Dogs Are Poor Problem-Solvers, And It's Our Fault

Note: This was not the actual study setup. But it's still cute. Credit: GorillaAttack / Shutterstock Most pet owners know that dogs are masters at the art of getting humans to obey their wishes, whether it’s a trip outside or retrieving a tennis ball that rolled under the couch. For decades, researchers have assumed that dogs’ imploring gazes were a brilliant problem-solving strategy: “I’ll just get the human to do it.” But a new study suggests that dogs may have become so dependent on human cues that they give up easily when confronted with a challenging problem.