What if your dog knew how to lead you around to get what he wants? A study conducted by the University of Zurichpublished in Animal Cognition*, in fact shows that our doggies are capable of tactically deceiving a human to get what they want. In short, they can use false signals to influence our behavior and achieve their ends.
3 boxes, 2 humans and very observant dogs
To test their theory, these Swiss researchers developed a particularly clever experiment. Firstly, the dogs selected for the study had to learn to recognize 2 unknown people, one “cooperative”, who willingly gives them the food, and the other “competitive”, who prefers to keep it for herself.
They were then confronted with 3 different boxes: one hid their favorite food, another a less popular food and the last, nothing at all. The dog then had to guide one of the 2 humans towards a box, before having a new opportunity to lead, this time, its master and certainly receive the food. Clearly, the little guinea pig had every interest in deceiving the “competitive” person, because this allowed him to keep a chance of subsequently obtaining his favorite food with his human.
Dogs that adapt their behavior
The results of this experiment are particularly interesting: the researchers observed that the dogs did not give the same indications depending on the person in front of them. From day one, they oriented the cooperative human more towards the box containing their favorite food. On the second day, they led the “competitive” partner to the empty box more often.
The researchers see this as a form of tactical deception: the dogs seem to have understood who they were dealing with and adapted their behavior to preserve their chances of subsequently obtaining their reward. This avoidance strategy demonstrates a certain social cognition, since the doggies seem to take into account the experience they have had with each human.
Do dogs really know how to lie?
Taking these results into account, can we still speak of a “lie”? Not quite. Indeed, the study does not demonstrate that dogs have a theory of mind, nor that they consciously intend to deceive as a human could. Researchers therefore speak more of a behavior “resembling deception”.
An important nuance, but which does not detract from the discovery: our dog friends seem capable of observing, learning and adjusting their behavior depending on the person in front of them. Finally, behind their innocent look hides a keen sense of observation and a certain talent for keeping a few little secrets!
* Heberlein MTE, Manser MB, Turner DC, “Deceptive-like behavior in dogs (Canis familiaris)”, Animal Cognition, 2017 May; 20(3):511-520.