I love watching my boys play. In all honesty, I could do it all day long – if only they felt like playing all day long. Seeing them happy and carefree is my source of endorphins. And now it turns out, my presence does a lot of good for pups, too.

According to a study published in Animal Cognition magazine, our dogs are more likely to play with each other if we pay attention to them instead of leaving them alone completely or simply being present in a room.

The researchers observed 10 pairs of dogs who lived together for at least 6 months and were known to play with each other at least once a day. During the study, the dog parents did not use toys or encourage them to play specifically.

But whenever a person was around offering eye contact and occasional praise, the dogs were much more likely to start playing and having fun. The situation was different when a person was not in the room or was present but stared at his phone or computer screen.

The scientists suggested that this dog behaviour might have been caused by several factors including potentially seeking owner’s attention in a manner of little kids, feeling safer, hoping that the owner would join in, or possibly having a release of oxytocin or the “love hormone”.

This is a type of study that “leads to a lot more questions than answers”, but it is obvious that being with our dogs, being present when they seek our attention, is a wonderful way to make them happy and strengthen the bond between us and our pups.

Just like the immortal lyrics go… “Every single day… every game you play… I’ll be watching you…”

Photo credit: by Elizabeth Clark / I am family photography