The ‘attachment’ of dogs to their ‘toys’ is similar to that of humans to video games, according to a study

Some dogs are so attached to their toys that they exhibit behaviors that resemble behavioral addictions in humans, such as gambling and video games. Behavioral addictions in humans are characterized by compulsive participation in activities, despite negative consequences. Researchers led by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna publish in Scientific Reports a study on 'excessive motivation for games' in domestic dogs as a possible parallel with behavioral addictions in humans.

Common Symptoms of Behavioral Addictions in Humans

The team identified the common symptoms of behavioral addictions in humans from previously published research, such as craving, lack of self-control, and mood modification. Then, they compared these symptoms with the behaviors shown by 56 male and 49 female dogs — all of them described by their owners as motivated to interact with toys — towards a toy selected by themselves at the beginning of the test. The dogs were between 12 months and 10 years old and the most common breeds were malinois (18 specimens), border collies (9) and labrador retrievers (9). The authors also surveyed the owners about their dogs' daily behavior regarding toys. With various tests, the animals were deprived of their toy, either by placing it out of their reach (at height or inside a sealed box) or by proposing a task that they had to solve.

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In the end, 33 dogs showed behaviors similar to those of an addiction when they couldn't access the toy. Thus, they tended to spend more time focused on it and trying to access it, and to prioritize getting it over eating or interacting with their owner.

Persistent efforts to access the toy

In addition, persistent efforts to access the toy when it was unavailable were recorded, as well as the inability to calm down for 15 minutes after all toys were removed. The results, write the authors of the article, "highlight the parallels between excessive motivation for toys in dogs and human behavioral addictions."

Dogs would be, so far, the only non-human species «that seems to develop behaviors similar to addiction spontaneously without artificial induction».

The authors point out that further research is needed to determine the reasons why dogs become excessively involved with toys and whether it can negatively affect their well-being.