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Do Dogs Judge Us? By Doggozila Magazine
Nov 16, 2025
Hey there, fellow dog lovers, have you come home late after forgetting to buy more treats, and your dog gives you that specific, disappointed side-eye. It feels personal. But is it?
This leads us to the million-dollar question that tugs at every dog owner’s mind, do dogs judge us?
🐾 Read the full article at Doggozila magazine at the link below: 👇
🔗 https://doggozila.com/do-dogs-judge-us/
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0:00
All right, let's get right into it.
0:01
We're tackling a big one today. A
0:04
question I know every single dog owner
0:06
has asked themselves. You know that
0:08
look. Is your dog actually judging you?
0:11
Oh, you know exactly the look I'm
0:13
talking about, right? Maybe you came
0:14
home a little later than usual. Or hey,
0:17
maybe you're just reaching for that
0:18
second slice of pizza and then you feel
0:20
it. That silent, intense side eye. It
0:24
cuts right through you. It feels so
0:26
personal. And look, you are definitely
0:29
not alone in feeling this way. That
0:31
little thought that pops into your head,
0:33
is my dog silently critiquing my life
0:35
choices right now, it's a universal
0:37
feeling. But here's the real question.
0:39
Are we seeing genuine disappointment? Or
0:41
are we just reading them completely
0:43
wrong? Okay, so first up, let's really
0:45
unpack that look. You know, the one we
0:48
all know and let's be honest, kind of
0:50
fear a little bit. I mean that side eye
0:52
or that super dramatic sigh, it feels
0:55
like a direct comment on who we are as a
0:57
person, right? But is that what's really
1:00
going on? Or are we just projecting our
1:02
own complicated human stuff onto our
1:05
dogs? So to get to the bottom of this,
1:08
we really need to understand what
1:10
judgment even means in the first place.
1:12
Because for us humans and for dogs, it's
1:15
well, it's two totally different things.
1:18
Think about it. When we judge someone,
1:20
we're pulling from all these complex
1:22
ideas about morals, ethics, you know,
1:24
right versus wrong. But a dog's
1:26
judgment, it's not about your character
1:28
at all. It's way more practical, way
1:31
more in the- moment. They're just
1:33
thinking, "Is this safe? Is this person
1:35
predictable?" So basically, every single
1:37
look, every little reaction, it's all
1:40
being filtered through these super basic
1:41
core needs. They're not wondering if
1:43
you're a good person deep down. They're
1:45
asking, "Am I safe here? Can I trust
1:48
this person to be a confident leader?
1:49
For them, it's all about survival and
1:51
feeling stable. All right, so let's dive
1:53
into some of those classic judgy
1:55
behaviors and try to see them from a
1:57
dog's point of view for a change. You've
2:00
seen them all, right? The big sigh when
2:02
you put the toy away, turning their back
2:04
on you when you're getting ready to
2:05
leave. How about barking at one specific
2:07
guest, but being totally fine with
2:09
another? We take this stuff so
2:11
personally, like it's an insult, but
2:13
really it's just a reaction to tiny
2:15
subtle signals, things we might not even
2:17
notice we're doing. And this right here,
2:20
this is the absolute core of it. Your
2:22
dog is reacting to your posture, your
2:24
tone of voice, even tiny changes in your
2:27
scent when you're stressed. You know,
2:29
they might avoid someone, not because
2:30
they've got some magic bad person
2:32
detector, but maybe just because that
2:34
person's voice is a little too loud or
2:36
their perfume is weird and it puts them
2:37
on edge. And you know what? A lot of the
2:40
time, we're the ones who create that
2:42
judgy look. When our signals are all
2:45
over the place, dogs don't think, "Oh,
2:47
what a hypocrite." They just feel
2:48
confused and anxious. That look, that
2:50
hesitation we think is judgment. It's
2:52
really just them trying desperately to
2:54
figure out the rules of the game when we
2:55
keep changing them. For a dog,
2:57
consistency is everything. It literally
2:59
equals safety. You got to remember, dogs
3:02
are like these incredible emotional
3:04
sponges. They don't just see that we're
3:06
anxious. They soak it up and reflect it
3:08
right back at us. If you're stressed
3:10
out, they get tense, too. And when
3:13
you're sad, it's not about pity. They
3:15
actually feel that shift in your energy
3:17
and they respond the only way they know
3:18
how, with comfort, with just being
3:20
there. So, their reaction isn't a
3:22
verdict on you. It's a reflection of
3:24
you. And hey, this isn't just a bunch of
3:27
nice sounding theories. Science actually
3:29
backs all of this up. Turns out
3:31
researchers are just as curious about
3:32
this as we are, and they've put dogs to
3:34
the test to figure it out. So to try and
3:37
get past our own human biases,
3:39
scientists came up with some really
3:41
clever experiments to see if dogs could
3:43
actually, you know, evaluate people. And
3:46
the results, they were pretty amazing.
