Owner Called Mini Dachshund Her 'Worst Critic' — Then Viewers Found More Proof
Many dog lovers may be aware of the dachshund's infamously feisty reputation. If you're not familiar, just know these hot dogs have a particular sort of sass that can be quite hilarious. There's no better proof of that than in a viral TikTok in which a mini dachshund earns the title of her owner's "worst critic," thanks to a couple of funny gestures the internet is cracking up about.
The good news? Junie the dachshund doesn't bite. The not-so-good news? Junie can shoot her mom a pretty mean side-eye. In this 11-second clip, we see Junie glaring at her mom quite shadily in various different locations. It's almost like she's judging her! The TikToker even coined Junie her "worst critic" because of it. No wonder her TikTok profile calls her the "sassiest wiener dog" around.
Viewers not only agreed with Junie's mom, but also shared even more proof of said judgment. "Why is she flipping me off?" said one viewer above a screenshot of little Junie's middle claw sticking out just a bit further than the rest. Some viewers opted to share pics of their equally judgey doxies, proving once again how dachshunds will leave you in stitches with their shenanigans.
Is your dog really judging you?
The general consensus seems to be that Junie's a judgey girl. But are our dogs really judging our behavior? Since dogs are even better at understanding our words than we thought, are they judging what we say? Dogs do understand a fair amount of human words, but we're not exactly sure what they think about them.
A group of international animal researchers explored this idea in a recent study. Shared in the Animal Cognition journal, the 2025 study observed how 40 pet dogs responded to two volunteers: one who generously offered treats, and one who hoarded them. Its findings were inconclusive, as the dogs didn't noticeably treat the volunteers with treats any differently. One thing dogs do judge, though? A 2022 study in the journal of Behavioural Processes found they're quite knowledgeable about our levels of competency, especially female dogs — who more often went toward the competent person. That means dogs like Junie might heavily judge how well humans feed or walk them, for example.
The takeaway? How dogs judge us is likely much more complex than we thought, despite humans and dogs' cooperative history. In general, it's best not to anthropomorphize (assume human traits on) dogs. Though if you do see a dachshund give the biggest side-eye ever after not getting any ice cream, it may or may not be a display of total shadiness.