Your dog might be watching you more closely than you think – especially if she’s a female. According to a 2022 study, female dogs are more likely to judge your actions than male dogs. So, if you’ve been feeling under the microscope, it could be because your female dog is evaluating your competence.

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Female Dogs Are Observing Your Every Move

In a study to observe how dogs perceive human competence, researchers discovered that female dogs are more discerning than their male counterparts. The experiment involved two people attempting to open containers—one succeeded, and the other failed. Later, these people repeated the task with a different container, consistently showing competence or incompetence.

Then, the dogs were given the choice to approach either the person who had struggled or the one who had opened the container successfully. Here’s where it gets interesting: 83% of the female dogs gravitated toward the competent person, while the male dogs showed no preference.

But don’t worry, your dog’s not judging you because of your pickle jar-opening skills. The dogs were focused on competence when it mattered — when something important was inside the container, like food. When the container was empty, neither the male nor female dogs showed any preference.

Why Do Female Dogs Care About Competence?

Female dogs are more observant and focused than male dogs. These loyal companions have lived alongside humans for thousands of years, so they’ve become highly skilled at observing us.

This behavior aligns with other research showing that female dogs focus more on human faces and interactions. Whether it’s looking longer at their owners when they’re having trouble or after being given a little boost of oxytocin, female dogs tend to pay more attention.

What Does This Tell Us About Our Dogs?

Female dogs have evolved to be highly tuned into human behavior. They’ve learned that spending time with competent people (those who can solve problems or provide resources) is beneficial. This explains why female dogs are more likely to approach a skilled person when the task involves something important like food. They instinctively know that aligning with qualified individuals can lead to food, attention, or companionship.

Interestingly, male dogs did not show the same level of attention or preference in the study. This could suggest a difference in how male and female dogs process social interactions, though more research is needed to understand the extent of this fully.

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Future Research and What It Means for You and Your Dog

While this study gives us insight into how female dogs might assess human competence, there’s still much to learn. Will male dogs ever pay attention to competence in the same way? Can female dogs evaluate competence in other scenarios? These are questions that require more research.

For now, your female dog might be more critical than you realize. She may very well judge whether you’re competent or not—especially when food is involved. So, next time you struggle with a task around your dog, remember that she’s probably watching you, making mental notes of your abilities (or lack thereof).

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