Do Dogs Have Theory of Mind?

When Dogs Outsmart Us (and Other Dogs)

We all know dogs are smart. But are they strategic? Can they predict what another being will do and plan accordingly?

This brings us to a fascinating question in canine cognition: Do dogs have Theory of Mind?

What is Theory of Mind?

Theory of Mind is the ability to understand that other beings have their own thoughts, desires, and knowledge—separate from your own. It’s what allows humans to predict how someone else might react in a situation.

Traditionally, Theory of Mind has been credited to humans and, to a lesser extent, to non-human primates and corvids (think chimpanzees and ravens). But if you’ve spent enough time around dogs, you’ve probably seen behaviours that make you wonder… do they get it too?

Otter the Dog: Outsmarting His Way to Success

If you’re on TikTok, you probably know Bunny the Labradoodle (@whataboutbunny)—the viral sensation famous for using talking buttons to "speak." But her dog brother, Otter, might be an even more fascinating case of canine intelligence.

Otter has a reputation for using strategy and deception to get what he wants. One day, he was blocked from going upstairs because Bunny was sprawled across the landing. A "normal" dog might have nudged her or whined for her to move. But Otter had a better plan.

He ran to the window and started barking as if something exciting was outside. As expected, Bunny immediately jumped up and rushed to check it out. The moment she left the stairs, Otter casually trotted up, completely unbothered.

This wasn’t a lucky accident—it was a calculated move. See the video here.

But Otter’s brilliance didn’t stop there. In another moment of pure dog genius, he wanted a toy that Bunny was playing with. Instead of trying to take it, he used his talking buttons to manipulate his human into helping.

First, he tried pressing "Park", as if suggesting an outing. His human doesn't fall for that one, as they had already been to the park.

He then pressed "Potty", knowing this would get the human up to take him outside. As predicted, Bunny followed. The second she rounded the corner toward the door, Otter sprinted back and grabbed the abandoned toy. See for yourself!

What makes this so incredible is that he was testing different strategies to see what worked. He didn’t just push any button randomly—he chose the one most likely to trigger the desired response.

Dogs as Master Manipulators

Otter isn’t the only dog to use deception to get his way.

Another dog parent and client of mine started noticing a pattern: every time they got up to check what their dog was barking at outside, they returned to find him curled up in their warm spot on the couch.

At first, the other human in the house dismissed it as coincidence. Surely, he wasn’t tricking them on purpose… right?

That is, until they got fooled.

While visiting friends, the dog was trying to eat some potting soil. His human, determined to stop him, stood in his way, physically blocking access. But instead of giving up, the dog plotted an alternative strategy.

He ran to the fence and started barking—ears up, tail alert, the whole dramatic performance. The human, who had been working with a trainer to encourage disengagement from triggers using positive reinforcement, saw this as a perfect training opportunity. They walked over to the fence to confirm it wasn’t anything scary and offered a treat, expecting the dog to choose the reward over the reaction.

But the dog had a different plan.

Instead of taking the treat, he immediately spun around, dashed back to the potting soil, and grabbed a mouthful—seizing the perfect moment now that his human had stepped away.

That’s when it clicked: this wasn’t random. This was strategy.

Are We Underestimating Dogs?

It’s easy to assume that dogs learn only through basic operant learning. But when we see behaviours like:

• Testing strategies (barking at nothing, using talking buttons) to see what gets a reaction

• Predicting how a human or another dog will respond

• Using deception (fake alerts, false alarms) to get what they want

  
  

…it makes us wonder: Are dogs more cognitively complex than we give them credit for?

For years, science has been hesitant to claim that dogs possess Theory of Mind. But as more of these stories emerge, maybe it’s time to rethink what we believe about dog intelligence.

What Does the Science Say? Do Dogs have Theory of Mind?

Researchers studying canine cognition have begun to uncover evidence suggesting that dogs may indeed be capable of perspective-taking and intentional deception.

• Dogs can understand human perspective. Kaminski et al. (2009) found that dogs were more likely to steal food when a human’s eyes were closed versus when they were open. This suggests that it isn't just the presence of the human, but the knowledge of what the human can see.

• Schünemann et al (2021) found that dogs can differentiate between intentional and unintentional human actions. In their study, a human intentionally or unintentionally withheld a food reward. In 78% of trials where food was deliberately withheld, the dogs ceased tail movement, while only 6% of the trials where the human was unable to deliver the food reward did the dog show lessened tail movement.

• Dogs recognize what others do and don’t know. Maginnity & Grace (2014) found that dogs performed successfully in a Guesser-Knower task, suggesting they can take another’s perspective​. These results were confirmed by Catala et al (2017).

• Dogs perceive emotional cues visually. Correia-Caeiro, Guo, & Mills (2023) reviewed methodologies on how dogs process visual emotion cues, showing that their ability to read human expressions may contribute to their advanced social cognition​.

• Horowitz (2011) argued that dogs do, in fact, have Theory of Mind, pointing to play behaviour as evidence that they consider what other dogs are thinking before acting. She found that dogs modify their play bows based on whether another dog is paying attention, showing awareness of another's mental state.

• Meanwhile, a more recent study (Huber et al, 2025) demonstrated that dogs can infer human presence and will adjust their behaviour accordingly, even when direct visual cues are not present. While the results suggest perspective-taking abilities, the authors discuss whether this is truly "mind-reading" or simply learned behaviour based on prior experience.

  
  

These insights add to the growing body of evidence that dogs may be capable of more complex thinking than we once believed.

Final Thought: Who’s Really Training Who?

If you’ve ever found yourself standing at a window looking for nothing while your dog takes your spot… or rushing outside for a "potty break" only to have them double back to grab a toy…

…just remember: They might be training you more than you’re training them. 😉

---

References:

Catala, A., Mang, B., Wallis, L., & Huber, L. (2017). Dogs demonstrate perspective taking based on geometrical gaze following in a Guesser–Knower task. Animal Cognition, 20(4), 581-589. Link

Correia-Caeiro, C., Guo, K., & Mills, D. S. (2023). Visual perception of emotion cues in dogs: a critical review of methodologies. Animal Cognition, 26(3), 727-754. Link

Horowitz, A. (2011). Theory of mind in dogs? Examining method and concept. Learning & behavior, 39, 314-317. Link

Huber, L., van der Wolf, P., Menkveld, M., Riemer, S., & Völter, C. J. (2025). Canine perspective-taking: anticipating the behavior of an unseen human. iScience, 28(2), 111811. Link

Kaminski, J., Bräuer, J., Call, J., & Tomasello, M. (2009). Domestic dogs are sensitive to a human's perspective. Behaviour, 979-998. Link

Maginnity, M. E., & Grace, R. C. (2014). Visual perspective taking by dogs (Canis familiaris) in a Guesser–Knower task: evidence for a canine theory of mind? Animal cognition, 17, 1375-1392. Link

Schünemann, B., Keller, J., Rakoczy, H., Behne, T., & Bräuer, J. (2021). Dogs distinguish human intentional and unintentional action. Scientific reports, 11(1), 14967. Link

https://youtu.be/fJvJF0B5BLc?t=1401&si=ue7t9P7qpK1-2SUI