Science Says Female Dogs Can Tell When People Are Totally Incompetent
People have long wondered what dogs think when they watch us wrestle with a tight jar lid or drop something for the third time, and researchers at Kyoto University decided to find out. In their study, dogs sat in front of two people holding identical clear containers: one opened the lid easily, while the other tried and couldn’t manage it. The dogs watched several rounds of this using different containers, giving them a clear pattern to notice: one person consistently handled the task, and the other consistently failed.
The study involved 60 pet dogs, with 30 in a food condition and 30 in an empty condition. That difference mattered. When there was food inside, the dogs paid more attention to the person who opened the container easily. In the empty condition, they did not care much about either person. Unsurprisingly, food raised the stakes.
The dogs did not rely only on their own interaction. The researchers stated that dogs can observe human behavior from a third-party perspective. That means a dog does not need to be directly involved to form an opinion about someone’s capability. The study also echoed earlier work suggesting dogs pick up cues about social behavior, such as noticing whether someone acts selfishly.
Girls Are Watching
Image via iStockphoto/SeventyFour
Here is the twist that made headlines. Female dogs seemed to care about competence even more. In the food setup, they looked longer at the skilled human and were more likely to approach them. Female dogs showed a stronger preference for the competent person, while male dogs did not display a clear preference.
The study measured how long dogs looked at and approached each person, but it did not include a treat-choice follow-up test. Again, the choice leaned toward the human who handled the container without a struggle, and again, female dogs led the trend.
The researchers checked for other factors. Age did not change the behavior. Spay or neuter status did not matter. The type of container did not affect anything. The main factor that made a difference was whether the human performed the task smoothly. Female dogs simply seemed quicker to factor that into their decisions.
Social evaluation has been documented in other social species, though not necessarily in the same competence-based context. Those animals live in social groups and observe how others behave. The results suggest dogs do something similar. That is not shocking since dogs share homes and routines with people. They observe everything, including how well dinner gets served.
What It Means For Dog Owners
Anyone who has ever wrestled with a dog food bag or tried to fix a squeaky toy while a dog stared will likely smile at these findings. Your dog may actually be forming opinions about how handy you are. It is not just about food. It is about how dogs decide who to trust in practical moments. If you seem like the person who can get the job done, your dog notices.
That does not mean your dog dislikes you if you bumble through opening a box now and then. Dogs pick up patterns, so one clumsy moment is not going to tank your reputation. Still, it might explain why a dog sometimes walks right past one person and sits eagerly in front of another. To a dog, skill can equal reliability.
Researchers hope these results help them learn more about how dogs interact with people and with other dogs. It also adds a fun layer to everyday life. Next time you open a treat jar with ease, glance down. You might see admiration. Struggle with it, and you might catch a look that feels a bit like judgment.