Dogs have a better understanding of how its owner is feeling than the other way around, according to experts. Researchers say that your pet pooch's social skills make it more adept at reading your mood (stock image)
Researchers Have said that a dog's social skills make it more adept at reading its owner's mood, with people often misunderstanding their pet's reactions. This simply means that dogs have a better understanding of how their owner are feeling than the other way around.
It is also a confirmation that a range of domesticated animals, including pets and livestock, posses far greater emotional intelligence than we may give them credit for.
Sophie Scott, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London, says that people may misread how a dog is feeling, due to a difference in how pets and their owners view one another.
Speaking to The Times, Professor Scott said:
'There was a study this year that showed that dogs don't like being hugged.
'You look at photographs of dogs being hugged by people and the dogs show objective signs of distress.
'The dogs really like being with their owners, they want to be with their owners, but they don't want to be held. It provokes anxiety in them: as an animal, they want to be able to move freely.
'And pretty much everyone's reaction to this was: well, I don't think that's my dog. It was a very good example of this asymmetry.
'Dogs are great at reading us but we are pretty shocking at reading them.'
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