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A simple trick can make a dog treat a stranger as their friend

If an unfamiliar person spends 15 minutes following a dog, it tends to follow them back in a possible sign of friendship

By Christa LestΓ©-Lasserre

29 February 2024

Pet dogs often keep stride with their owners, but that is rarely the case with strangers

Russ Rohde/Getty Images

Many pet dogs are hesitant to warm up to strangers and can feel threatened if unknown people touch them or even look at them – but now researchers have found an easy way to make friends.

β€œIt’s creating familiarity between the dog and the human, without having to touch or use toys or food, or even make eye contact,” says at Aix-Marseille University in France.

Lamontagne…

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