Most dogs will do just about anything for a treat, and bite-sized treats are usually fundamental in successful dog training. The two well-trained pups in the video below are pulling out all the cute stops as they rest their heads on a table and perform tricks calmly for rewards.
But watch closely -- you will see that the black-and-white dog repeatedly edges out the other one, moving in front of the brown-and-white dog. Is it just following the treat in the human's hand? Or might the behavior be intentional, with the purpose of blocking the human's view of the other dog?
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Quite likely it's intentional, according to a study in PLOS. The study, published in July 2014, examined dogs' reactions to owners giving attention to a realistic (barking and tail-wagging) stuffed dog, a jack-o-lantern pail, and reading from an interactive book with pop-ups and audible music.
The results are interesting, although probably not surprising to most dog owners, especially those in multi-dog households: the dogs in the study reacted more strongly to the owners' attention on the stuffed dog than on the other objects.
Most common was "attention seeking/disruption of interaction" behavior, particularly pushing or touching the owner or trying to get between the owner and the other object; the 36 dogs in the study were three times more likely to exhibit this behavior with the fake dog than with the other objects, reports BBC.
"Our study suggests ... [the dogs] were seeking to break up the connection between the owner and a seeming rival," Christine Harris told BBC. Harris is a professor at University of California at San Diego and led the independent study.
What do you think? Is the dog in this video intentionally blocking the other dog? Watch the video, SHARE this article, and give us your thoughts in the comments below?
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