Dogs Can Judge Us for Being Rude, Says New Study
A recent study has discovered that dogs can judge humans for being rude. They are less likely to accept treats from someone who isn’t helpful to their owner.
Researchers from Kyoto University looked into whether other species besides humans can make judgments about how helpful people are to each other. They drew inspiration from studies showing that even one-year-old babies have a natural sense of morality. To explore this idea, they conducted experiments with capuchin monkeys and pet dogs.
In the experiment, dogs watched their owners struggle to open a container. An actor would enter the scene, either helping the owner, standing passively, or refusing to help. After this, all three actors offered a treat to the dog. Interestingly, dogs didn’t seem to prefer the treat from the helpful actor over the passive one. However, when given a choice between the passive actor and the one who refused to help, dogs clearly preferred the passive actor.
The capuchin monkeys in the study reacted similarly to the dogs. They also avoided the unhelpful actors and favored the more helpful ones. Researchers conclude that both dogs and monkeys possess a sense of morality akin to that of human infants.
What’s most fascinating is how adept dogs and monkeys are at interpreting social interactions between humans. This study emphasizes their ability to pick up on social cues related to human behavior.
This new research adds to the evidence that dogs are incredibly perceptive when it comes to reading human actions, showing a level of social intelligence we may often overlook.
A few years ago, another study found that dogs can even tell when we’re lying and judge us based on our reliability. So next time you consider fake-throwing a ball for your furry friend, keep in mind—they might be judging you for it!
