r/interestingasfuck • u/Iptamorfo • 12h ago

Canine stick obsession

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u/aBrickNotInTheWall 12h ago

Are dogs obsessed with retrieving sticks because way back when we trained them to do that to help gather fire wood? And they did it for so long that it's just ingrained behavior now?

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u/Theofino161 10h ago

There is actually a theory that the love for sticks predates the whole dog thing and they trained us not the other way round. Wild wolves already play with sticks and carry them around. The theory goes that they adapted to early humans because they could throw the stick further.

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u/Velcraft 3h ago

And tugging for items is likely play fighting for bones - wolves do it too, picture a scene at a Neolithic campfire with wolves tugging bones with humans.