Quantcast
ZME Science
  • CoronavirusNEW
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science
No Result
View All Result
Home Environment Animals

Dogs understand humans’ point of view – are much more likely to steal food at night, when they can’t be seen

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
February 14, 2013
in Animals

A study conducted by Dr. Juliane Kaminski of the University of Portsmouth’s Department of Psychology concluded that when humans forbid dogs to eat foods, dogs are 4 times more likely to steal the food in the dark, when they think humans can’t spot them.

dog stealing food

It’s interesting to see how dogs actually adapt to what they believe humans can see, basically understanding our point of view.

“That’s incredible because it implies dogs understand the human can’t see them, meaning they might understand the human perspective,” Dr. Kaminski said in a press statement.

Dogs based their stealing strategies based not on the fact that they can see or not in the darkness, but based on their belief that humans can see or not in low light conditions. According to Dr. Kaminski, humans attribute a few qualities and emotions to other living things – this study being quite a slap on the wrist in that matter.

The study had 42 female and 42 male domestic dogs who were 1-year-old or more. She made sure the selected dogs were comfortable sitting in a dark room without their owners. The report states that the tests were complex and involved many variables to rule out that dogs were basing their decisions on other simple associations – like for example a pavlovian reflex implying that dark means food. The research concluded:

Get more science news like this...

Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong.

   

“The results of these tests suggest that dogs are deciding it’s safer to steal the food when the room is dark because they understand something of the human’s perspective.”

The research was published in Animal Cognition

Tags: cognitiondog
Mihai Andrei

Mihai Andrei

Andrei's background is in geophysics, and he's been fascinated by it ever since he was a child. Feeling that there is a gap between scientists and the general audience, he started ZME Science -- and the results are what you see today.

Follow ZME on social media

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
  • More

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Coronavirus
  • News
  • Environment
    • Climate
    • Animals
    • Renewable Energy
    • Eco tips
    • Environmental Issues
    • Green Living
  • Health
    • Alternative Medicine
    • Anatomy
    • Diseases
    • Genetics
    • Mind & Brain
    • Nutrition
  • Future
  • Space
  • Feature
    • Feature Post
    • Art
    • Great Pics
    • Design
    • Fossil Friday
    • AstroPicture
    • GeoPicture
    • Did you know?
    • Offbeat
  • More
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Our stance on climate change
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2019 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.