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Hey there, fellow dog lovers, have you come home late after forgetting to buy more treats, and your dog gives you that specific, disappointed side-eye. It feels personal. But is it?
This leads us to the million-dollar question that tugs at every dog owner’s mind, do dogs judge us?
🐾 Read the full article at Doggozila magazine at the link below: 👇
🔗 https://doggozila.com/do-dogs-judge-us/
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0:00
All right, let's get right into it.
0:01
We're tackling a big one today. A
0:04
question I know every single dog owner
0:06
has asked themselves. You know that
0:08
look. Is your dog actually judging you?
0:11
Oh, you know exactly the look I'm
0:13
talking about, right? Maybe you came
0:14
home a little later than usual. Or hey,
0:17
maybe you're just reaching for that
0:18
second slice of pizza and then you feel
0:20
it. That silent, intense side eye. It
0:24
cuts right through you. It feels so
0:26
personal. And look, you are definitely
0:29
not alone in feeling this way. That
0:31
little thought that pops into your head,
0:33
is my dog silently critiquing my life
0:35
choices right now, it's a universal
0:37
feeling. But here's the real question.
0:39
Are we seeing genuine disappointment? Or
0:41
are we just reading them completely
0:43
wrong? Okay, so first up, let's really
0:45
unpack that look. You know, the one we
0:48
all know and let's be honest, kind of
0:50
fear a little bit. I mean that side eye
0:52
or that super dramatic sigh, it feels
0:55
like a direct comment on who we are as a
0:57
person, right? But is that what's really
1:00
going on? Or are we just projecting our
1:02
own complicated human stuff onto our
1:05
dogs? So to get to the bottom of this,
1:08
we really need to understand what
1:10
judgment even means in the first place.
1:12
Because for us humans and for dogs, it's
1:15
well, it's two totally different things.
1:18
Think about it. When we judge someone,
1:20
we're pulling from all these complex
1:22
ideas about morals, ethics, you know,
1:24
right versus wrong. But a dog's
1:26
judgment, it's not about your character
1:28
at all. It's way more practical, way
1:31
more in the- moment. They're just
1:33
thinking, "Is this safe? Is this person
1:35
predictable?" So basically, every single
1:37
look, every little reaction, it's all
1:40
being filtered through these super basic
1:41
core needs. They're not wondering if
1:43
you're a good person deep down. They're
1:45
asking, "Am I safe here? Can I trust
1:48
this person to be a confident leader?
1:49
For them, it's all about survival and
1:51
feeling stable. All right, so let's dive
1:53
into some of those classic judgy
1:55
behaviors and try to see them from a
1:57
dog's point of view for a change. You've
2:00
seen them all, right? The big sigh when
2:02
you put the toy away, turning their back
2:04
on you when you're getting ready to
2:05
leave. How about barking at one specific
2:07
guest, but being totally fine with
2:09
another? We take this stuff so
2:11
personally, like it's an insult, but
2:13
really it's just a reaction to tiny
2:15
subtle signals, things we might not even
2:17
notice we're doing. And this right here,
2:20
this is the absolute core of it. Your
2:22
dog is reacting to your posture, your
2:24
tone of voice, even tiny changes in your
2:27
scent when you're stressed. You know,
2:29
they might avoid someone, not because
2:30
they've got some magic bad person
2:32
detector, but maybe just because that
2:34
person's voice is a little too loud or
2:36
their perfume is weird and it puts them
2:37
on edge. And you know what? A lot of the
2:40
time, we're the ones who create that
2:42
judgy look. When our signals are all
2:45
over the place, dogs don't think, "Oh,
2:47
what a hypocrite." They just feel
2:48
confused and anxious. That look, that
2:50
hesitation we think is judgment. It's
2:52
really just them trying desperately to
2:54
figure out the rules of the game when we
2:55
keep changing them. For a dog,
2:57
consistency is everything. It literally
2:59
equals safety. You got to remember, dogs
3:02
are like these incredible emotional
3:04
sponges. They don't just see that we're
3:06
anxious. They soak it up and reflect it
3:08
right back at us. If you're stressed
3:10
out, they get tense, too. And when
3:13
you're sad, it's not about pity. They
3:15
actually feel that shift in your energy
3:17
and they respond the only way they know
3:18
how, with comfort, with just being
3:20
there. So, their reaction isn't a
3:22
verdict on you. It's a reflection of
3:24
you. And hey, this isn't just a bunch of
3:27
nice sounding theories. Science actually
3:29
backs all of this up. Turns out
3:31
researchers are just as curious about
3:32
this as we are, and they've put dogs to
3:34
the test to figure it out. So to try and
3:37
get past our own human biases,
3:39
scientists came up with some really
3:41
clever experiments to see if dogs could
3:43
actually, you know, evaluate people. And
3:46
the results, they were pretty amazing.
