Many people believe that dogs distinguish bad people because of a particular intuition or because of their keen sense of smell… and various scientific studies confirm that this is not a far-fetched idea.
Maybe dogs can’t understand the concepts of good and bad, of course, but they seem to be able to tell if someone has bad intentions. In fact, according to National Geographic, it’s not just that they can tell when they don’t trust someone, but that they remember it and don’t trust that person again in the future.
As a result of research conducted by Akiko Takoaka, an expert in animal cognition and a researcher at the Department of Psychology at Rise University in Tokyo, he found that dogs recognize bad people and behave differently towards them.
In one such experiment, one person pointed the dogs at a bowl of food while another did the same with an empty bowl. In both cases, the dogs only discovered what was inside when they came to inspect it.
When the experiment was repeated, the dogs showed indifference or even anger towards the person who cheated on them. To those who told the truth, they behaved with kindness.
Labrador walking.
image source: freepik.com
Dogs of some breeds were even able to tell when they were being tricked before approaching the bowl. This is an interesting finding because it shows that dogs can trust their own judgment more than a person if they suspect that person has bad intentions or is insincere.
Dogs can tell if someone is misbehaving towards their owner
Another study by Takoaka showed that dogs also understand when someone is misbehaving towards their owner or family members. Dogs accompanied by their masters participated in this experience. Several volunteers were asked to be polite to some of them and threatening and hostile to others.
The volunteers then offered food to the dogs. Dogs that saw the stranger dislike their owners despite the food being offered reacted with hostility.
Happy woman with dogs.
image source: freepik.com
The conclusions of these studies are clear: dogs recognize bad people, but in addition, they can remember negative behaviors (towards themselves or their companions) and act according to the situation.
Also read: Rabies in dogs: causes, symptoms and treatment.
