Sandi’s K9 Management

According to the results of a recent study in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan, when puppies play, the males allow the females to dominate and win. 

Four different breeds of pups from the ages of three to 40 weeks were observed with pups of the same sex, as well as pups of the opposite sex.  What Dr. Ward and her colleagues found was that when the male puppies were engaged in play with the females, they would often use vulnerable positions in order to allow the female to dominate and keep the play going as long as possible.  It is believed that this leads to easier mating of dogs later in life. 

The study also revealed that although females will engage play with other female puppies that this was not as popular among the male pups.  Female to female aggression is often more intense than aggression towards male dogs, so the study leads us to believe that play among female puppies is a way they practice appeasement behaviors.  This is yet another argument in favor of not removing a pup from a litter prior to eight weeks of age, and continuing socialization with other dogs and puppies throughout a dog’s lifetime.

Good job to Dr. Ward and her colleagues at the University of Michigan.