News > Would dogs return the favor if you gave them treats? It’s complicated

Would dogs return the favor if you gave them treats? It’s complicated

15/07/2021 09:15 PM | Click to read full article

Dogs may not be inclined to return favors to people, at least when it involves food. The result, published July 14 in PLOS ONE, is somewhat surprising since a previous study showed dogs will return favors in the form of food to other dogs.

In other studies, dogs helped their owners when the people appeared to be trapped, and canines were able to distinguish between helpful and unhelpful people. So it seems reasonable to think dogs might reciprocate good deeds by humans.

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