A recent study provided a new proof that dogs can understand human, particularly on an emotional level.

Dogs are known to be "man's best friend" because of a strong bond created between the owner and the pet. The "Theory of the Mind" states the understanding of someone else's perspective which is a unique ability to human. Now, the research has shown that dogs also have this kind of ability.

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In a study published in the journal Animal Cognition, dogs possess an ability to read the thoughts of their owner. The researchers have observed the actions of the dogs, in which, the dogs analyzed the behavior of the humans who knows where the container with food is.

The first person will be the "knower," or the looked on, and the other one will be the "guesser," or looked away. There is a screen that prevents the dogs from determining which the correct container is, and all of them have been filled with a "meat scent" to prevent the dogs from smelling the right one.

According to the lead author of the study and a Biologist at the Messerli Research Institute in Vienna, Ludwig Huber, the dogs are being tested to judge which is the "knower" so that they can get the right container of food. Upon identifying who will be the right one to trust, the dogs followed the gaze the "knower" rather that the "guesser."

There is a 70 percent of a chance that dogs will identify who had seen the hidden food. They used a second-hand knowledge to choose the right person that leads them to find the right container. The researchers described their finding as "geometrical gaze-following and perspective-taking in dogs."

In another research, dogs also possess emotional intelligence. According to the study published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, dogs have "emotional contagion" or also known as empathy. They adjust their actions according to their owner's behavior. They can also identify other emotions like sadness, or anger, and can sense if humans are being rude to others.

However, dog's emotional intelligence does not always work towards the advantage of the owners. In a previous study, dogs are not using deceptive tactics to get the attention of their owners and get what they want. Instead, they are using this kind of strategy to feel unconditional love and empathy from their owners.