How smart are dogs? Those of us who are dog owners likely think that our pets are pretty darn smart. One problem, however, is that we tend to anthropomorphize our pets – meaning we ascribe human qualities to them, and sometimes trick ourselves into thinking they are smarter than they actually are (see Bouma, et al., 2023).

It is common for pet owners to ascribe complex human behaviors and emotions to our pets, believing that they are displaying feelings of empathy, jealousy, and even, at times, trying to

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