The study, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, recruited nearly 3,000 owners and their dogs, splitting them into three groups: one playing more than usual, one training more than usual, and a control group continuing as before. Owners in the play group reported a significantly stronger bond with their pet, while the other two groups showed no improvement. According to the researchers, simply throwing an object for your dog and asking them to retrieve it isn't sufficient for bonding.
Social play, such as tug-of-war, hide-and-seek, and chasing each other, requires mutual attention and emotional engagement, both central to relationship-building. In contrast, object play like fetch can be performed with very little social exchange and may not yield the same bonding benefits. The study is unable to capture exactly how the dogs felt, but owners in the play group reported that their dogs seemed to like them more following the intervention.
Previous studies have shown that dogs feel better when they get to play and spend time with their owners. Dogs differ from most other species in that they readily play with humans throughout their lives, a trait suggested to be adaptive from domestication to strengthen emotional bonds. The findings could be applicable to rescue dogs, who did not get the same opportunity to bond with their owners when they were puppies.
The study did not specify what breeds or ages of dogs were included, nor how the emotional bond was precisely measured.