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March 6, 2009

Strange But True!

Q. Do dogs have a sense of fairness, of getting a good deal or a raw one?

A. Surprisingly, they do when they feel they're not being treated fairly. Until now, overt reaction to unfairness had seemed to be restricted to primates. But some researchers had grown to suspect that other species that live cooperatively could also be sensitive to “foul play,” says Nora Schultz in New Scientist magazine. To test this out, University of Vienna researchers asked 43 trained dogs to extend their paws to a human in various situations. The animals complied just about every time, with or without being given a reward. But this changed quickly when the dogs were stationed alongside another dog that was being given a food reward when the test dog got none. The predictably “disgruntled” dogs offered their paws far less often, while showing stress signs such as licking and scratching themselves. “They were clearly unhappy with the unfair situation,” said researcher Friedericke Range. “It might explain why some dogs react with ‘new-baby envy' when the owners have a child.”


 
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