Do dogs understand intention? New study looks at how much pets grasp

While it's no secret that dogs love receiving treats, a new study is considering whether the animals actually understand the intention behind the interaction.

Dan Riskin, CTV News' science and technology specialist, spoke on CTV Morning Live in Vancouver Tuesday about a study conducted in Vienna.

"Everybody knows that if you give a dog a treat it'll take the treat and it'll come back to you for more treats," Riskin said. "But the question is does the dog really know what you're thinking? Is it really just measuring if it got a treat or does it know what your intentions are?"

Riskin explained the study, which hasn't been peer-reviewed yet, put dogs through three different scenarios with a handler in a Plexiglas cage.

At first, the dog is given treats in all three scenarios. But then in one instance, the handler "tries" to give the dog another treat and "keeps dropping it."

"The dog sees that the person's being clumsy," Riskin said.

"In another version of the experiment … the same thing happens but the person's being a jerk. So they hold the treat out and take it away on purpose and the dog presumably can tell that the person's being mean."

In the third version of the experiment, the person tries to give the dog a treat but there is "something in the way" and they can't get it to the dog for whatever reason.

"The question is, if the dogs are getting treats the same amount in all three of those, are they … going to react differently based on the person's acting or what the presumed intentions are?" Riskin said.

Researchers used 3D tracking software, multiple cameras and a machine-learning algorithm to measure how much time the dog spent in each place. Riskin said researchers noted the dog did seem to act differently, depending on the treatment.

"If the person is teasing them, the dog leaves sooner. It doesn't hang out as much," he said. "If the person's blocked and just can't get (the treat) through, the dog figures that out and spends even less time there."

If the person keeps dropping the treat and fumbling, the dog tends to stick around a little longer, presumably thinking the person might figure it out.

Riskin said the research is useful because it can help trainers understand how to communicate with dogs in the best possible way. It can also help people understand their own evolutionary history.

"Fundamentally, the relationship between humans and dogs is far more interesting than just preventing your dog from pooping in the living room," he said. "It's a good deal on both sides and that evolutionary sequence is unique."

Watch the full interview with Dan Riskin in the video player above