The UK’s Daily Mail is reporting on a study out of Bristol University that involved over 4,000 dogs and their families. They asked how often people play with their dogs and found that about 20% say they play six times a day. Half of the families said they play 2 or 3 times a day, and 10% play one time each day.
Next, they looked at behavior problems and found that dogs who played the least were the most likely to be disobedient, experience separation anxiety, and snap at other animals.
Researcher Emily Blackwell stated that dogs often change their play strategy in order to make play sessions last longer. They may slow down when running to allow their family members to keep up. Favorite toys include tennis balls, squeakers, and rope tugs.
Blackwell hopes to have as many as 10,000 dog families included in the survey, although it wasn’t clear to me whether you have to live in the UK to participate or not. You can reach Dr. Blackwell at [email protected] if you’d like to be included.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!