Even the best poker face won’t work on your dog – a new study shows that dogs can tell if you’re untrustworthy.
While we may feel like the alpha-dog as we bark orders such as “fetch”, “stay” and “sit” at our canine counterparts, have you ever wondered how these words actually translate in dog-speak? Apparently that all depends on who’s giving the command! Yes, your best friend has actually sussed you out to decide whether you can be trusted and quite frankly, whether these daily requests even warrant a response.
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We’ve all experienced “selective listening” – that frozen stare and lack of eye contact immediately following an unpopular command, but have our good buddies actually evaluated the situation and made a conscious decision to ignore us? Maybe so, according to a recent study conducted by Kyoto University in Japan. Our pooches can be pretty quick at sizing up the credibility of the person delivering information and if they suspect the goal is to repeatedly send them on a wild goose chase when it comes to finding their treat or chasing a ball, they’re having none of it!
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The study suggests that Rover not only appreciates but needs the predictability that honesty brings and as soon as things become irregular (translation: you try to trick him) he can become stressed, fearful or even aggressive.
But fear not, our pets “live in the present” and tend to react to situations and commands a la minute, meaning they don’t over-think the small stuff and they don’t carry grudges.
So remember that although Rover’s vocabulary might be limited and his comprehension a tad slow, he is a shrewd judge of character. This may have you thinking twice about that “throwing the ball, but not really throwing the ball” routine that your pooch always falls for and never ceases to amuse you.
[Source: BBC]
