naturalpet
they mean things like a willingness to
chase balls or Frisbees and to engage
in games like hide-and-seek. Those
that ranked highest included the Irish
setter, English springer spaniel, Aire-
dale, golden retriever and poodle. The
bloodhound, bulldog and basset hound
ranked low. Following are the results of
the Harts’ research.
The most playful breeds: Irish set-
ter, English springer spaniel, miniature
schnauzer, cairn terrier, Airedale terrier,
Canine
standard poodle, Shetland sheepdog,
golden retriever, Australian shepherd,
miniature poodle and German short-
Humor
haired pointer.
Above average playfulness: Vizsla,
fox terrier, Labrador retriever, Boston
terrier, Yorkshire terrier, West High-
land white terrier, toy poodle, German
by Stanley Coren shepherd, silky terrier, Welsh corgi and
Shih-Tzu.
Average playfulness: dachshund,
Weimaraner, bichon frise, cocker
spaniel, Scottish terrier, Dalmatian,
boxer, pug, Maltese, beagle, collie and
U
niversally known and appreci- rush away in triumph, repeating the
Brittany spaniel.
ated for their playful, uninhib- same maneuver, and evidently enjoying
Below average playfulness: Nor-
ited nature, dogs’ penchant for the practical joke.”
wegian elkhound, Doberman pinscher,
play generally reflects these creatures’ The Nobel Prize-winning eth-
Chesapeake Bay retriever, Siberian
more or less juvenile minds; they have nologist, Konrad Lorenz, says that it is
husky, keeshond, Afghan hound, Po-
been bred to remain much like their during play that dogs actually appear
meranian, Lhasa Apso, Newfoundland,
wolf puppy forebears for all of their to laugh. In his book, Man Meets Dog,
English sheepdog and great Dane.
lives. It’s part of what makes them Lorenz describes it this way:
Least playful breeds: Samoyed,
unconditionally loving companions “… an invitation to play always
Chihuahua, Rottweiler, Pekingese,
that like to frolic and do silly things that follows; here the slightly opened jaws
akita, Alaskan Malamute, Saint Bernard,
make us laugh. Humans tend to equate which reveal the tongue, and the tilted
basset hound, chow chow, bulldog and
such play with a sense of humor. angle of the mouth which stretches al-
bloodhound.
Charles Darwin may have been most from ear to ear give a still stronger
As many human companions may
the first scientist to suggest that dogs impression of laughing. This ‘laughing’
attest, playful dogs are sometimes a
have a sense of humor. As part of his is most often seen in dogs playing with
mixed blessing. While they are a joy to
renowned evolutionary studies, Darwin an adored master and which become
people who can handle the occasional
considered the emotions of animals and so excited that they soon start panting.”
bout of chaos, they may exasperate
humans, looking for parallels and simi- While we cannot enter the mind
those who cannot. For a person who
larities. It appeared to him that dogs do of a dog to examine the mischievous
values peace and quiet, a Pekingese
have a sense of humor, which appears machinations of its mental state, it is
that is happy to snuggle up, but shuns
best when they are playing a sort of possible to determine how playful a
play, may suit better than an Irish setter
emotional add-on to their games. In the dog is comparatively speaking. Not all
that will try everything to get his hu-
1872 edition of The Descent of Man, breeds are created equally; some are
man up and responding to his over-
Darwin writes: definitively more playful than others.
whelming need to play and exercise
“Dogs show what may be fairly Some seem to have a sense of play
his sense of fun.
called a sense of humor, as distinct that they cannot suppress, while others
from mere play; if a bit of stick or other seem to shun play.
such object be thrown to one, he will Two animal behaviorists from Stanley Coren, Ph.D., is a professor of
often carry it away for a short distance; the University of California-Davis, Dr. psychology at the University of British
and then squatting down with it on the Benjamin Hart, a veterinarian, and Lyn- Columbia and author of several books
ground close before him, will wait until nette Hart, a zoologist, had a group of on dogs, including The Intelligence of
his master comes quite close to take it experts rank 56 different breeds of dogs Dogs, How Dogs Think and The Modern
away. The dog will then seize it and in terms of playfulness. By playfulness, Dog. His website is StanleyCoren.com.
 Collier/Lee Counties swfl.naturalawakeningsmag.com
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