Japanese study suggests dogs can distinguish between humans based on honesty; Here's how

Did you know that dogs can sniff out reality from you? A study conducted in Japan has now revealed that dogs have the super-ability to smell out the truth. This special research on dogs was carried out by Senior Researcher Akiko Takaoka and a team at Kyoto University in Japan. Everyone is aware of the strong sense of smell a dog possesses, but the latest findings have confirmed that not only does the four-legged animal possess a massive sense of smell, but their skills at picking up on human characteristics is also impressive. According to the researchers, a new dimension of dogs' ability has come to light, where experts have confirmed that dogs can recognize liars.

About the research

The  Japanese study on canines was conducted in three different phases. It included 34 dogs as participants. The researchers used various methods to confirm the theory.

• In the first phase of the study, researchers pointed towards bowls filled with foods that were cleverly hidden. They observed that the dogs immediately jumped at them.
• The second phase of the study involved emptying food bowls. The researchers kept an empty bowl at a distance and signalled the dogs towards it. However, the dogs rushed at it and found no food.
• In the third stage, when dogs were pointed towards bowls that were filled with food, the dogs did not move an inch despite several signals.

What did researchers observe?

After the three-stage experiment, the researchers observed that dogs don't trust a person who lies to them. As in the third stage of the research, all 34 dogs did not move from their place and scientists came to an understanding that the dogs unanimously found the person pointing out wasn't trustworthy due to their last experience. Humans easily understand animals' language. We know how pointing at an object or something will instigate a dog to run at it. And the similar technique was used in the research. 

The lead researcher, Takaoka, noted that dogs have more advanced social intelligence than we can imagine, and this social intelligence among canines has developed selectively over their long-life history in the company of humans. The researchers stated that they were shocked by the quick reaction of the dogs when they ignored the person's signal in the third stage. Notably, the experiment indicated that dogs can recognize liars or they have trust issues.

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