Research: a dog can become addicted to its toys as a game addict

About dog owners sometimes it seems that the pet is addicted to its toy. For example, Hauva whines after it and does not want to stop playing with it, even if he is overtired or has hurt himself.

Now the phenomenon was studied scientifically for the first time.

Swiss and Austrian researchers recruited more than a hundred multi-breed dogs, which, according to the owners, were remarkably attached to their favorite toy.

The strength of toy love was measured with a series of tests.

For example, it was tested whether the dog’s attention remained on its favorite toy even when the toy was placed out of reach and other interesting things were available, such as food or toy-free play with the owner.

In about a third of the dogs tested, the behavior was indeed similar to addiction, i.e. it resembled people’s gambling addiction, says the report Scientific Reports in the journal.

Leluinto is not in itself morbid, the researchers emphasize.

Most of the time, play is good because it supports mental well-being and exercises useful skills.

A problem only arises if an addiction develops that starts to affect health or other aspects of life.