Ever wondered why your dogs only play when you’re watching, even though they could wrestle or chase balls alone all day? Karen B. London, PhD, writing for Bark, reviews the findings of new study that validates our suspicions that our fur kids really do want to show off. Originally published in Animal Cognition, this research confirms that dogs play the most when their humans encourage and praise them. There is direct correlation between human attention and canine social play behavior, leading researchers to speculate that we may make our dogs feel safe enough to have fun, or that they may use play to compete for our attention and affection.