Ladies First!

A lesson to be learned from puppies? Chivalry! According to a new study, male puppies will often let the females win when playing together. Even when they have the physical advantage over the females, they will put themselves in vulnerable positions for attack, simply for the joy of playing rather than winning.

This behavior has also been found in red-necked wallabies, squirrel monkeys, hamadryas baboons, and even humans, particularly when playing with youngsters.

The male puppies were found to be less likely to initiate play with other males, preferring to play with the females, and would also go to any lengths to keep play going. The male puppies encouraged the females to bite at them, or drop to the ground, putting themselves at their mercy.

Why do they do this? Professors conducting this study thought it might have to do with the males learning more about the females, to form closer relationships with them that might later help to secure mating opportunities in the future. Or, maybe dogs are just less obsessed with winning than we are. Either way, we can all learn a thing or two from an unlikely source!

Article Written by Jenny Smith