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Dogs live to play and please, no questions asked
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by cynthia yoo | April 30, 2008 at 08:11 am
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A new study on canine behaviour has shown that yes, dogs are man's best friend. They're programmed to please their human masters, but they're not as loyal as previously believed.
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.
The study advises dog owners to play with and spend as much time as possible with their dogs.
"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."
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (9)
at 09:06 on April 30th, 2008
Amos, waiting patiently for a ball to be thrown. He's been playing hard enough to pant and get his ears flopped back.
jennilorenbandit has contributed a photo to this story.
at 09:45 on April 30th, 2008
I don't quite understand the direction the original article was heading in. My only thought on this, is that dogs instinctively respond to being around a more assertive/dominant type figure - think of dogs in a pack. I think if you project that alpha type of energy while engaging with them, they will naturally become submissive and follow your lead, no matter if you are their owner or Joe Schmo off the street. How much this corresponds to the article, I don't know, as again, I didn't understand what the point was. :)
In regards to my puppy picture: oddly enough, these are my two new puppies in the process of battling it out to see who's going to be the alpha. So far, its still up in air.
tambra has contributed a photo to this story.
at 10:17 on April 30th, 2008
The owner of the dog had prevously taken him to the creek and them brought him to a field to play. The dog couldn't have been happier being with his owner and other dogs!
BrittD3 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 11:12 on April 30th, 2008
Beatrix was happy just playing by herself. In this picture, she has her Bobo. I just had fun watching her so I decided to lay down on the floor to take this picture so that I would be at her level in the shot.
bblan72 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 11:37 on April 30th, 2008
This is my boy Max with the only toy tough enough to last through the abuse - a Kong!
indichick7 has contributed a photo to this story.
at 17:24 on April 30th, 2008
Well, that's my doggy, named Rusty! She's like little train, she never stops. Her dream I think is to play and eat something. And what is more she can do it 24/7. She's ma "duracell plus plus")))
qulana has contributed a photo to this story.
at 08:26 on May 1st, 2008
I've always had a dog since I was a kid and what is said in this article is all true. Dogs live to play and please. And without a dog couldn't be HOME. It would be just a house.
BW shot - Barney's getting ready for more running and playing :)
And he runs and plays a lot! He's just a 2-months old puppy but it means that he needs even more of my attention and time than an adult dog.
Mosaic photos - my beloved dog Grisha, he passed away just recently, but he loved playing and though he was 6 years old he was acting like a puppy. Always ready to get his toy and run.
at 12:27 on May 4th, 2008
The photos are fantastic! Thank you for sharing them with us!
at 09:18 on May 1st, 2008
That's my Barney. He's a 2 months old Russian Spaniel puppy. Here I caught him sleeping (God bless these minutes when he's so piecefull and quite!) after wild games with all his toys.
Nastya C. has contributed a photo to this story.