Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale

Name: Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale
Rating: 5 (77 reviews)
Author: Mohammed looti

Mohammed looti

Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale

Exercise FEAR miscellaneous

Table of Contents

📋 This scale is available as an interactive assessment

Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale (DCCDOS)

Take the Test Now →

Get your personalized results with AI interpretation

Abstract

The Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale (Glanville et al., 2023) is an original inventory/questionnaire designed to understand the potential drivers of companion dog owner behavior, with implications for improving dog welfare. This 30-item instrument measures a potentially powerful and unique motivator that encompasses both cognitive and affective dimensions, representing the integration of moral obligations and attentive care. The development of the scale was based on Schwartz’s (1977) Norm Activation Model (NAM) and the Pet Care Competency model (PCC; Glanville, Hemsworth, & Coleman, 2020). The scale has been evaluated in a sample of companion dog owners, and its factor structure, reliability, and validity have been reported.

Keywords

Pet Care Competency Model, Norm Activation Model, Duty Beliefs-Personal Norms, Efficacy, Ascription of Responsibility, Problem Awareness, Awareness of Impact, Duty of Care, Companion Dog Owners, Dogs, Interspecies Interaction, Models, Motivation, Pets, Social Norms, Values, State Trait Level Measures

Authors

Glanville, Carmen R.; Hemsworth, Lauren M.; Hemsworth, Paul H.; Coleman, Grahame J.

[quads id=5]

Purpose

The primary purpose of this scale is to understand the potential drivers of companion dog owner behavior, which has significant implications for enhancing dog welfare.

Validity

Construct Validity: The correlations between the duty of care subscales and dog-owner relationship scores were generally weak to moderate. Relationships with attachment to pet scores varied from weak to strong.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from .73 to .87, indicating good internal consistency.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis: Of the six proposed subscales, four demonstrated psychometrically satisfactory results. These include:

Personal Norms (Duty Beliefs): One factor accounted for 35.8% of the total variance.
Ascription of Responsibility: A single-factor solution accounted for 47.44% of the variance.
Efficacy: One factor accounted for 59.96% of the variance.
Awareness of Need: The final 10-item, two-factor solution (Problem Awareness and Awareness of Impact) accounted for 43.58% of the variance.

Structural Equation Modeling: All items were entered into the Structural Equation Model (SEM) according to the hypothesized model structure. The model demonstrated excellent relationships between model elements and good model fit, with the following fit indices: PCMIN/DF = 1.824, CFI = .947, RMSEA = .043, SRMR = .0458.

Instrument: Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale

Test Type: Original Inventory/Questionnaire

Format: Most items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale: Strongly disagree, Disagree, Somewhat disagree, Neither agree nor disagree, Somewhat agree, Agree, and Strongly agree. All items, except for the first, from the Ascription of responsibility subscale are rated on a 5-point scale: Not at all responsible, Partly responsible, Somewhat responsible, Very responsible, and Completely responsible.

Language Available: English

Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

Age Group: Adulthood (18 years & older)

Population Details: Respondents are dog owners located in Australia.

Test Methodology: Test Validity, Construct Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Structural Equation Modeling.

Keywords

Pet Care Competency Model; Norm Activation Model; Duty Beliefs-Personal Norms; Efficacy; Ascription of Responsibility; Problem Awareness; Awareness of Impact; Duty of Care; Companion Dog Owners; Dogs; Interspecies Interaction; Models; Motivation; Pets; Social Norms; Values; State Trait Level Measures.

[quads id=5]

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:

Glanville, Carmen R.: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0754-0822
Hemsworth, Lauren M.: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7752-8917
Hemsworth, Paul H.: No data is Available
Coleman, Grahame J.: No data is Available

Affiliation:

Glanville, Carmen R.: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne
Hemsworth, Lauren M.: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne
Hemsworth, Paul H.: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne
Coleman, Grahame J.: Animal Welfare Science Centre, Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, University of Melbourne

Email addresses:

Glanville, Carmen R.: [email protected]
Hemsworth, Lauren M.: No data is Available
Hemsworth, Paul H.: No data is Available
Coleman, Grahame J.: No data is Available

Correspondence Address: Glanville, Carmen R.: [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: The scale may be used for Research/Teaching purposes.
Commercial Use: No
Fee: No
Test Year: 2023
Web Site: creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.en

References

Glanville, C. R., Hemsworth, L. M., Hemsworth, P. H., & Coleman, G. J. (2023). Duty of care in companion dog owners: Preliminary scale development and empirical exploration. PLoS ONE, 18(5), Article e0285278. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285278

[quads id=5]

Items of the Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale

Number of Items: This measure consists of 30 items.
Subscales: The scale comprises the following subscales:

Duty Beliefs (personal norms)
Problem Awareness
Awareness of Impact
Efficacy
Ascription of Responsibility

Please note, this scale consists of 5 sub-scales which represent distinct aspects of the duty of care model. The items in each subscale can be summed to produce a score for that element but these sub-scale scores are not to be combined. i.e., DO NOT sum all items in the scale for an overall ‘duty of care’ score.

