Throwing a stick or a ball and having your dog bring it back for you is a common past time for many dog owners. While it is a fun past time many dog owners wonder why do dogs fetch? The most common reasons can be traced back to their wild ancestors.
While some may think of a dog fetching a stick as an activity that’s just for fun, some also think that it can be traced to their prey instincts. The motion of throwing the stick ignites the prey instinct in the dogs, which causes them to chase after it. Them bringing it back is the dog wanting to share it’s kill with you.
This traces back to their ancestors. Wolves and other canines will chase their prey after being enticed by the movement of an animal running. They will catch the animal, kill it, and bring it back to their pack to share the food.
So the common theory for why a dog fetches is that he is bringing his catch back to his pack to share it. Even though what he gives you isn’t actually food, that isn’t the point. The dog wants to share it with you.
Another theory on why dogs fetch is the belief that it’s just a game. Much like how humans have games to pass the time, it is a game to the dogs as well. This belief states that the dogs are enjoying interacting with their owner.
The chasing is fun because of how they enjoy running, and they bring back the stick for you so that you can throw it again. They are rewarded for their behavior in bringing it back to you. This explains why some dogs don’t always care for chasing sticks or toys, and some won’t bring them back to you.
The activity is physically and mentally stimulating. Dogs enjoy physical exercise and they often times do not get enough of it in their daily lives. So they enjoy playing fetch because they are not only exercise, but they are getting to interact with you.
For some, it is in their breed. Retrievers, for example, were specifically bred for the task of ‘fetching’. This traditionally pertained to hunting, but the behavior carries over to other aspects of their life. So with some dogs it is something that they were bred into, and it usually ties into their prey instincts.
Some dogs, this may be a behavior retained from when they were puppies. The instinct to play is not suppressed because even after they’ve grown they’re still treated like puppies. This play behavior is caused by their need to learn how to be an adult.
Much like a child plays house, a puppy will play hunt. Some dogs will continue to fetch after they are adults because they still believe they are puppies. Maturity is not a physical thing for dogs, but rather a societal, and it is determined by the pack. Especially dogs that are neutered or where spayed young, they don’t have the sexual maturity to tell them they are an adult.
Therefore, if their pack leader (you) continues to treat them as if they are a puppy, then they will not only continue to believe they are a puppy, but they will continue to act like one. Many dogs are actually bred to retain the puppy behavior, in addition to the the encouraged belief of their pack mates that they are still a puppy.
This belief, that it is a game that they play whether for sport, practice or fun, can be seen in their wild cousins. Wolves are pack animals, and are in constant interaction with each other. Even when hunting, they howl to let each other know where they are and where the prey is.
Wolves can be seen playing in a similar fashion to fetch. They tend to do it between themselves in a more tug of war fashion, where they are each ‘tugging’ on some object, be it a stick, a bone, or something else, and one of the wolves will toss it. Both will chase the item and catch it and the game will start again.
A wolf’s constant need for pack interaction is one reason why wolves do not make good pets (in addition, of course, to other things). Domesticated dogs have been bred so that their temperament when away from their pack is less surly, and they have adapted to deal with smaller packs. The behavior to be with the pack is still there, however, and play is a part of that.
Whether it is for hunting, exercise, or fun, dogs fetch because of their instincts. It is as natural to them as anything else they do, and they tend to enjoy it. Even if your don’t doesn’t fetch, don’t despair, it may just not be very fun for them.
Related posts:
- Why Do Dogs Follow You Around?
- Why Do Dogs Fight?
- Why Do Dogs Howl?
- Why Do Dogs Go After the Mail Carrier?
- Why Do Dogs Cuddle?
