Do you think your dog could see straight through your lies in a texas hold-em game? Perhaps not, but according to a new study, dogs can tell when you’re lying in different situations.
In this study, researchers from the University of Vienna studied over 260 dogs from different breeds.
The dogs were coached to follow the advice of someone unfamiliar to them, and then they had to choose between two bowls, with one of the bowls containing a hidden treat.
Dogs Can Tell When You’re Lying!
For the first part of the study, the dogs received their reward if they followed the advice of the person, meaning the person told the dog exactly what bowl to choose, and the treat was hidden there.
Now another unfamiliar person joined the experiment, and while the dog and the first person from the test were watching, this new person then switched the treat to the other bowl.
The researchers then watched to see if the dogs changed their behavior when given advice.
In about half of the tests, the dogs ignored the second person’s advice when he was pointing at the wrong bowl, which, according to the scientists showed that the dogs were aware that they were being lied to.
In some of the cases, the second person wasn’t present when the treats were switched around. Instead, they showed up after the switch and then started guiding the dogs towards a specific bowl.
And the result was that the dogs just simply ignored this person’s wrongful advice.
What Previous Studies Showed
Researchers have previously done similar experiments with children under 5, chimps, and macaques. And in all those cases they were more willing to follow the advice of the lying human than the dogs were.
“We can conclude that the study is the first of its kind to show scientific evidence that dogs are able to tell truths from lies in a changing-the-location experiment.”
“We can conclude that the study is the first of its kind to show scientific evidence that dogs are able to tell truths from lies in a changing-the-location experiment.”
– The researchers behind the study
The researchers hope that future studies might help reveal even more about how dogs have learned how to separate truths from lies.
The study has been published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Some of My Favorite Products For Dog Owners
I hope this article has helped you just a bit in everyday life as a dog owner. Being a dog owner for more than 25 years myself, I’ve tried an abundance of different products with varying success, but these products below are some that I can highly recommend to every dog and their owner without hesitation!
These links are affiliate links, so if you do end up using the links, I will earn a commission. But it’s products that I use daily myself, and I have nothing but praise for.
Dog Food: Every dog needs to eat correctly, and finding the best food for your dog can be hard, as the market is absolutely flooded with products. But since 2015 when the company was founded, I’ve been using Ollie Petfood. With their product being tailor-made to suit every dog’s specific needs, and as my dogs absolutely love the product, I’m pretty sure I’ve found a product I will continue to use for many years more. If you use my link you can get 50% off your first order.
Dog Training: If you’ve ever owned a puppy, you know that they require a lot of training to grow into a well-behaved adult. Brain Training for Dogs has helped me immensely with the mental training part of raising a dog, and it’s something I strongly recommend you consider.
Grooming: If you have a dog in your home, you’re going to need a brush, and for this, I recommend a Hertzko Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush. For that price, you simply can’t beat this brush for everyday grooming.
If you’re looking for the most up-to-date recommendations, check out my recommended products section that I’ve created to help every dog owner!