Key: DB= Duty beliefs (personal norms) PA= Problem Awareness AoI= Awareness of Impact E=Efficacy AR= Ascription of Responsibility

Please indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with the following statements.

Item	Statement	Strongly disagree	Disagree	Somewhat disagree	Neither agree nor disagree	Somewhat agree	Agree	Strongly agree
DB1	I feel a strong personal obligation to ensure my dog is happy	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
DB2	I feel a strong personal obligation to ensure my dog is healthy	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
DB3	If you bring an animal into your home, it is your duty to make sure they are happy	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
DB4	In the same way that people have basic rights, like food, medical care, and housing, so to do dogs.	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
DB5	My dog trusts me, so I must live up to that trust	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
DB6	My obligations to my dog stem from them being a part of the family	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
DB7	We don’t have any particular obligations or duties to our dogs	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
PA1	My dog could lead a better life than they currently lead	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
PA2	My dog could be happier	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
PA3	My dog’s welfare could be better	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
PA4	My dog could be healthier	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AoI1	If my dog does not get enough mental stimulation their welfare will suffer	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AoI2	How I manage my dog affects his/her behaviour	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AoI3	Providing toys/puzzles/enrichment items helps keep dogs occupied and not engaging in problem behaviours	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AoI4	If my dog does not get enough exercise their welfare will suffer	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AoI5	Providing good care for my dog improves their behaviour	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AoI6	AN.Gen_2 Problem behaviours in dogs (e.g. destructive behaviours, excessive barking) are often the result of their needs not being met	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
E1	There are things I could do to improve my dog’s life	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
E2	There are things I could do to make my dog happier	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
E3	There are things I could do to make my dog healthier	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
AR1*	During challenging times like financial hardship, changes in personal circumstances, or when time is limiting, it is reasonable to lower our expectations for dog care and welfare.	○	○	○	○	○	○	○
*Note: AR1 is agree-disagree, whereas AR2-AR10 are below.

To what extent would you/do you feel responsible for the following:

Item	Statement	Not at all responsible	Partly responsible	Somewhat responsible	Very responsible	Completely responsible
AR2	If [dog’s name] felt insecure or afraid	○	○	○	○	○
AR3	If [dog’s name] was anxious	○	○	○	○	○
AR4	If [dog’s name] was depressed	○	○	○	○	○
AR5	[dog’s name] ‘s mental state	○	○	○	○	○
AR6	[dog’s name] being free of fear	○	○	○	○	○
AR7	If [dog’s name] was lonely	○	○	○	○	○
AR8	If [dog’s name] engaged in problem behaviours like destroying things or excessive barking	○	○	○	○	○
AR9	If [dog’s name] was bored	○	○	○	○	○
AR10	If [dog’s name] was aggressive to other people or dogs	○	○	○	○	○

Cite this article

APAMLACHICAGOHARVARDIEEEAMA

Mohammed looti (2026). Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Retrieved from https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/duty-of-care-in-companion-dog-owners-scale/

Mohammed looti. "Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 6 Apr. 2026, https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/duty-of-care-in-companion-dog-owners-scale/.

Mohammed looti. "Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale." PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, 2026. https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/duty-of-care-in-companion-dog-owners-scale/.

Mohammed looti (2026) 'Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale', PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. Available at: https://scales.arabpsychology.com/s/duty-of-care-in-companion-dog-owners-scale/.

[1] Mohammed looti, "Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale," PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, April, 2026.

Mohammed looti. Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale. PSYCHOLOGICAL SCALES. 2026;vol(issue):pages.

Abstract

Keywords

Authors

Purpose

Validity

Reliability

Factor Analysis

Instrument: Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale

Keywords

Authors

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

References

Items of the Duty of Care in Companion Dog Owners Scale

Cite this article

Share

Related terms:

Requst a

Scale