Did You Know Dogs Love To Be Pet Instead Of Being Praised?

Do you always praise your dog? That’s a great thing to do, and few dogs are complaining about extra praise! But did you know that research actually shows that dogs would much rather be pet?

A team of researchers at the University of Florida conducted a trial in two phases to determine whether dogs have a preference for vocal praise or pets. In the first phase of the trial, they collected 42 dogs – both from families and from shelters – and brought them into a room one at a time. For intervals of three minutes, eight times over, each dog was faced with three people – one who provided verbal praise, one who administered pets, and one who did nothing.

In the second phase of the trial, 72 dogs – again from both families and shelters – were led to a room with one person. Owned dogs would be in the room with their owner and shelter dogs would be in the room with a stranger. The person would offer differing interactions – praise, pets, and none, alternating between them. Once again, this was done in three-minute intervals, eight times.

Guess what the results were? Dogs loved being pet the most, no matter if they knew the person petting them or not. Even more surprisingly, the dogs had zero preference between verbal praise and being ignored! So the next time you’re going to praise your dog, try giving them pets instead!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay