Dogs can also become addicted to gambling.
If you've thrown the ball countless times and your dog still brings it back, it could be a gambling addict. This can be dangerous for your four-legged friend.
Dogs are so greedy – some will abandon all food and everything else for one thing: a toy. Their behavior is similar to human addictions to gambling or online gaming, reports a Swiss-Austrian research team.
A dog so enamored with its toy that it won't let go: That sounds sweet, but play addiction is dangerous for dogs, too, as scientists led by Stefanie Riemer from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni), explain. They don't stop, for example, even when completely overexerted or injured.
What dogs want to tell us with their looks
They included in their analysis the play of 105 one- to ten-year-old dogs with a self-selected toy, all of which were described by their owners as highly motivated to play. The most common breeds were Malinois (18), Border Collies (9), and Labrador Retrievers (9) – representatives of classic working breeds. In addition, the owners were surveyed about their dogs' daily interaction with toys.
Food? My master? I don't care!
The behavior of 33 of the dogs was assessed as addictive. Factors included whether the dog was overly fixated on the toy, showed little interest in alternatives such as food or playing with the owner, persistently tried to retrieve the toy when it was unavailable, and could not calm down within 15 minutes if the toy was taken away.
The researchers explain that the results confirm individual reports of addictive play behavior in dogs. As with behavioral addictions in humans, a compulsive pursuit of activities despite negative consequences is characteristic. Further studies are needed to clarify why some dogs have this tendency and the specific health consequences, such as potential strain on ligaments and joints.
Many mammals and birds play.
Play behavior is ubiquitous in mammals—especially young ones—and some birds. It is usually a sign of well-being, but can also occur as an escape behavior in stressful situations or serve to relieve social tension. Furthermore, an initially enjoyable activity can become compulsive and develop into a behavioral addiction.
Behavioral addictions are based on similar neurobiological processes and behavioral symptoms as substance dependence. In humans, in addition to computer games and gambling, sports, sex, shopping, and work can also become addictive.
Bred specifically to play
Behavioral addictions have also been studied in animals. For example, mice specifically bred for excessive wheel running develop physiological withdrawal symptoms after abstinence, similar to those of drug addiction. "Like excessive physical activity in humans, wheel running in rodents can disrupt everyday activities and lead to impairments in nesting and protective behavior." However, only dogs are known to exhibit addiction-like behavior spontaneously, i.e., without deliberate experimental induction.
Centuries-long selection presumably plays a role, especially in working breeds or working lines: In these breeds, young dogs with an obsessive play motivation are considered particularly trainable, exhibiting better concentration and less distractibility. Therefore, such breeds or breeding lines are specifically selected for toy motivation as a performance indicator. Such dogs are often unsuitable as family pets due to their strong drive – something that may not be sufficiently clear to every prospective buyer who, for example, finds Border Collies quite cute.