Do dogs like getting presents? 🎁

The answer will surprise you. [BarkShop logo]( Good news, science says it’s ok to buy your dog all the things! [Buried in new toys]([@LostInTechnicolor via Instagram]( I think about dogs a lot and the weird things they do, like insisting on a tête-à -tête in the bathroom, or rolling in repulsive things. Then I looked at one of Cosmo’s sad-looking toys and wondered if dogs actually care about the things we buy them. Here's what I found out: dogs may be just as commodity-driven as we are… except it looks a lot cuter on them. A [2008 study by the University of Giessen]( in Germany and the University of Lincoln in the UK tested just how much dogs love getting new stuff. [corgi loves BarkShop](Via Chris Omark Researchers played with 17 dogs using two toys per dog, making sure they enjoyed the toys they were given. Later, the pups were faced with a lineup of 3 toys. Two were the ones they had previously played with and enjoyed, and one was brand new. The unfamiliar object was chosen first in 38 out of 50 tests, indicating that not only do dogs recognize new stuff, [they prefer it](. And let's be honest, they totally DESERVE it! [Andi's Dumplings]([Instagram via @stephaniesnoa]( I'm not not going to use this as a reason to surprise my dog with [presents](. Just saying, but dog psychologist [Julie Hecht]( tells us there are also ways to make old stuff feel new again. "Instead of leaving toys out all the time so that they lose their appeal, toys can be put out of sight,” she writes. “You might even consider adding a new scent to the toys, rolling them in leaves or grass." [Happy Frenchie]([Instagram via @stephaniesnoa]( Now if only I could roll everything I own in grass to curb my online shopping habit, then we'd really be getting somewhere. [barkshop]( Sam: Contributor, Just bought Haley a bunch of [Grinch]( toys. Lori: Writer, About to roll all of Cosmo's toys in the grass upstate for extra fall flavor. Tazz: Editor, Loves when she can use "SCIENCE" to justify her shopping addiction. Was this email forwarded to you and now you want more? [Click here to sign up for the BarkShop newsletter](. ©Bark, Inc. All rights reserved. 221 Canal Street, Floor 2 New York, NY 10013 Stop getting cute dogs in your email? [Unsubscribe](