We have two dogs in our household.  Or should I say we live in their world.  I have known this for some time but now science is backing me up.  Dogs may play dumb but there’s more to their tail wagging than meets the eye.

I never knew there was such a thing as a “dog cognition researcher” but apparently there is and one in Europe ran an interesting experiment.

Dogs were paired two unfamiliar humans-- one who acted 'cooperatively' and gave the dog snacks and the other who was 'competitive' and kept the food for themselves.

In the experiment the dogs led their handlers to three location options- two with snacks and one with nothing - but the stop with nothing earned the dog a second chance with an exchange to a different handler.

What happened was a fast study by the hounds.  When the dogs rolled with the non-sharing “competitive” handler, they quickly learned to bring that handler to the location without a treat. That way the dogs could dump that person right away for a second shot with different  more “sharing” handler.

Study leaders say that other animals needed dozens of repetitions to reach the conclusion the dogs picked up on right away.  Dogs are sneaky and capable of tactical deception and adjusting their behavior depending on who they're dealing with, especially if food is involved.

Dewey, Lucy …I’m on to you. (Daily Mail)

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