family unit. They share our space, they’re in our family photos, and we celebrate birthdays with them. Dogs are highly social animals and rely on their owners for care, companionship, and social interaction. This bond is often reinforced through daily routines, training, and play, leading to the majority of dog owners to feel that their pets are indeed members of our family.
Self 3. The Community Level
Owning a dog brings people together. From Kennel Clubs to training groups, and dog-friendly meet-ups, our pets connect us with like-minded people. We also see dogs play important roles in the community, police dogs, guide dogs, fire rescue dogs and all sorts – So in that sense, we can physically see dogs as part of the community.
Time to interject a bit more academia…
This happy geezer here is Abraham Maslow,
Abe was an American psychologist best known for developing the Hierarchy of Needs – a psychological theory dating back to 1943, The hierarchy of needs is widely accepted and used in marketing – and it outlines five levels of human motivation in a pyramid structure:
- Physiological Needs – Basic survival (like food, water, shelter, sleep).
- Safety Needs – like Security, stability, financial and physical safety.
- Love & Belonging – including Relationships, friendships, social connection.
- Esteem Needs – which covers Self-respect, recognition, achievement.
- Self-Actualisation – this is the very top level – covering Personal growth, creativity, fulfilling potential.
People typically progress upward, but lower needs must generally be met before higher ones become a focus.
When I carried out my MBA study, I linked Maslows theory to the reasons people got their dogs in the first place which was quite insightful; In a study that I carried out of over 2,000 dog owners; Nobody got their dog for Physiological Needs – which makes sense, dog are amazing but they aren’t providing food, water, or shelter for us. But 9% of people got a dog for their Safety Needs. Unsurprisingly – the biggest portion of respondents got their dogs under Love and Belonging Needs. Whereas just 8% of people got a dog to improve their Self Esteem. But – the biggest surprise was that as many at 31% of respondents got a dog for their own Self Actualisation – remember, that’s Personal growth, creativity and fulfilling potential.
These findings show that while dogs provide companionship and security, they also play a significant role in personal fulfilment. Maslow’s theory helps explain why so many people see their dogs not just as pets, but as a key part of their own growth, identity, and emotional well-being.
The Psychology of Buying for Our Dogs
So moving away from buying a dog in the first place… This idea of our pets as an extension of ourselves also affects the products we buy for them. And I find that this is the most interesting part… Let’s bring back the topic of conspicuous consumption and talk about the concept of Veblen goods – named after economist Thorstein Veblen.
Veblen was an American economist and sociologist from the late 1800s best known for coining the term “conspicuous consumption. So again – this describes how people buy luxury goods to display wealth and social status – which marketing academics call “Veblen Goods”.
So along the same lines of the extended self with Belk, Veblen goods are products bought to show off wealth or status – So consumers need to show off these goods, either visibly in public or in conversation. But with the not so recent rise of social media, consumers are increasingly showing off what they are buying online – And yes—that even applies to things like dog food.
Ahh my favourite topic!
In the pet food industry, we have seen a rise in people sharing what they are feeding to their dogs; particularly on Instagram.
Look at all these amazing selections of food – showcasing their dogs health and their food of choice.
This is an example of conspicuous consumption – but go back 30 years and this would have been impossible.
Now, Karen Syrjälä?
Sy Rja laaa
SYREALAA
Suuureyella…..
Sorry Karen
But Karen – explored the concepts of pets as social-extensions, based on the construct of extended-self in reference to “subcultures” of dog owners.
When pets are seen as self-extensions, powerful subcultures can develop, particularly online, which can be linked to the way that dogs are fed, or the breed of dog that people own. And I love exploring subcultures, because you can start to observe common behaviours among a subculture. Like owning similar dogs or buying a particular type of food. This can mean for marketers, it can become very difficult to change this kind of behaviour.
But getting back to thinking about individuals, some dog owners buy premium dog food to reflect their own values about health and wellness. Some fairly old studies like Connors et al. (2001) and Shepherd (1999) that were focussed on human food choices, hypothesised that if dog owners actively seek to eat organic food for themselves, they’re likely to choose an organic or raw diet for their dog.
Consumers are starting to apply the same kind of thinking towards buying for dogs as they do to their own products – A later study by Beck and Katcher (2016) who focussed their research on the relationship between humans and their pets – added substance to this.
I have to mention my mortal enemy here… Kibble…
Dogs being an extension of ourselves – with people projecting their values onto their dog, couples with the real food movement – where consumers are learning how unhealthy ultra-processed foods are for us.. has led people to question:
Why am I feeding my dog this unhealthy, ultra-processed, and aften synthetic food, that will outlive cockroaches in an apocalypse??
Like – would you want to eat the same ultra-processed food day-in day-out?
Probably not – and neither does your dog.
So people are moving away from habitually buying cheap foods like kibble and buying freshly prepared, biologically appropriate foods like raw. And in my opinion – good riddance!
The Science Behind Our Choices
My MBA study that I mentioned earlier of 2,257 dog owners in 2023 found a strong connection between people’s own dietary choices and what they fed their dogs. Almost 50% of people had the exact same attitude toward ultra-processed food whether for themselves or their dogs. And nearly 80% of people were within one point of similarity in their preferences – which means they pretty much had the same opinion for dogs and themselves!
This supported Schleicher et al.’s (2019) prior findings that 53% of respondents had the same outlook of importance when buying healthy food for their pet versus themselves.
This also supports earlier research that showed, making emotionally driven choices – a seriously powerful consumer driver. This usually makes marketers ears prick up because emotion can be utilised as a strong driver to drive consumer action!
Just to reinforce this point, various studies have shown that vegans are more likely to feed their dogs a plant-based diet, even though dogs are naturally carnivorous. This highlights how personal beliefs shape what we buy for our pets.
I must say though – I am also aware that there are many vegans that feed their dog a perfectly species appropriate, meat based diet too – what the research shows, is that they are “more likely than non, vegans…
The Future of Dog Ownership & Nutrition
As human nutrition trends continue to evolve, we can expect pet food to follow the same path. That means a greater shift toward natural diets, including raw feeding.
The research I referred to earlier for my MBA, showed a slight preference for owners to avoid highly-processed foods for their dogs in comparison to themselves.
In other words: people would rather feed their dogs better food than themselves. For companies, this is a clear signal; Dog owners are becoming more health-conscious, not just for themselves – but for their pets, too. Products that match a consumer self-image have a greater probability of purchase, as the purchase contributes to the self-concept. So the move away from ultra-processed foods is happening.
Oh Ohhhh
Charlie Darwin is here and he’s not happy!
That’s right Chas – Adapt or Die!
I’m looking at you – ultra-processed dog food companies!
Thank you Charlie!
Closing Thoughts
So, what does this all mean for us as dog owners?
Well, our relationship with our pets is deeply personal – they are an extension of who we are. And as we learn more about nutrition and well-being, our choices will continue to evolve. But most interestingly, for marketers, It means that consumer decisions – especially in the pet space – are no longer just about function or necessity; they’re a powerful reflection of identity, emotion, and values.
For marketers, tapping into this extended-self connection unlocks a unique opportunity: if you can align your product with how someone sees themselves (or wants to be seen), you’re not just selling a product – you’re becoming part of their story.
My goodness – that’s profound!
Do you feed your dog based on your own values and beliefs?
Let me know in the comments below.
Or maybe you’re a marketer in this industry?
What insights can you offer.
Again – let me know in the comments!
If you enjoyed this video,
Please checkout the article on MarketingMadeClear.com
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See you next time!”
Podcast version of this video:
