# Does Play After Training Improve a Canine Good Citizenship Skill in Pet Dogs?

## TL;DR

This study explores whether playing with dogs after training helps them learn basic obedience skills better, but results were mixed.

## Contribution

The study tests the playful learning hypothesis in pet dogs using controlled experiments on obedience training.

## Key findings

- Play after training helped dogs with low initial ability improve in Experiment 1.
- Experiment 2 did not replicate the benefit of play after controlling for exercise and time with trainers.
- Results suggest limited support for the playful learning hypothesis in everyday dog training.

## Abstract

A major reason people surrender their dogs or fail to adopt them from shelters is due to concerns regarding the management of behavioral issues. This makes effective training of everyday obedience behaviors crucial to dog welfare. In this study, we test whether play after a training session increases a dog’s success in learning how to “sit” and “stay”. We conducted two studies, in which half of the dogs rested after their training session, while the other half played, and then we tested how well they performed in training the next day. In the first study, we found some evidence that play after training did help the dogs who were in the early stages of learning these behaviors improve the next day. In the second study, we controlled for the amount of exercise between groups by having the dogs who did not play go for walks during some of this time. In this second study, play did not help improve training. Overall, more research is needed on how play might improve training outcomes for pet dogs.

A major reason people surrender their dogs or fail to adopt them from shelters is due to concerns regarding the management of behavioral issues. This makes effective training of everyday obedience behaviors crucial to dog welfare. Here, we test the playful learning hypothesis to examine whether play after a training session increases a dog’s success in learning two basic Canine Good Citizen behaviors: “sit” and “stay”. In two studies, the dogs experienced brief training sessions and then were assigned to either play or rest. The next day, they returned for another brief training session, and we measured any change in the duration that the dogs were able to hold a “sit” and “stay” from the first day. In Experiment 1, the subjects with low baseline levels of ability improved more after playing than those subjects that simply rested after training. However, Experiment 2, which further controlled for exercise and time spent with trainers, and standardized the measure of success across dogs regardless of their initial ability levels, did not replicate the improved performance in response to play after a training session. Overall, we find limited support for the application of the playful learning hypothesis to everyday training and suggest avenues for future research to determine how play might improve training outcomes for pet dogs.