Man’s Best Friend or Human Lie Detector? The Truth About Dogs

Zack Keithy, our author, is a certified veterinarian technician (UC Blue Ash) for over 6 years (contact him here). The articles written here are based on his expertise and experience, combined with a review by our expert vet reviewers including Dr M. Tarantino. Learn more about us here.

We all know that dogs can sniff out fear, but did you know they might also be able to sniff out the truth?

Yep, your furry friend could be a lot smarter than you think.

Science backs this up (video below!).

dogs can tell lies

A study led by Akiko Takaoka from Kyoto University in Japan found that dogs are pretty good at figuring out if you’re trustworthy.

Here’s how they did it: the researchers decided to play a little trick on the dogs. They knew that if you point at something, dogs will usually run towards it.

So, they pointed at a container filled with hidden food. The dogs, of course, dashed straight to it.

Then, they pointed at an empty container. The dogs ran to that one too, only to find nothing.

But here’s where it gets interesting.

The third time, when the researchers pointed at a container with food, the dogs didn’t budge.

They remembered the humans had tricked them before and decided not to trust them this time around.

All 34 dogs in the experiment showed the same reaction.

So, it seems dogs either have a keen sense of spotting liars or they have some serious trust issues.

In simpler terms, if you lie to your dog, they won’t forget it.

They’ll think twice before believing you again. Takaoka was quite amazed by how quickly dogs could “devalue the reliability of a human.”

She pointed out that dogs have a more sophisticated social intelligence than we give them credit for.

This intelligence has evolved over their long history with humans.

John Bradshaw from the University of Bristol in the UK, who wasn’t part of the study, added that dogs really prefer consistency.

When our gestures are all over the place, it makes them nervous and stressed.

And the research doesn’t stop there. The team plans to repeat the experiment with wolves.

Why? Because wolves are closely related to dogs, and the researchers want to understand the “profound effects of domestication.” No, they’re not looking to get bitten by wolves, just to see how living with humans has shaped dogs’ behavior.

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Zack Keithy
Zack Keithy

Hey, I'm Zack, the Chief Editor here. I was formerly a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) for a good 6 years before moving on to greener pastures. Right now, I am still heavily involved in dog parenting duties, and it is my desire to share all our knowledge with fellow dog owners out there! Connect with me on LinkedIn, or read more about Canine Care Central!

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