Play with your dog — it’s good for both of you
A new study by Swedish scientists has shown that it’s play, not treat-based training, that truly brings an owner and a pet closer together. And the key is not just throwing a ball — but playing together. A few minutes of active play with your dog every day can strengthen your emotional bond in just four weeks. And this is especially important if you’ve adopted an adult dog.
Why Playing with Your Dog Matters for Emotional Bonding
It might seem obvious: play with your dog — and you become closer. But from a scientific standpoint, the role of play in the human-dog relationship has been surprisingly understudied, even though it’s long been known that dogs can sense human emotions, especially when it comes to adult animals. Puppies are often studied in the context of socialization, but what do you do if a dog came to you already grown?
This very question interested a team from Linköping University (Sweden) led by sensory biologist Lina Roth. As the researcher herself noted, today many dogs change homes in the middle of their lives, and with adopted pets, the owner doesn’t have the advantage of growing up together. In such cases, play can become a way to build new relationships even with an adult dog.
How the Study on Play Between Dogs and Owners Was Conducted
More than 400 dog owners participated in the experiment. Each of them filled out a detailed questionnaire about their relationship with their pet. The questions were varied: how often do you take your dog visiting, do you tell them things you don’t share with other people, do you consider keeping a dog more of a burden.
After that, the participants were divided into three groups:
- the first group was asked to play with their dog more than usual;
- the second group intensively trained their pet using treats as rewards;
- the third — the control group — continued living as before.
After a month, the owners filled out the same questionnaire again. All groups were given clear instructions — this helped the researchers make sure people were actually completing the task and not just ticking boxes.
Playing with Your Dog Strengthens the Bond Better Than Training
The result was clear-cut. Owners from the play group reported a noticeable improvement in their emotional bond with their pet — and this happened in just four weeks with a few extra minutes of play per day. The researchers recorded a statistically significant causal relationship: more play — stronger emotional attachment.
In the other two groups, however, nothing changed. Neither treat-based training nor the usual daily routine affected the sense of closeness between human and dog.
Researchers observed interactions between dogs and their owners
Lina Roth called this result a researcher’s dream. The effect appeared quickly, was statistically robust, and concerned exactly what was being tested — emotional bonding.
It’s important to clarify one nuance: the study primarily shows how owners perceive their relationship with their dog. The data on what the dog itself feels is more indirect. However, owners from the play group reported that their pets became warmer toward them and more often initiated play themselves.
Earlier studies also confirm that dogs feel better when they play and spend time with their owners.
Best Games with Your Dog to Strengthen the Bond with the Owner
Simply throwing a ball isn’t enough. According to Lina Roth, the scientists were interested specifically in the social component of play — direct interaction between human and dog. That’s why the study used games that required joint participation:
- tug-of-war;
- rough-and-tumble play;
- chase;
- hide-and-seek;
- peek-a-boo;
- gentle finger teasing.
All of these are games where you don’t just send the dog after an object but participate yourself as an equal partner. According to the researchers, it’s precisely this format that creates emotional contact.
Quality matters more than quantity here. You don’t have to play for a long time — a few minutes is enough, but with attention to the dog’s behavior. The key is to find a game that your particular pet enjoys, one that elicits a positive response, and to avoid repeating actions that dogs dislike and that cause them stress.
How Play Helps Build a Bond with an Adult Dog
Puppies have a so-called socialization window — a period in the first months of life when the foundations of attachment are laid. If a dog came to you already as an adult, you’ve missed that window. How do you build trust then?
For an adopted dog, play can become the key to trust in a new home
According to the researchers, play can serve as a tool for building new relationships. This is especially relevant given that the number of dogs changing homes in adulthood is growing — partly due to the wave of pet acquisitions during the pandemic and subsequent surrenders. Earlier work by Lina Roth herself showed that adopted dogs recover over time and are capable of forming strong bonds with new owners.
The study is relevant not only for adopted dogs — the results are equally applicable to pets of any age.
How Much Should You Play with Your Dog to Strengthen the Bond
The main practical takeaway is simple: if you want to become closer to your dog, play with them. Don’t just throw a stick — participate in the process: run together, wrestle, hide behind a door and call out. A few minutes of such play every other day can change the quality of your relationship with your pet in a month.
The study, of course, relies on owner self-reports and doesn’t directly measure dogs’ emotions. But combined with earlier data showing that play reduces stress levels and improves animals’ well-being, the picture is convincing. And most interestingly, such interactions with a dog have an equally positive effect on humans. Perhaps the best way to befriend a dog and for both of you to be happy isn’t a treat or a “sit” command, but honest play as equals.
