A new study has found that dogs can become addicted to everyday objects in much the same way humans can develop dependencies on gambling or video games.
An international team of researchers discovered that dogs may display addictive behaviours towards common items, particularly toys.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, examined 105 dogs to scientifically assess their compulsive tendencies. For around a third of the animals, signs of addictive behaviour emerged.
Conducted by researchers from the University of Bern in Switzerland and the University of Veterinary Medicine in Austria, the study focused on dogs that were especially prone to playing with toys.
The researchers identified 33 dogs whose behaviour was comparable to addiction in humans. They found that when these dogs were deprived of their toys for a period of time, they tended to hold on to them for longer once they got them back.
