So we don’t know when dogs are aggressive

Humans are not always able to recognize aggressive behavior, especially when it comes to canine behavior. This is highlighted by a study published in the journal Plos One, conducted by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Germany. The team, led by Juliane Brauer, included 92 adults who were shown videos showing the beginning of a non-verbal interaction between two human babies, two pet dogs, or two macaques.

Interpreting social dynamics and predicting outcomes, according to the authors, are important skills that enable them to respond appropriately to situations, especially aggressive behavior. There were clues to the nature of the interaction in the footage, such as the protagonists’ postures and facial expressions, but the frames were cropped before the two actors actually made contact. In the survey, 50 percent of the subjects had to define the attitude of the protagonists and choose between aggressive, neutral or playful. Instead, the remaining participants had to judge the result of the behavior of the others.

The researchers found that people were more accurate at recognizing playful interactions, which were correctly recognized 70 percent of the time. The participants could not detect aggression among the dogs. Humans can be biased into assuming good intentions from their peers or from dogs, which could hinder the detection of aggressive behavior.

“Being able to recognize aggression – the authors conclude – is a fundamental ability to be able to react optimally to dangerous situations. Our work shows that humans tend to underestimate the dangerousness of interactions with dogs, and that hostile behavior might encourage appropriate interactions with potentially aggressive animals.”

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