Wouldn’t it be great to know which people are untrustworthy and mean? Well, DOGS have that innate instinct! According to the journal Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, scientists have a better understanding of how dogs sense characteristics like meanness and trustworthiness.
Basically, scientists staged a bunch of scenarios where dogs witnessed volunteers either being helpful – like, helping a stranger open a jar – or totally UNhelpful. Then, the same volunteers offered dogs a treat.
Time and time again, dogs were significantly more likely to ACCEPT the treat if it was being offered by a volunteer who had been helpful! But if dogs saw people being unhelpful, they usually IGNORED the treats – and refused to interact with the volunteers in any way!
Researchers say this proves dogs have incredible perception when it comes to kindness and trustworthiness. So, if your dog doesn’t like someone, you may want to take their word – or instinct – for it!