Dog owners can be incredibly close with their pets, but it’s still impossible to know what’s going on inside of their heads sometimes. Luckily, research teams have tried to solve every pet care mystery from a dog’s favorite toy to if yawning is contagious. The answers might give pet owners a little peek into Fido’s thoughts.
Why dogs get bored with some toys
Pet owners sometimes buy a toy for their canines only to watch it be cast aside. A recent study has uncovered why some dogs may favor certain toys over others. According to Discovery News, John Bradshaw, the co-author of the study, said dogs are using their basic instincts when sizing up toys. They prefer ones that taste like food or can be torn apart. Co-author Anne Pullen added that they prefer toys that are “soft, easily manipulable … that can be chewed easily and/or make noise.”
Bradshaw suggested that toys will only be really exciting to dogs when an owner uses it in a game or encourages it be played with. For dogs that are left alone, the best toy choices are ones that can be chewed, make noise when played with or can be eaten (such as a chew).
A dog’s favorite de-stress music
Pet owners who play specially-made pet CDs designed to calm animals might not be getting the desired result, according to a recent study. CBS News reported that research found that Mozart, Beethoven and other classical music artists are the best stress reducers in dogs. The study’s author, Lori Kogan, said that the research analyzed behavior of 117 dogs of various breeds in kennels, boards or rescue dachshunds and exposed them to 45 minutes of different genres of music while their behavior was recorded. Classical music proved to conjure up the most relaxed and restful behavior. Heavy metal created the greatest anxiety and unrest in the animals. Kogan suggested classical music might be beneficial for animals in stressful shelter environments.
Yawning is contagious – in dogs too
Pet owners who think they catch their dog yawning in response to their yawn might not be imagining it. The Huffington Post reported that a recent study found that 69 percent of the dogs in the study yawned in response to a human’s yawn, This is similar to findings from a study in 2008, which found that 72 percent of dogs in the study yawned after watching their owners yawn. In this most recent study, though, it found that dogs younger than seven months showed little evidence of contagious yawning.