Are Dogs Trying To Trick You By Being Sneaky?

Your dog has probably done a fair share of sneaky things in their lifetime! But is this intentional? Are they actively trying to trick you? According to research, that may be the case!

A study conducted by Marianne Heberlein of the University of Zurich has indicated that dogs really are trying to trick us! Heberlein began this research after noticing her dogs tricking each other.

She and her team gathered 27 dogs and their treat-giving owners and set them up with two partners, each holding a box. The dogs were trained to bring their partners to a box with a treat in it. One partner, the Generous one, would happily give the dog the treat. The other partner, the Competitive one, would keep the treat.

Once the dogs had learned which partner had greedy tendencies, a new task began. Three boxes were set out and dogs watched as boxes were respectively filled with a biscuit, a sausage, and nothing. The dogs were then ordered to lead their partners to a box, and they did so, to a treat of their choice. Generous partners gave the treat as usual while Competitive ones kept it.

Dogs were then returned to their owners and told to lead their owners to the boxes. If the dogs led their owners to the same box as before, where the treat had been before it was removed, the owners would show the dogs the empty box. If the dogs led their owners to a different box, they could get what was inside it.

After a two day testing period, the results were in! Dogs led the Generous partner to the box with treats and led the Competitive partner to the empty box, then led their owner to the box with the last treat!

Feature Image Source: Pixabay