Was Somebody Mean To You? Your Dog Will Never Forget

People need to be careful about being mean to you in front of your dog because the dog is always observing. And, they don’t forget. This is according to a scientific study conducted by a team of researchers led by Kyoto Fujita at Kyoto University.

This is how they did it. Eighteen dog parents were split into three groups and told to open a box with the help of a stranger while the dog watched. In the first group, the stranger overtly refused to help with the box opening so that his intent was unmistakable to the dog. In the second, the helper volunteered to assist and made sure the dog noticed. The third group was the control experiment, so neither the dog parent nor the helper did anything.

Also, in all the groups one of the helpers remained neutral. He did not volunteer to help, and he didn’t reject the offer. The researchers then told the strangers to offer treats to the dog. Guess what happened? Most of the pups rejected the treats offered by the strangers that were mean to their parents. I bet that makes you go aaaw!

The pups in the two other groups did not show any preference between the strangers. According to Fujita, dogs make social and emotional evaluations of people regardless of their direct interest. So, it’s possible your puppy is hostile to that one person you know not because they did something to the pup but rather to you.

And while this study is clear evidence of a dog’s loyalty to man, it also challenges a popular belief that a dog’s intelligence is similar to that of a two-year-old human. This type of emotional intelligence only begins to manifest in humans after we have reached three-years-old. Again, who is man’s best friend?

Feature Image Source: Pixabay