Ever wondered what your dog loves more – that tasty treat you offer or their favorite toy?
Researchers from the University of Florida set out to discover the answer, and it seems our furry pals have a clear favorite!
This fun experiment, the first of its kind, saw 9 out of 10 dogs pick food over toys. Yes, that’s right!
Nearly all the dogs showed they’d rather munch on a treat than play with their favorite toy.
Nicole Dorey, who’s a teacher at the UF Department of Psychology, led the study. She shared, “We were a bit surprised by the results. But this was the first time we tried to understand what dogs love more – treats or toys.”
How did they find out? Well, they brought in 10 pet dogs from nearby places.
They showed each dog a variety of foods like cheese, hot dogs, and carrots, as well as different toys like a tennis ball, a toy that makes a squeaky sound, and a cuddly stuffed animal. The dogs then had the chance to pick their top food and toy.
But the fun didn’t stop there! The researchers made the dogs work a little to get their reward. They noticed that most dogs would quickly give up if they had to work for a toy. But when it came to their favorite treat? They worked much harder!
Interestingly, other studies hinted that dogs might enjoy our attention even more than food. Dorey believes that maybe in the future, they should study which one dogs love the most: our attention, yummy treats, or fun toys.
Some people who teach dogs tricks or manners suggest using toys instead of treats. They say it’s better because treats have calories and playing is fun for dogs. But after this study, Dorey gave some advice. If you want to train your dog using toys, start when they’re very young. She mentioned that this method works great with search and rescue dogs, as they’re trained with toys from a young age.
So, what’s the big lesson? While our dogs might love their toys, treats seem to have a special place in their hearts. But remember, if you want to teach your dog using toys, start early, and don’t let them see food at the same time.
Big thanks to the students from the University of Florida, Xenabeth Lazaro and John Winter, for leading this experiment. They had help from the Florida Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University. If you’re curious and want to read more about it, they wrote about their findings in a journal called Animals.
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