3:49
Okay, picture this. In one big study,
3:51
they had dogs basically eavesdrop on a
3:53
situation. The dog's owner is trying to
3:55
open a container, right? And there are
3:57
two other people there. One person is
3:59
helpful. They jump in to assist. The
4:01
other person is totally unhelpful,
4:03
either refusing to help or even getting
4:04
in the way. So, the dog watches this
4:07
whole thing go down. Then, the
4:09
researchers let the dog choose which
4:10
person to go up to. So, what do you
4:12
think? Who did they pick? The helpful
4:13
one or the unhelpful one. You guessed
4:16
it. Overwhelmingly, the dogs went for
4:18
the person who was helpful and
4:20
cooperative. And this is huge. It proves
4:22
they're not just sitting on the
4:23
sidelines. They are actively watching
4:25
and figuring out who's a good team
4:27
player. They're literally forming
4:29
opinions based on what people do. But
4:31
wait, it gets even more interesting.
4:33
Other studies found that dogs also
4:34
prefer people who are just plain good at
4:36
stuff. Like if one person successfully
4:39
opens a box and another one fumbles and
4:41
fails, they'll prefer the competent
4:42
person. And again, it's not them judging
4:45
clumsiness. It's a super practical
4:47
assessment. Okay, who's the effective
4:49
leader here? Who should I be paying
4:50
attention to? So, what's the big
4:52
takeaway here? What do we do with all
4:54
this? Well, we can completely reframe
4:56
this whole thing. We can stop worrying
4:58
about being judged by our dogs and start
5:01
using this to build an even deeper,
5:03
stronger bond. And this is a really
5:06
powerful mental switch. The next time
5:08
you get the look, instead of thinking,
5:09
"My dog is judging me," try asking
5:12
yourself, "What feedback is my dog
5:14
giving me right now?" Their reaction is
5:16
a clue. It's telling you something about
5:18
how they feel. Maybe they're confused or
5:20
anxious or just unsure. That's not
5:22
judgment. That's priceless data that can
5:24
help you become a way better, clearer
5:26
communicator. And the best way to build
5:28
that trust and communication, just do
5:30
stuff together. Good stuff. It's not
5:32
about being this perfect, flawless
5:34
owner. It's about being a reliable
5:36
partner. Things like cooperative walks,
5:38
puzzle toys you solve as a team, or just
5:40
consistent, positive training. All these
5:42
things build up this trust fund with
5:44
your dog. It sends a clear message. This
5:46
person is safe. This person is fun. And
5:48
this person is predictable. And in a
5:50
dog's world, that's pretty much the
5:52
highest compliment you can get. Because
5:54
ultimately, that's the whole point,
5:56
isn't it? Life with a dog isn't some
5:58
kind of moral test that you're always
6:00
afraid of failing. It's a partnership,
6:02
one you build every single day, focusing
6:04
on connection and understanding each
6:06
other, not on worrying about being
6:08
criticized. So, when it all comes down
6:11
to it, that famous look, it's not a look
6:13
of moral superiority. It's a look of
6:16
intense deep attention. It's the look of
6:19
an animal that is trying with everything
6:21
they have to read you, to predict you,
6:23
and to understand you. because you are
6:25
the most important person in their
6:27
entire world. And maybe maybe that's the
6:30
most incredible part of it all. Dogs
6:33
don't put us on trial. They just get us.
6:36
Their ability to read our emotions, to
6:38
understand our intentions without all
6:40
that messy human judgment getting in the
6:42
way. That's what makes this bond so pure
6:44
and so extraordinary. They see us, flaws
6:47
and all, and they choose to stick around
6:49
anyway.