Study Shows Your Dog Can Hold A Grudge Against People Who Have Done You Wrong

May 03, 2019 by apost team

There is a good reason why humans have always considered canines to be their best friends. First and foremost, no other animals show humans as much love and affection as dogs. Although cats and other pets can be cuddly, they don't seem to have the same level of intensity as dogs. Protection is another major reason why dogs have always remained close to humans. While other animals have been shown to care for humans on occasion, no animal can be relied upon as much as canines.

Everybody would like to believe that their dog would intervene if a physical altercation were to arise. There are many stories about dogs who save the life of their owner by attacking a robber or searching for help.

Regardless of the circumstances, it is always comforting to know that fellow animals care about your well-being and will offer their protection if needed. In this way, dogs can fulfill many of the roles that humans play in our everyday lives.

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Many scientists have conducted studies surrounding dogs and their proclivity to protect humans in the face of danger.

New research suggests that this natural inclination may be deeper than scientists first believed. These fresh studies looked into the ability for dogs to develop and hold "grudges" against people who were mean to their owners.

Neuroscience and Biobehavioural Reviews recently published a new study that tested how dogs would react to strangers based on how they treated their owners. Dogs were encouraged to watch as their owners acted out a series of scenes. The dog owners pretended to struggle to open a container. The owners were instructed to ask for help from some of the researchers.

One of the researchers would respond to this request in a neutral way. This researcher wouldn't deny the request or offer any help. The following researcher would either oblige to help or refuse entirely. After each scene, the researchers would approach the dog with a treat to observe their reaction. The dogs consistently accepted treats from the neutral and helpful researchers. However, many dogs refused to take a treat from the researchers who refused to help their owners.

These findings appear to indicate that dogs have an idea of how other people interact with their owners. Those people that are 'mean' appear to be treated differently by the dogs. This research also indicates that owners should trust their pet's instincts about other people.

Do you ever get a "gut feeling" from how your dog reacts to something? What do you think of this study? Pass it on to any dog lover you know!