3:49
Okay, picture this. In one big study,
3:51
they had dogs basically eavesdrop on a
3:53
situation. The dog's owner is trying to
3:55
open a container, right? And there are
3:57
two other people there. One person is
3:59
helpful. They jump in to assist. The
4:01
other person is totally unhelpful,
4:03
either refusing to help or even getting
4:04
in the way. So, the dog watches this
4:07
whole thing go down. Then, the
4:09
researchers let the dog choose which
4:10
person to go up to. So, what do you
4:12
think? Who did they pick? The helpful
4:13
one or the unhelpful one. You guessed
4:16
it. Overwhelmingly, the dogs went for
4:18
the person who was helpful and
4:20
cooperative. And this is huge. It proves
4:22
they're not just sitting on the
4:23
sidelines. They are actively watching
4:25
and figuring out who's a good team
4:27
player. They're literally forming
4:29
opinions based on what people do. But
4:31
wait, it gets even more interesting.
4:33
Other studies found that dogs also
4:34
prefer people who are just plain good at
4:36
stuff. Like if one person successfully
4:39
opens a box and another one fumbles and
4:41
fails, they'll prefer the competent
4:42
person. And again, it's not them judging
4:45
clumsiness. It's a super practical
4:47
assessment. Okay, who's the effective
4:49
leader here? Who should I be paying
4:50
attention to? So, what's the big
4:52
takeaway here? What do we do with all
4:54
this? Well, we can completely reframe
4:56
this whole thing. We can stop worrying
4:58
about being judged by our dogs and start
5:01
using this to build an even deeper,
5:03
stronger bond. And this is a really
5:06
powerful mental switch. The next time
5:08
you get the look, instead of thinking,
5:09
"My dog is judging me," try asking
5:12
yourself, "What feedback is my dog
5:14
giving me right now?" Their reaction is
5:16
a clue. It's telling you something about
5:18
how they feel. Maybe they're confused or
5:20
anxious or just unsure. That's not
5:22
judgment. That's priceless data that can
5:24
help you become a way better, clearer
5:26
communicator. And the best way to build
5:28
that trust and communication, just do
5:30
stuff together. Good stuff. It's not
5:32
about being this perfect, flawless
5:34
owner. It's about being a reliable
5:36
partner. Things like cooperative walks,
5:38
puzzle toys you solve as a team, or just
5:40
consistent, positive training. All these
5:42
things build up this trust fund with
5:44
your dog. It sends a clear message. This
5:46
person is safe. This person is fun. And
5:48
this person is predictable. And in a
5:50
dog's world, that's pretty much the
5:52
highest compliment you can get. Because
5:54
ultimately, that's the whole point,
5:56
isn't it? Life with a dog isn't some
5:58
kind of moral test that you're always
6:00
afraid of failing. It's a partnership,
6:02
one you build every single day, focusing
6:04
on connection and understanding each
6:06
other, not on worrying about being
6:08
criticized. So, when it all comes down
6:11
to it, that famous look, it's not a look
6:13
of moral superiority. It's a look of
6:16
intense deep attention. It's the look of
6:19
an animal that is trying with everything
6:21
they have to read you, to predict you,
6:23
and to understand you. because you are
6:25
the most important person in their
6:27
entire world. And maybe maybe that's the
6:30
most incredible part of it all. Dogs
6:33
don't put us on trial. They just get us.
6:36
Their ability to read our emotions, to
6:38
understand our intentions without all
6:40
that messy human judgment getting in the
6:42
way. That's what makes this bond so pure
6:44
and so extraordinary. They see us, flaws
6:47
and all, and they choose to stick around
6:49
anyway.
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