Approaches to Goldie: A Field Study of Human Approach Responses to Canine Juvenescence

Approaches by human passers-by to a Golden Retriever puppy with a human companion were tallied as the puppy aged from ten weeks to 33 weeks. Over this period, approaches were most numerous when the puppy was youngest, with females approaching more than males during the first half of sampling, but equaling male approaches during the second half. Both the number of human approaches and the proportions of males and females were independent of the sex of the puppy's human companion. The results suggest a human, and especially a female, preference for canine juvenescence.