A study with nearly 3,000 owners and their dogs, conducted by Linköping University researchers, found that interactive play significantly strengthens the emotional bond between dogs and their owners. The research, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, split participants into three groups: a play group, a training group, and a control group.
Owners who played more reported a significantly stronger bond with their dog after four weeks of a few extra minutes of play per day, the researchers said. In contrast, the training group and control group showed no improvement in emotional bond. Dogs in the play group began to initiate play more often and seemed to like their owners more, according to the study.
Just throwing a ball isn't enough. As we were after the social interaction between dog and human, the games we proposed in the study were for example tug-of-war, rough and tumble, chasing each other, hide-and-seek, peekaboo or teasing the dog a little with your fingers.
"Just throwing a ball isn't enough," said Lina Roth, senior associate professor at Linköping University. "As we were after the social interaction between dog and human, the games we proposed in the study were for example tug-of-war, rough and tumble, chasing each other, hide-and-seek, peekaboo or teasing the dog a little with your fingers."
Roth added: "It turned out that the play group improved their emotional bond to the dog in just four weeks with a few minutes of extra play a day. This is a great result that you can only dream of."
It turned out that the play group improved their emotional bond to the dog in just four weeks with a few minutes of extra play a day. This is a great result that you can only dream of.
The study included 1,667 participants, according to Forskning.se. However, the researchers noted that the study cannot capture exactly how the dogs felt. Other unknowns include what specific training exercises were used in the training group, how the emotional bond was measured exactly, and the exact demographics of the participants, such as age and breed of dogs. The study also did not control for the type of play beyond the instructions given.
Roth said the findings may be applicable to rescue dogs that did not bond with owners as puppies. "Today, many dogs change homes in the middle of their lives. With rescue dogs, you don't have the advantage of growing up together with the dog. You miss the so-called socialization window early in the puppy's life that is important for relationship building. And then play can be a very good way to build a new good relationship even with adult dogs," she said.
It requires mutual attention and emotional engagement, both of which are central to relationship-building.
"It requires mutual attention and emotional engagement, both of which are central to relationship-building," Roth added. "Then you don't need to keep at it for very long, but rather be attentive to your dog's behavior. A few minutes now and then apparently makes a big difference."
Today, many dogs change homes in the middle of their lives. With rescue dogs, you don't have the advantage of growing up together with the dog. You miss the so-called socialization window early in the puppy's life that is important for relationship building. And then play can be a very good way to build a new good relationship even with adult dogs.
The play group improved the emotional closeness to the dog in just four weeks with a few minutes of extra play a day.
It's not enough to just throw a ball. We were after the social interaction between dog and human, so the games we proposed in the study could be tug-of-war, pretend wrestling, chasing each other, hide-and-seek, peekaboo or teasing a little with your fingers.
Then you don't need to keep at it for very long, but rather be attentive to your dog's behavior. A few minutes now and then apparently makes a big difference.