Photo: nehruresen/Depositphotos
Fool a dog once, shame on you.
A study says you may not get away with that.
More so, they may only follow commands from people that they believe in.
Photo: nehruresen/Depositphotos
The study,publishedin the journalAnimal Cognitionin 2015, was led by researcher Akiko Takaoka.
Working with a group of 34 dogs, the scientists based their experiment on a simple command.
For the final round, the tester pointed to a container holding a hidden treat once again.
Dogs have more sophisticated social intelligence than we thought, she said.
This social intelligence evolved selectively in their long life history with humans.
Asimilar studywas carried out by researchers of University of Vienna in 2021.
The team went even further, testing the behavior of 260 dogs.
For this study, scientists used two bowlsone empty, one with a treat.
First, a person pointed to bowl A, which held a treat.
Then, dogs got to see when a second person came in and switched the treat to bowl B.
Finally, the person pointed to bowl A, now empty.
Younger dogs, however, were more likely to follow the command even if it was wrong.
They can tell when you’re lying to them.
