Science Confirms That Dogs Can
Recognize A Bad Person
we just get a sense about someone that they’re bad news. That doesn’t
mean we’re right, of course — but oddly enough, the same isn’t true for
dogs. When they sense that a person may be someone to avoid, science
says that their instincts are spot on.
We all know that dogs
have an incredible sense of smell. That’s why they’re sometimes used to
sniff out drugs or bombs, or to protect our first responders.
a dog can actually recognize factors that make up a person’s
personality, according to a study published in the journal Neuroscience
and Biobehavioral Reviews. Specifically, they can sense when a person
is being “mean” to another person.
To find out if dogs can sense meanness, the scientists looked at typical reactions dogs have to different events.
are known to consistently follow human pointing gestures. In this
study, we asked whether dogs ‘automatically’ do this or whether they
flexibly adjust their behavior depending upon the reliability of the
pointer, demonstrated in an immediately preceding event.”
the study, the dogs went through a variety of different scenarios. In
one of them, a volunteer was helping another person open a jar that was
tightly sealed while the dog was present. In another variation, the
volunteer was passive. In yet other, the volunteer refused to help at
After the dog observed the behavior, the volunteer would try to give the dog a treat.
volunteer who helped open the jar and the passive volunteer were
equally as likely to be successful in giving the dog a treat. However,
if the volunteer was nice, the dog was much more likely to take the
treat from their hand.
But when the volunteer who didn’t offer
to help open the jar tried to offer the dog a treat, the dog ignored
them. The dog didn’t trust the person who was mean.
shows incredible perception. The dog could get a treat, free and clear,
but he refused because he sensed that the person was not nice. It
really says a lot about their ability to judge someone in just one
“These results suggest that not only dogs are
highly skilled at understanding human pointing gestures, but also they
make inferences about the reliability of a human who presents cues and
consequently modify their behavior flexibly depending on the inference.”
notice the next time you’re around your dog and a new person who you’re
unsure about. If they seem judgy, it may be a good idea to steer clear
of that person!
This story originally appeared at Goodfullness.