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It's Now Scientifically Proven That Dogs Can Tell If People Are Jerks

They’re as insightful as you always thought.

It kind of goes without saying that dogs are the best. And while it always seemed like they were smart enough to understand which people are good or bad, now there’s demonstrable proof. It’s true: dogs can suss out a**holes.

According to a new study reported by Metro, dogs can tell if one person is being mean to another. That analysis leads to how they respond to that person. Dogs are so smart! And in conclusion? They don’t like mean people.

Researchers figured this out by conducting a few scenarios. In front of dogs, volunteers pretended to have a hard time opening containers. In one scenario, one researcher would offer help, while the other would just stand by. In the second, one researcher would help, while the other actively refused to do so. After the first scenario, the researchers would offer dogs treats, and they happily accepted the treats from both. So basically, dogs don’t mind and/or can’t process mild or passive rudeness.

But in the second scenario, when the researchers had point blank refused to help, the dogs were more likely to ignore the researchers and refuse their treats. So in conclusion? Dogs can tell when someone’s not very nice, and they definitely don’t like it. 

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