I've always known that dogs learn from each other. I've often heard stories of people that bring their dog to daycare and they come back with some new habits
But I ask because, to me, it seems Jackson REALLY is a copycat and pays attention to other dogs a lot.
For example, I dogsat a few weekends ago, and the dogs get Kongs with peanut butter when we leave. So Jackson watched me make the Kongs w/ PB and give them to the dogs. Jackson has NEVER liked PB. Like, ever, in his entire four years of life. He was begging for my PB&J sandwich the other night. So I gave him a lick of PB and he ate it up... so I decided to make him a frozen kong with some PB and whaddya know? He loved it. The last time I tried that, he snubbed it and I got stuck cleaning it out.
Also, he's always loved the pool and the water, but up until this summer, the only way he would dive in was by first jumping onto the raft THEN diving in the water. Our neighbor got a Black Lab puppy this summer and by the time she was around 14 weeks old, she was diving into our pool over and over again, just off the sides. Jackson very much observed her. The NEXT day was when he took his first REAL dive off the sides of the pool (not jumping onto the raft first). And again. And again. And now he doesn't need the raft at all.
Oh and fetching? I've been working his whole life now to get him REALLY amped up for fetching (balls, frisbee), and he would always do it but not for long periods, or even long distances. Ever since he's been hanging around my uncle's GSD who is a fetching maniac -- he suddenly is completely psyched about the game. Begs to fetch. Plays for a long time. I have a ChuckIt and he ruuuunnnsss. I absolutely am LOVING it.
Is he just really smart, really observant? How often do dogs actually copy each other, or learn from each other?
But I ask because, to me, it seems Jackson REALLY is a copycat and pays attention to other dogs a lot.
For example, I dogsat a few weekends ago, and the dogs get Kongs with peanut butter when we leave. So Jackson watched me make the Kongs w/ PB and give them to the dogs. Jackson has NEVER liked PB. Like, ever, in his entire four years of life. He was begging for my PB&J sandwich the other night. So I gave him a lick of PB and he ate it up... so I decided to make him a frozen kong with some PB and whaddya know? He loved it. The last time I tried that, he snubbed it and I got stuck cleaning it out.
Also, he's always loved the pool and the water, but up until this summer, the only way he would dive in was by first jumping onto the raft THEN diving in the water. Our neighbor got a Black Lab puppy this summer and by the time she was around 14 weeks old, she was diving into our pool over and over again, just off the sides. Jackson very much observed her. The NEXT day was when he took his first REAL dive off the sides of the pool (not jumping onto the raft first). And again. And again. And now he doesn't need the raft at all.
Oh and fetching? I've been working his whole life now to get him REALLY amped up for fetching (balls, frisbee), and he would always do it but not for long periods, or even long distances. Ever since he's been hanging around my uncle's GSD who is a fetching maniac -- he suddenly is completely psyched about the game. Begs to fetch. Plays for a long time. I have a ChuckIt and he ruuuunnnsss. I absolutely am LOVING it.
Is he just really smart, really observant? How often do dogs actually copy each other, or learn from each other?