Dogs have an -almost- impeccable reputation for being the man’s best friend. But is it really like that? How can we be so sure that our dog likes us as much as we do? In order to answer these questions, we will base our little theory in some scientific research. Don’t get me wrong. I am absolutely mad about dogs. I love them quite a lot. But now I want to know the truth -even if it breaks my heart in a million pieces-.
In the light of this matter, we have some evidence
First of all, dogs hate hugs. Secondly, In a study made in 2006, people faked some dangerous scenarios -like a heart attack- in front of their dogs and waited for their reaction. None of them tried to seek help or showed any interest in the weird humans having fake strokes. On the contrary, they seem to be kind of self-centered.
The most recent study proves it. It involved 23 dogs and 3 objects fairly displayed within its sight. The first object was a notebook (frequently used by its owner), the second one a toy (selfish) and a stapler (unknown by the dog). So, according to his choice it would give us the answer we are looking for. And it turned out to be that almost every dog chose the toy.
Also, the most recent study was published by Emily Benson in the Plos One Journal. In which the study focused in the so-called object-choice task method. In this sense, researchers gathered 24 dogs, each dog was placed in a room and fairly displayed with 3 objects, then the dog was asked to choose one object. The tricky part comes with the meaning and association of each object, the first object was one of the dog’s toys, the second was an object that the owner uses on a regular basis and the third object was a neutral one, completely new to the dog. If the dog chooses the first object it means that the dog is selfish because he chooses what he wants and makes him happy, the second one proves that he cares about his owner and he’s helping him to find something that “he’s missing” and the new one was just a distraction. Disappointingly enough the majority of the dogs choose the toy!
So is my dog a selfish jerk? Here are 11 proofs they are.
1. They would look at you like this when you aren’t in the mood for a game
2. But when you really want them to catch the stick, they would look at to like this
3. They will lick your face at 6 in the morning, on a saturday
4. But when you wake them up for some reason…
5. When you have a baby so you can’t pay that much of attention to them anymore…
6. When you had to work that extra shift…
7. When the red light takes more time than what he expected, while driving him to the park.
8. When Christmas isn’t really his thing…
9. When you are starving but he decides your food is his brand new toy…
10. When you fell asleep and accidentally left him outside
11. When you arrive home smelling like your friend’s dog…