If sometimes you have the feeling that your dog is judging you for something you have done… maybe that is exactly what is happening.
A Japanese study claims that dogs are able to judge human incompetence, and tend to associate with those humans who are more competent. At least when it comes to the food.
Cats have a reputation for ignoring their owners and looking down their noses at them, but it turns out dogs do something similar. Are able to distinguish between more and less competent humans, and tend to associate with the former.
At least that’s what he found out a study from kyoto university, in Japan. The dogs they are able to classify people as more or less competent in a certain task, and seek help from the most competent. Maybe that’s why your pet never asks you to feed him or throw him the ball, but he does ask your partner…
Dogs judge human incompetence
A surprising fact of the study is that this behavior only occurs in females. Male dogs do not make distinctions.
How did the researchers come to this conclusion? They exposed the dogs to various competent and incompetent people.
First, a test subject removed the lid from a clear container quickly and easily. Next to him, another subject was unable to open the container, feigning his incompetence. Then the experiment was repeated with a container full of food.
After repeating several times, a pause time was allowed, and both subjects called the animals to eat. Most came to the call of the most competentthe one who had opened the container.
Although perhaps the most surprising thing is that they were the females those who had chosen the smartest human. Most of the males split between the two, or chose the bum who couldn’t get the lid off.
The study recommends two avenues of research: study the ways dogs judge us, and check the social differences between males and females, when interacting with humans.
Surely, from now on, you look with different eyes at your dog. If you have the ability to judge incompetenceYou better not do a lot of nonsense in front of him…
