from Eileen on her blog Eileen and Dogs:
Alexandra Horowitz and her Dog Cognition Lab are investigating play between dogs and people. So was there ever a more fun way to participate in a research study?
For those who aren’t familiar with Dr. Horowitz, she wrote a great book called “Inside of a Dog.” She is also the one who authored the study that demonstrated that dogs’ appeasement behaviors after being scolded have no relationship to whether they did the deed in question.
So here’s the link to the new research study on play. Let’s all flock on over there and submit videos!
The hard part for me was choosing what game to play. But Clara’s current passion for the flirtpole is such fun, even though our releases need a little work. Ahem.
Our submission is below. There’s a time limit of 60 seconds, so that’s why it ends pretty abruptly. It was actually our 5th session of the day. I had cut my head out of the first several takes. She is moving more slowly by this time, but still In the Game for sure.
The flirt pole is a Chase It from CleanRun:http://www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=1645 . But I’m going to upgrade. It is definitely not going to last with Clara. The plastic/nylon rope is simply glued inside the handle; that came out right away. I was frankly amazed at how cheaply made it is. I have my eyes on this one: http://squishyfacestudio.com Also, flirt poles are based on a special kind of horse whip (flinch) and people make their own from those. That’s probably the cheapest route for someone who has access to a farm store.
The study has just begun but its effect has already begun - for me. I am resolved to incorporate some kind of play into every day. Thanks, Eileen. Thanks, Dr Horowitz.
NOTE: Kay Lawrence provides many ways of using the Flirt Pole (she calls it a Whippit) in her book, Learning Games. Learn to Use the Whippit: p 123. Build Arousal: p 128. Grip & Carry: p 129. On Cue: pp 132-3. Fools Rush In: p 134. But these are learning games vs pure play.