April 30, 2008 -- Pampered pooches are so driven to play and please that these urges can overtake other instincts -- to compete or be wary of strangers, for example -- when a dog is presented with a favorite game, according to a new study.
Socialized canines don't even seem to care whom they play with, the study found, as long as the person plays by the same rules and general manner established by the dog's owner during prior play sessions.
"It could mean that if, over time, the dog and its owner develop a routine of games, the dog could generalize these behavior routines to other play situations with another unfamiliar person, and the dog is less prone to misunderstanding human intentions," lead author Lilla Toth told Discovery News.
Toth, a researcher in the Department of Ethology at Hungary's Eotvos Lorand University, and her colleagues recruited 68 adult dogs of varying breeds for the study. The dogs were all classified as family pets because they were well schooled (having gone through obedience and agility classes), they lived in their owners' homes, and they were regularly walked and otherwise cared for by their owners.
The scientists had each dog play both a fetch ball game and a rag tug-of-war game with its owner and then an unfamiliar experimenter, who stood nearby during all sessions.
During the play sessions the researchers took note of each dog's tendency for possession, willingness to retrieve, behaviors related to fear, avoidance and aggression, and the occurrence of play bows, when a dog crouches down on its front legs with its head held high and its tail wagging. This bow is a visual cue that the dog would like to play.
The researchers then examined the effect that six factors had on the dogs' behavior: the familiarity of the play partner; the type of the game; the dogs' gender, age and breed; and the ordinary amount of daily interaction between dog and owner.
Their findings have been accepted for publication in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science.
Most of the dogs played with anyone in sight, so the factor related to the familiarity of the play partner was crossed off the list. How much the dog played on a daily basis, however, did seem to affect how motivated or fearful the dog was during the study, so Toth advises owners to spend as much time with their dogs as possible.
"The more (owners) play with their dogs, and we mean the more types of games as well, the better," she said.
The dog's breed played a minor role, with breeds selected for fighting, such as terriers, occasionally tending to get more stimulated during the more competitive tug-of-war game. Gender was a slightly more important factor, with males tending to be somewhat less tentative than females, and more males than females preferring tug-of-war.
"That doesn't surprise me," said Lisa Peterson, an American Kennel Club spokesperson, "since females rear the young and have a tendency to be more leery."
Peterson was also not surprised that both male and female dogs often seem to put aside their fears when their drive to play kicks in.
"Historically, dogs hooked up with humans some 15,000 years ago by pleasing us in exchange for food," she explained. "They are motivated to play and to please, and these drives appear to be stronger than some of their other urges now."
Peterson isn't a big fan of tug-of-war games, though, since, over time, they can bring out those other doggy urges, such as competitiveness and dominance-seeking.
If such games must be played, she said it isn't so much who wins that matters, but who is in charge.
"All of us dog owners admittedly have knot tug toys," said Peterson, who has bred dogs for over 20 years. "Just be sure to teach the dog to release the toy when playtime is over," she advised. "You need to show it that you're the boss and the top dog."
Related Links:
Jennifer Viegas' blog: Born Animal