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Playing tug-of-war with your dog could be the best activity to deepen emotional connection, according to a new study of hundreds of pets and their owners.

While playtime with one’s canine companion is known to be great for bonding, just what kind of activity works best, and how it compares to time spent training, remains unclear. The exact function of playtime is also not fully understood, especially in adult dogs.

The new study explores whether there is a direct connection between play and a stronger emotional bond between dog and owner.

Researchers from Linköping University in Sweden found that increasing playtime could significantly strengthen the owner’s emotional bond with their dog, whether young or adult.

A dog ready to play (Anna Nielsen)

The study involved over 400 pet owners who each completed a comprehensive questionnaire about how they experienced their relationship with their dog.

The questions included: “How often do you take your dog with you when you visit other people? How often do you feel that dog ownership is more trouble than it is worth? How often do you tell your dog things that you don’t tell anyone else?”

Owner-dog pairs were then divided into three groups: one was tasked with playing more than usual, another had to train more than usual with treat rewards and a third control group that continued as before.

Owners answered the same questionnaire once more after the intervention.

“It turned out that the play group improved their emotional bond to the dog in just four weeks with a few minutes of extra play a day,” said Lina Roth, an author of the study published in the journal Royal Society Open Science.

Perceived emotional bond to the dog improved by increasing the time of play. In the other two groups, there was no improvement.

Dog playing tug-of-war (Anna Nilsen)

Notably, researchers found, the group that engaged in training also did not experience an improvement.

Specific play activities seemed to better improve bonding, according to researchers, who noted that “just throwing a ball isn’t enough”.

“The games we proposed in the study were, for example, tug-of-war, rough and tumble, chasing each other, hide-and-seek, peekaboo or teasing the dog a little with your fingers,” said Dr Roth.

“You don’t have to keep at it for long. It’s more about paying attention to your dog’s behaviour. A few minutes now and then seems to make a big difference.”

Breed group appeared to influence perceived closeness from play activities and interaction patterns, with herding dogs and ancient dog breeds seemingly exhibiting higher emotional bonding.

But more studies are needed to discern this link, scientists say.

While tug-of-war was found to be the most popular play activity, researchers appreciated a wide diversity of activities, pointing to a considerable variation in the preferences of owners and dogs.