Study finds female dogs are better judging human competence – and they act on it.
By Bianca Kapteyn
If you ever had the feeling your dog was sizing you up, you might be right – especially if she’s female. A recent study from Kyoto University , led by researcher Hitomi Chijiiwa, suggests that dogs are capable of assessing human competence, and that female canines in particular are far better at doing so than their male counterparts.
The research team conducted experiments where dogs observed humans attempting to open containers. Some humans were clearly competent, while others failed at the task. While all dogs paid attention, the female dogs were much more discerning–choosing to interact with the more competent person, and often ignoring the less capable one. This suggests not only that canines can evaluate human abilities , but also that female dogs are more attuned to those differences and adjust their behaviour accordingly.
Clever Girl Fact: Female dogs aren’t just more attentive–they’re better at reading the room. Studies show they can assess whether a person is skilled or clumsy, and they’re most likely to trust and follow the one who knows what they’re doing. So if your girl dog seems to favour one person over another … she probably has a good reason.
Read the full story to learn more:
Chijiiwa et al. (2022), “Female dogs evaluate levels of competence in humans,” Behavioural Processes, 203:104753.
You can view the abstract and full details on PubMed (DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104753)researchgate.netpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov+1researchgate.net+1.
