Science Confirms Dogs Can Sense If You're a Mean Person
Dogs may be better judges of character than people give them credit for. A recent study suggests they can pick up on more than just tone or body language, including whether someone is being kind or mean to another person.
Researchers observed how dogs reacted in different situations, then watched what happened when those same people later offered a treat. The results pointed to a surprisingly sharp sense of social behavior, at least when it came to trust.
And once the dogs made up their minds, they did not seem eager to change them.
“Dogs are known to consistently follow human pointing gestures. In this study, we asked whether dogs ‘automatically’ do this or whether they flexibly adjust their behavior depending upon the reliability of the pointer, as demonstrated in an immediately preceding event,” one scientist said.
During the study, the dogs were put through a number of different scenarios.
In one scenario, a volunteer was helping another person open a jar that was tightly sealed. In one variation, the volunteer was passive. In another, the volunteer refused to help at all.
That first reaction says a lot.
It also echoes scientists explaining how modern human influence could be shifting dog evolution.
After the dog had observed the behavior, the volunteer would then try to offer the dog a treat.
If the volunteer was nice, the dog was much more likely to happily take the treat from their hand. However, when the volunteer who didn’t offer to help open the jar tried to offer a treat, the dog ignored them. The dog didn’t trust the person who was mean.
The dogs showed amazing perception!
These dogs were offered free treats; however, they chose not to take them because they could sense that the person offering them was not nice.
“These results suggest that not only are dogs highly skilled at understanding human pointing gestures, but they also make inferences about the reliability of a human who presents cues and consequently modify their behavior flexibly depending on the inference.”
So, next time your dog seems a little unsure of someone, remember it may be worth listening to them!
Dogs really did not miss the vibe here.
Want more proof of dogs judging character, read how canine “lovers” share good-person sightings in this dog study breakdown.
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