Dogs May Be Able To Tell If You’re Hiding Snacks From Them On Purpose
Image via ID 219742077 © Arvydas Lakacauskas | Dreamstime.com
New research from Germany suggests your furry friend may be able to tell if you’re choosing not to reward them intentionally. So be sure to feed Fido!
The study discovered that dogs reacted in different ways when someone was hiding snacks from them intentionally or by accident. This could lead to a larger study, as it shows dogs might have the ability to acknowledge the inner thoughts of others, an aspect of cognition that’s long thought to be unique to humans.
Currently, research suggests birds and primates could share this particular aspect with us. Scientists have found that these animals could spot the intent behind another’s actions, and now, it’s possible that man’s best friend might too.
In the recently published study, scientists modified the “unwilling versus unable” task for dogs. This test has been used on birds, primates, and children before, and measures how much a creature can read the other’s intent.
“It’s always hard with non-verbal speech to really know what you’re measuring there. But the nice thing about this task is that it’s actually already established in other species,” study author Britta Schünemann, a research scientist at Harvard University, told Gizmodo.
The experiment saw 51 dogs separated from their owners through a panel of glass, which had a gap that allowed humans to pass snacks through. This was first demonstrated to the dogs, so they knew it was possible for them to receive treats.
Then, the scientists set up three different conditions to test the dogs’ responses. First, just as their owners were about to pass a snack through the gap, they would change their minds and deliberately put it down again. Second, food was passed through the gap, but was “accidentally” dropped. And third, when their owners tried to feed them but the gap was blocked.
Researchers found that dogs actually responded differently to each condition. When their owners deliberately changed their mind about feeding them, they took a longer time to approach the barrier again, compared to when the humans were prevented or couldn’t by “accident.”
It was also noted that the dogs in the first scenario sat or lay down more, and didn’t wag their tails as much, which can be non-confrontational behaviors to make them appear better behaved to their owners.
While there was definitely a notable result from the test, Schünemann doesn’t rule out that there could be other reasons for the dogs’ behaviors.
The animals could’ve been paying attention to nonverbal cues that were’t intentional. However, considering the test has been successful with other animal species, she’s confident the results could in fact be real.
Going forward, she hopes to study dogs further to find out how far their ability to spot intent goes. Schünemann also hopes other researchers will be inspired by her findings to conduct tests of their own.
The next time you trick your pup into thinking you’ve got treats, it could actually know you’re messing with it on purpose, so make sure to actually bring the snacks.
[via Gizmodo, cover image ID 219742077 © Arvydas Lakacauskas | Dreamstime.com]
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