Humans are poor at predicting when dogs are about to get aggressive, study finds

They suggest owners may need more education on reading canine behaviour The researchers believe we could incorrectly assume we understand dogs well They were poor at predicting if dogs and children were going to get aggressive People were shown clips of interactions between children, dogs and monkeys Many of us know our furry friends so well that we could tell whether they wanted a walk or a wee just by the angle of their head tilt. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Geoanthropology in Germany found that people could only correctly predict an aggressive interaction between two dogs just over 20 per cent of the time. Researchers found that people could only correctly predict that an aggressive interaction between two dogs was about to happen just over 20 per cent of the time Average performance of the participants for predicting the future outcome of the interactions for each species and context WARNING SIGNS A DOG IS ABOUT TO BECOME AGGRESSIVE Becoming very still and rigid Guttural bark that sounds threatening Lunging forward or charging at the person with no contact Mouthing, as though to move or control the person, without applying significant pressure 'Muzzle punch' Growling Showing teeth Snarling Snapping Source: ASPCA First author Theresa Epperlein said: 'It is possible that we are biased to assume good intentions from other humans and from "man's best friend". The results also suggest that dog owners require better education as to the warning signs of canine aggression, to reduce the frequency of dog bites Previous research from the group did find that experience with children, dogs and non-human primates does not affect one's ability to correctly predict a social interaction between them.