Overview
- The study, published Tuesday in Royal Society Open Science, reports that a few extra minutes of play each day improved owners' emotional bond with their dogs within four weeks.
- Researchers split owner–dog pairs into three groups and used a before-and-after questionnaire, finding gains only in the group assigned to play more, not in the training or control groups.
- Play was defined as social, back‑and‑forth games such as tug‑of‑war, chase, hide‑and‑seek, rough‑and‑tumble, peekaboo, and finger teasing, with instructions given to ensure owners actually interacted.
- The outcomes reflect owner self‑reports rather than direct measures of dogs' internal states, though many owners in the play group said their dogs sought them out more and started play more often.
- The team notes that short, attentive sessions may help build relationships with adult and rehomed dogs that missed early socialization, while further research is needed beyond this four‑week window.