Couple with dog sitting on the couch
Jessica Petersonn / Getty
There are two types of dog owners in this world. The first are people who admit they care who their dog’s favorite parent is and actively try to be the chosen one. The second are liars.
No matter who you are, a new TikTok trend now lets you find out who your dog prefers. Here’s how it works: Stand next to your partner and let your dog (s) sit between the two of you. Then you and your partner run off in separate directions at the same time and see who your dog is following. That’s who the favorite is.
Is it scientific? Does it really prove anything? No, but it looks fun.
Unfortunately, your dog almost certainly won’t make a split-second decision on whom to prefer. So, according to Haylee Bergeland, CPDT-KA, CBCC-KA, RBT, and the Daily Paws health and behavior editor, here are some things that could really happen.
First, and easiest, the dog may have only seen one of the parents run away and decided to follow them without knowing that the other human was doing the same. Another reason could be that your dog might associate one parent more with outdoor playtime, so he chooses to follow the parent he associates most with this type of activity.
“The context is the crucial part here, as is the general relationship dynamics in the family,” says Bergeland. “Who plays with the dog the most, who reinforces the dog the most, to whom the dog generally pays the most attention in a certain context …”
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So if you’re not usually the one to run away from your dog during playtime, he may not chase you because she will be confused and wondering what the hell you are doing. In fact, Bergeland says dogs could chase after the person they associate with negativity or fear and try to chase them away. (But in all respects we assume that these TikTokers all have good relationships with their dogs.)
So yeah, maybe we popped the bubble on some fun TikTok trend. We are sorry! But we also gave ammo to the pet parents who lost this challenge because they didn’t actually lose! As for the winners, even if the challenge is wrong, you are still the favorite!
See? Everyone wins.