Dogs can sense if a person is bad and there is science behind it

Humans aren’t the only intelligent animals on Earth. Dogs make an incredible exception. These intelligent four-legged creatures may not have the potential to create technology, but their sixth sense is almost equivalent. With the ability to differentiate between good and bad people, they speak for their sharp minds. Whether a person is happy or sad, angry or furious matters tons in a dog’s eyes; by observing these complex emotions, they form a clear perception of people that help them differentiate humans as good or bad. But how does science prove that? It would be an exciting thing to analyze, wouldn’t it? 

How Can Dogs Sense the Good or Bad in People?

Have you ever noticed a relaxed dog? Cuddled up in bed with eyes shut comfortably as you stroke their fur, these are the signs of a dog that is comfortable around your presence. It means that the dog is in a blissful state when you are around and may continue to act this way for a long time. 

A dog that may start barking at you immediately after it interacts with you or behaves like a maniac may show signs of angry behavior in a second situation. That is because they may dislike you. 

In another scenario, dogs that shrink to a side or run away from you may be fearful in your presence. These are different emotions portrayed by dogs in diverse situations. But the question is, why do they show such emotions? How do they become fearful, comfortable, or angry during your presence? Naturally, there is a reason for that. 

Dogs exhibit a sophisticated way of acting as they are intelligent and observant. They begin to work in specific ways around people by observing their behavior consistently. Another defensive cause could be the fact that dogs have asixth sense. This energy enables them to sniff excellent and bad people altogether that helps them behave accordingly. Let us take an example! 

I have been petting a dog for five years now. Her name is Coco. Our beloved dog, Coco, loves almost everyone in my family because we feed her tasty treats, take her out for walks and keep her well. But as soon as she sees my doctor, her attitude changes like a storm. 

Suddenly, that relaxed energy transforms into an angry one as she begins to bark around my doctor for no reason. No, she is not demented. Her behavior is simply because she has often noticed my doctor injecting me, which gives me excruciating pain. Thus, when she observes my pain, she realizes that the doctor’s presence doesn’t make me happy. As a result, she hates the doctor and acts defensively.

The Science Behind the Perception 

The study about whether dogs may sense good or bad in people has always been debatable. Naturally, experts found a reason to conduct yet another fascinating experiment to find out the same. This experiment was conducted by the famous Dr. Akiko Takaoka of the Kyoto University of Japan, where he applied a three-stage investigation to end the debate. 

In the first stage, dogs were pointed towards a container that was filled with hidden food. So, the dogs obeyed and got a treat from the container. It was delightful. 

In the second stage, the dogs were again tricked towards the container, but this time, it was empty. So, the dogs felt disappointed and returned. 

In the third stage, when the dogs were pointed towards the container, they refused to obey. This signified that the dogs felt cheated and did not want to rely on the human who lied to them further. This proves that dogs take experiences seriously and learn thoroughly from them. 

Such a thing enables them to differentiate between good and bad people, respectively. This research was conducted on 34 dogs in total. Surprisingly, all of them showed the same signs that proved the point. 

Jonh Bradshaw of the University of Bristol, UK, also stated that dogs prefer predictability. That is why they may show such behaviors and may have refused to obey when they found out that the humans who commanded were liars. 

The Bottom Line 

It is a proven fact that dogs are far more intelligent than we humans perceive them to be. They are also far more perceptive than we ever expect of them. That is why it is significant to act a certain way when you are around dogs. But the good news is if you are deficient in the eyes of a dog, you can always change that by acting as a nice person. So, why hesitate to do that?