By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 8, 2015, 10.34 PM ISTAs science sheds more light on the popular game of "fetch", fascinating to understand that "fetch" may not bet that fetching after all. Fetch can make dogs hyper. Stressed dogs in particular take longer to recover if they are playing fetch. Let us see how this game effects the body of a dog.
Fetch ignites the hunting instincts in a dog. This becomes evident when one considers that no dog needs to be taught how to run after a ball. Dogs only need to be taught to return it. Dogs are natural hunters and instinctively run after small moving objects that resemble prey. In fact, the concentration of rods in their eyes are such that they see moving objects in the periphery of their vision twice as well as they see static objects right in front of them.
When this hunting instinct is triggered, the dog gets a boost of the hormone adrenaline. Just as we would, if we were doing something extreme like bungee jumping. With repeated exposure to adrenaline, another hormone is released in the body — cortisol. Cortisol is a type of steroid.
These hormones are great in short doses, for emergencies. They are very powerful and provide a lot of power to the body and muscles. The body gets faster, stronger and tougher. But something that powerful cannot be emptied as quickly as it's pumped in. Such extreme change would be too disastrous for the body. So it takes time to come down. Adrenaline is known to have been in circulation in a body for seven days and cortisol is known to have been in circulation for up to even 40 days! When an animal hunts in the wild, after that adrenaline rush, he sits down to eat his meal and lets the hormones wear off. But when we throw the ball, we throw several times each session. Imagine bungee jumping several times over. Imagine taking that many shots of steroids every day. How much of residual hormone is coursing through the dog's body and how long would it take for all those hormones to leave the body? Imagine!
It is a commonly held misconception that dogs need much exercise to remain healthy. Not true. As part of my education, I have been studying street dogs and how much they move around. While my results are still pending publication, I can say with confidence they just don't run as much. But they do explore a lot more, use all their senses and get at least 16 hours of sleep a day. If your dog is overweight despite about 45 minutes of walk a day, check his diet, thyroid levels and general health.
Sometimes, clients point out that their dog brings the ball to them asking to play. True. Adrenaline addiction is as real an addiction as most others. It is not healthy like most others, and needs to be addressed at the earliest. Healthy games include nose games like treat search and mental games like dog puzzles. These are calming to a dog and go a long way in addressing stress issues in a dog. Your dog prefers your attention over the notion of running mindlessly after a ball. He brings the ball to you, hoping for some attention. Just give him that. Talk to him. Tell him a story. Give him the toy back and tell him he is a great dog. Forget fetch!
These hormones are great in short doses, for emergencies. They are very powerful and provide a lot of power to the body and muscles. The body gets faster, stronger and tougher. But something that powerful cannot be emptied as quickly as it's pumped in. Such extreme change would be too disastrous for the body. So it takes time to come down. Adrenaline is known to have been in circulation in a body for seven days and cortisol is known to have been in circulation for up to even 40 days! When an animal hunts in the wild, after that adrenaline rush, he sits down to eat his meal and lets the hormones wear off. But when we throw the ball, we throw several times each session. Imagine bungee jumping several times over. Imagine taking that many shots of steroids every day. How much of residual hormone is coursing through the dog's body and how long would it take for all those hormones to leave the body? Imagine!
It is a commonly held misconception that dogs need much exercise to remain healthy. Not true. As part of my education, I have been studying street dogs and how much they move around. While my results are still pending publication, I can say with confidence they just don't run as much. But they do explore a lot more, use all their senses and get at least 16 hours of sleep a day. If your dog is overweight despite about 45 minutes of walk a day, check his diet, thyroid levels and general health.
Sometimes, clients point out that their dog brings the ball to them asking to play. True. Adrenaline addiction is as real an addiction as most others. It is not healthy like most others, and needs to be addressed at the earliest. Healthy games include nose games like treat search and mental games like dog puzzles. These are calming to a dog and go a long way in addressing stress issues in a dog. Your dog prefers your attention over the notion of running mindlessly after a ball. He brings the ball to you, hoping for some attention. Just give him that. Talk to him. Tell him a story. Give him the toy back and tell him he is a great dog. Forget fetch!
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