Ever seen a clip of a dog looking judgmental? That might be a female dog. And no, you’re not hallucinating. Dogs actually judge us while doing tasks, according to science.
A recent study has unlocked another social link between dogs and humans. It could be comforting to think that dogs love us for who we are, flaws an all. But in reality, they might be watching our every move and judging us on how well we do things. That’s true for female dogs, or at least the female dogs involved in a special experiment conducted by researchers in Japan.
A study published in 2022 revealed that female dogs are critical judges on human competence. If you have a male dog, well, you’re safe from the judgy eyes (for now). During the experiment, the researchers found out that dogs, mostly female ones, evaluate people and respond to them accordingly. Dogs could gain resources (aka food or treats) by associating with people who are competent versus those who aren’t. So in simple terms, the study tells us that a female dog may be judging us if we’re having trouble opening their container of dog food.
How the Experiment Was Set Up
During the experiment, the doggos were put into different situations where they had to observe what humans are doing. The human volunteers were divided into two groups. The first group was instructed to open an empty container, and to do it quickly while showing to dog. The other group was told to struggle while opening the container and give up eventually. These two groups did the same thing with containers filled with food. Take note that the dogs observed two people opening the containers simultaneously (the other one succeeded and the other failed).
After observing the dogs’ behavior, researchers concluded that half of the dogs (30) watched people opening containers with food, and the other half were focused on people opening empty containers. Here’s where it gets more interesting. The dogs were presented with a choice of going to the competent or incompetent person. Majority of the female dogs (83%) approached the person who was able to open the container. Meanwhile, male dogs didn’t show any preference.
Additionally, when dogs were asked again to choose between those who succeeded and failed in opening an empty container, both male and female didn’t show a preference for competent over incompetent people. This means the dogs cared about human competence when they thought it would have a direct impact on them. Still, future studies are needed to find out whether dogs judge competence in other situations.
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The Difference Between Male and Female Dogs
The experiment revealed other differences between male and female canines. According to the researchers, female dogs looked at people for a longer time, signaling that they’re much more observant than male pups. This is also in line with the results of other studies focused on the differences of male and female canines. These studies revealed that females looked for a longer time when their people are having trouble performing a task. They also looked longer at pictures of humans and dogs.
In terms of behavior and overall personality, owners and experts observed that male dogs are goofier and more playful, while female ones are often independent and more reserved with strangers. Female dogs can also be affectionate, though, but males have a tendency to seek more attention.
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From The Club
All I can say, based on the recent study, is that girl dogs are highly intelligent. Being observant is a form of intelligence and it can help canines learn and remember details about places and people. Also, I have to agree that male dogs are playful; ours used to us from room to room and was definitely a velcro dog. I have interacted with quite a few female dogs, and they really seemed mentally alert and observant of their surroundings.
