Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Study Shows Dogs Are Capable of Lying

Study Shows Dogs Are Capable of Lying
Faba-Photography/Getty images

Most people think their dogs are the most perfect, innocent beings to ever grace our planet Earth. But have any of us ever considered the possibility that our dogs are actually dirty rotten liars? A group of scientists from Switzerland recently conducted a study on our canine companion's ability to fudge the truth to get what they want, and the results seemed to suggest dogs are a little smarter than we've been giving them credit for.


The researcher's experiment was well thought-out.

27 dogs were trained to recognize the difference between a kind woman who would give them their favorite kind of treat, and a mean one who would not. The women were labelled "cooperative" and "competitive" respectively.

The dogs were also presented with three containers. The first was filled each dog's favorite treat - sausage! The second had regular dog biscuits, and the third was empty. On the command "show me the food," the dogs would lead a woman to one of the containers. The cooperative woman would always give the dog a treat from whichever container they chose, while the competitive woman would not.

The dogs behavior was notably different towards the two women.

The dogs were far less likely to take the competitive woman to their favorite treat, since they knew she would keep it for herself. Two very smart dogs took the cooperative woman to the sausage every time, while never taking the competitive woman there.

The study, published in "Animal Cognition" states:

On both test days, the dogs were more likely to lead the cooperative partner than the competitive one to the box containing the preferred food, and this effect was stronger on the second than on the first test day.

After leading the competitive partner to one of the boxes, dogs were given an opportunity to lead the cooperative partner once again, thus giving the dogs an incentive to lead the competitive partner to one of the boxes even if they knew she wouldn't give them anything.

Researchers believe this shows dogs can display deceptive-like behavior.

The study's abstract concludes:

These results show that dogs distinguished between the cooperative and the competitive partner, and indicate the flexibility of dogs to adjust their behaviour and that they are able to use tactical deception.

However, the experiment isn't without its holes.

Skeptical minds point out that deception entails the dogs being aware of exactly what their partners want and "misleading" them. However, while humans will understand the words "show me the food" for its actual meaning, dogs may only hear it as a series of sounds that, to them, means "it's time to pick a container." In that case, they pooches will simply pick whatever they've learned will get them food, regardless of what the human "wants." The dogs may not even be aware they're part of a "deception."

Whether or not they're liars, one thing is certain: dogs are definitely a few notches smarter than we previously believed.

H/T - Indy 100, Animal Cognition

More from News/science

Hillary Clinton
Kimberly White/Getty Images for Common Sense Media

Hillary Clinton Has Iconic Reaction To Trump Administration's 'Atlantic' Text Scandal

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a succinct response after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vivian Jenna Wilson; Elon Musk
@vivllainous/TikTok; Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Elon Musk's Trans Daughter Epically Claps Back After Musk Claims His Child 'Died'

Elon Musk's estranged trans daughter, Vivian Jenna Wilson, used an iconic soundbite from RuPaul's Drag Race to clap back at Musk's claim that his child had "died."

The SpaceX co-founder responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) defending Musk for appearing to give the Nazi salute twice at Republican President Donald Trump's inauguration.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots of Mike Myers and Mark Carney
@MarkJCarney/X

Mike Myers Joins Canada's New Prime Minister For Epic Jab At Trump In Viral Video

Actor and comedian Mike Myers has gone viral after joining Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for a video message that mocks President Donald Trump and his plan to make Canada the 51st state of the United States.

In the Liberal Party skit, Mike Myers and Mark Carney—both dressed in red Canada jerseys—share a moment at a hockey practice. Carney starts off skeptical of Myers, questioning his Canadian credentials since he now lives in the United States, despite being born and raised in Canada.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pete Buttigieg
Alex Wong/Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg Drops F-Bombs After Trump Administration Invites Journalist Into High-Level Military Group Chat

Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg passionately spoke out after Jeffrey Goldberg—the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic—revealed he was invited into a Signal chat with high-level Trump administration officials discussing military strategy surrounding their war strikes in Yemen.

Goldberg revealed a highly unusual and concerning situation where senior Trump administration officials were allegedly discussing war plans over a group chat on Signal. Goldberg recounted that Representative Mike Waltz added him to an 18-person group chat, which he initially suspected was a hoax or disinformation campaign.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump with Easter bunny at 2017 Easter egg roll
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Blasted After Turning Annual White House Easter Tradition Into Corporate Grift

President Donald Trump has sparked concerns from ethics experts after soliciting corporate sponsors for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll.

Potential sponsors of the April 21 event were presented with three sponsorship options ranging from $75,000 to $200,000, according to a nine-page guide reviewed by The New York Times.

Keep ReadingShow less