Do Dogs Believe in Fair Play?
Man domesticated the first dog
Do you know what PTPs are? Pats, treat and praise - that’s what your dog expects from you when he accomplishes something you expect him to. The dog’s appetite for appreciation sometimes seems inexhaustible. But do pets do what you say just for rewards?
Well, research shows that pets will do anything you say willingly without expectations. However, if you reward your dog’s buddy and do not reward your pet (for the same task), then he is sure to notice the difference!
A researcher, Fredrike Range, of the University of Vienna, Austria, and her colleagues, conducted experiments that showed dogs did not react favorably to commands when they saw other dogs being rewarded in a better manner for the same tasks.
The study, in the “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”, investigated the dog’s sense of fair play
It was seen that a dog willingly obeyed “give the paw” command several times and did not expect any rewards. But the same dog later refused, hesitated or took longer to obey the command when he saw his buddy getting a reward every time after “giving the paw”!
So now you know that your dog too believes in fair play. Be fair to your pet and in return you have unstinting devotion for life!
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