When a 3D animated ball violates the laws of physics, dogs act as if they know they are being tricked, and that what they are witnessing goes against “common sense.”
In the experiment, the dogs stared longer and had more dilated pupils when the animated ball rolled without any physical force acting on it. This indicates that the animals were also surprised by the strange phenomenon, as the ball’s movement defied their expectations. This is the observation of Christoph Völter, a researcher at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Austria.
“This is the starting point for further research,” Professor Völter said. “You have certain expectations [about activities in] the environment—things that are usually associated with the laws of physics. Suddenly, something happens that goes against common sense, and now you focus more, trying to understand what just happened.”
A dog participating in the experiment.
In similar experiments conducted on young children and chimpanzees over six months old, scientists found that the subjects also focused more when observing unusual events. Research on humans shows that pupils dilate when the brain is highly active, such as during calculations or when experiencing strong emotions like joy or surprise. Previous studies on dogs have also shown that: when looking at the face of an angry person, a dog’s pupils dilate more than when looking at the face of a happy person.
Völter and his collaborator Ludwig Huber decided to conduct a test to see how dogs react when faced with unrealistic situations. The test subjects were 14 adult dogs (including breeds such as Border Collies, Labrador Retrievers, and several mixed breeds). The dogs rested their chins on a support and watched a series of videos featuring animals, interspersed with videos showing 3D balls in motion.
In one video showing two balls colliding, the first ball pushed the second ball away, and everything happened as expected. However, in another video, the first ball suddenly stopped before hitting the second ball, yet the second ball rolled away without any physical impact. This video displayed a scenario that contradicted the laws of physics.
Like young children and chimpanzees, dogs focused on the absurd movement of the ball. At the same time, the dilation of their pupils indicated that the event occurred contrary to the dog’s expectations.
This does not prove that dogs understand physics with complex calculations, but it does suggest that dogs have some awareness of physical interactions in their environment. According to researcher Völter, such expectations are the foundational building blocks that lead to understanding.
However, to date, no experiments have shown what significance these expectations have for the animals’ lives.
