Dogs are much smarter than most people think. Apart from learning tricks and sensing humans’ emotions, science suggests that they can also recognize bad people.

One study tested the theory.

It involved three scenarios. The first one involved a person opening a jar that was tightly sealed. Standing next to that person was a stranger who volunteered to help open the jar. In the next scenario, the stranger was passive. The third one refused to help.

In each scenario, the dogs observed the interactions.

And right after they witnessed the scenes, the volunteers offered them some treats. Of course, in people’s minds, the dogs would immediately accept the treats with wagging tails.

Surprisingly, the dogs showed different reactions.

The study found out that dogs were more likely to accept treats coming from people who helped out. They would also accept treats from passive strangers but they won’t trust those who outright refuse to help. In fact, when those “mean” people offered them treats, the dogs ignored them.

Another study showed similar results.

It involved two the placement of two containers near the dogs. The first one contained food while the second one was empty.

During the first scenario, a person pointed to the container with food. In the second one, the person pointed to the empty container.

The dogs were quite happy with the food they discovered the first time. However, when they realized that the second container was empty, they were quite disappointed. The third time ’round, they didn’t respond the same way when the person pointed to the container with food.

How To Tell Your Dog Is Sensing Bad People

When your dog doesn’t like someone, it’s actually very easy to tell. If your dog is usually happy and excited to meet new people, they’ll likely jump around and meet them with hugs and kisses. They may even rub their body against their legs while wagging their tails quickly.

If your dog doesn’t like someone, the reactions will be very different. They may cower away and show fear or may even hide behind your legs. Your dog may try to run away too!

In some cases, dogs that sense bad people may show signs of aggression. They may bark, growl, and show their teeth. In really extreme cases, they may even snap at them.

On Training Dogs to Sense Bad People

Technically, you really can’t train your dog to detect bad people. For them, it happens on a biological, instinctual level. You can’t force them to learn the behavior.

However, you can control the way they react to someone they sense is mean. You can begin by teaching them how to remain calm and relaxed. You can also remove them from the situation or teach them to follow commands like sit, stay, and leave.

Take note that if you must remove your dog from the presence of a bad person, you should try to replace his emotions with something positive.

This way, your dog won’t hold on to its fearful or aggressive behaviors.

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Source: Hit, Science Direct