You Should Trust Your Dog When They Don’t Trust Someone

According to a study conducted at Kyoto University in Japan, dogs don’t like it when you lie to them. It’s also clear from the experiment that dogs will be skeptical about trusting someone that has misled them before.

This is how it all went down. The researchers tested 34 dogs in four rounds and used two containers, one with food, and the other one with no food. In the first round, they pointed the dogs towards the container with food and waited to see if the dogs would go for it. In the second round, they then pointed the dogs towards the empty containers.

As you would expect, the dogs were not amused. So, in the third round, when the researchers pointed the dogs towards the can with food, the dogs were distrustful. Then in the fourth round, the researchers had a new person point the dogs towards the can with food. This time the dogs were not hesitant and promptly went to the can.

When talking to BBC, Akiko Takaiko, the leading researcher, explained that the study is proof of dogs’ amazing social intelligence. He says, “That suggests…that the dogs could use their experience of the experimenter to assess whether they were a reliable guide…Dogs have more sophisticated social intelligence than we thought. This social intelligence evolved selectively in their long life history with humans.”

So, when your dog doesn’t trust someone, it could be because of an experience they have with them. You would be wise to follow their instincts.

Feature Image Source: Pixabay